Vin Diesel has really been working the Fast and Furious promotion machine as of late. The actor recently announced the release dates of Fast 8, Fast and Furious 9, and 10. But these films are only as good as their villain – and a few cheesy one-liners.

But of all the actors they have cast in the past, Universal appears to be making a surprise offer. According to a new report, the studio wants to add Charlize Theron to Fast 8 as its lead villain. More on the story below.

Although details are scarce at the moment, Variety says that Universal is eager to get the actress on board the sequel and that an offer has been made to the Oscar-winning actress.

While the offer and possible casting is a bit surprising, the practice has become more commonplace. Marvel has made an effort to get Oscar-nominated and winning actors and actresses in their films, and it has done wonders for them. So if Universal somehow manages to cast Theron in Fast 8, it would only boost the franchise’s name and reputation. Plus you’ll likely see more actors that you never thought you see in the film be in it.

We’ve already seen that Charlize Theron is more than capable of handling herself in an action film. And after seeing Theron in Mad Max: Fury Road, who wouldn’t want to see Imperator Furiosa in a Race War against Dom, or even trade punches with Dom. Honestly, how awesome would that be.

It’s not quite clear what the villain has against Dom and his crew. She could possibly be the sister of the Shaw family, who wants to get revenge on the people who put Owen (Luke Evans) in the hospital and Deckard (Jason Statham) in jail. Then there is the long shot of getting Helen Mirren to play some sort of a villain matriarch. The actress has expressed an interest in playing as a “Mad Driver”.

Here’s what Mirren said about wanting to be in a Fast and Furious film:

Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Tyrese Gibson, Michelle Rodriguez, and Chris “Ludacris” Bridges are all expected to return to reprise their roles. You may think that Dwayne Johnson’s busy schedule would prevent him from being a part of the sequel, but the actor talks about how he is prepping for his return to play Hobbs once more.

Directed by F. Gary Gray (Straight Outta Compton), Fast 8 is scheduled to start filming this coming spring, and is dated for an April 17, 2017 release.

[Source: Variety]