Fast 8 starts filming in Cuba

The production announcement comes days before the scheduled US release date of Papa: Hemingway in Cuba, which was the first Hollywood production to shoot on the island since the revolution of the late 1950s.

The US government still has a trade embargo in place for Cuba but relations between the two countries have thawed over the past year. America’s embassy re-opened in Havana last summer and in March this year Barack Obama became the first US president to visit Cuba since 1928.

Michael Pacino, a co-producer on Papa: Hemingway in Cuba, recently told KFTV he believed his movie’s long pre-production process helped smooth the way for Fast 8 to secure the relevant permits and permissions to film in Cuba.

The Fast & Furious franchise has, against the odds, become one of Universal’s most valuable properties, with the last movie alone making $1.5bn internationally. At least two more films will follow after Fast 8.

Exotic locations have quickly become a trademark of the series and Fast 8 is also scheduled to shoot in Iceland and New York.

For more on filming in Cuba see our production guide.

Image: Universal Pictures