Meet Helen Mirren & A Car With A Jet Engine In New ‘Fast 8’ Images

People who have never seen the Fast & Furious movies like to dismiss them as lunkheaded action movies predicated on ridiculous stunts involving cars. And while that’s certainly a part of it (an awesome part, mind you) the real reason that this series has become so beloved is thanks to an expanding family of characters. In recent years these movies have introduced The Rock, Jason Statham, and Kurt goddamn Russel, but Fast 8 isn’t content to rest on its laurels. Instead we’re getting not only Charlize Theron, but also Helen freaking Mirren!

We’ve gotten a little bit of information about Theron’s new villain, but things have been more quiet in regards to Mirren’s character. We know her presence in the film will be somewhat limited, but we don’t know who she’s playing or even what she’ll look like. Thankfully, Vin Diesel has deigned to bless us with an Instagram post that answers at least one, and possibly two of those questions.

First of all, we now know that Helen Mirren’s character looks like… well, Helen Mirren. Hey, if it ain’t broke, right? Second, and I’m admittedly reaching here, but might the ‘Toretto Tursday’ tag be implying that Mirren’s character is, in fact a Toretto herself? Perhaps even Dom and Mia’s mother? This isn’t a scoop, this is just me making dumb guesses on the internet, but I’d be way into the idea of Helen Mirren playing Mama Toretto.

In other news, Fast 8 will also have ridiculous stunts involving cars, one of which, apparently, has a jet engine strapped to its back. Again, from Instagram, we have a look at a modified Dodge Charger used for the scenes shot in Iceland. I’m not sure why you need a jet engine on a car, but I have every confidence that the answer to that question will be amazing.

Source: Instagram (via Comicbook.com)