By Lindsey Bahr, Film Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) --F. Gary Gray, who made waves this summer with his profitable and critically acclaimed N.W.A biopic "Straight Outta Compton," has been set to direct the eighth film in the "Fast & Furious" franchise.
Gray announced the news on his Facebook page on Thursday and Universal Pictures confirmed.
Star and producer Vin Diesel posted a photo of himself and Gray with some "Fast & Furious" images on Facebook earlier this week, hinting that the "Compton" director was indeed the front runner to take over the extremely successful series.
"Furious 7," released earlier this year, grossed a staggering $1.5 billion worldwide. James Wan directed that film, which featured Paul Walker's final appearance in the series. Walker died in 2013.
The eighth installment is set for an April 14, 2017 release.
SMPTE elects board officers, regional governors
SMPTE®,the home of media professionals, technologists, and engineers, has revealed the board officers and regional governors who will serve terms beginning in January 2025.
Three new officers--Richard Welsh as SMPTE president, Eric Gsell as SMPTE executive VP, and Polly Hickling as SMPTE Education VP--have been elected for a two-year term from Jan. 1, 2025, to Dec. 31, 2026. One SMPTE officer, Lisa Hobbs, will be continuing her service as SMPTE secretary and treasurer for another two-year term. Additionally, Raymond Yeung will be stepping into the role of standards VP on Jan. 1, 2025.
“SMPTE’s membership has spoken,” said SMPTE interim executive director Sally-Ann D’Amato. “These officers have been tasked with an important responsibility, one each of them is prepared to tackle head-on. These next two years are looking bright for SMPTE!”
In addition to the officers, 10 regional governors were elected by the Society to serve two-year 2025-2026 terms.
These include the following regional governors, re-elected to continue their service:
Asia-Pacific Region Governor
Tony Ngai, Society of Motion Imaging Ltd.
EMEA - Central & South America Region Governor
Fernando Bittencourt, FB Consultant
United Kingdom Region Governor
Chris Johns, Sky UK.
USA - Central Region Governor
William T. Hayes, Consultant
USA - Eastern Region Governor
Dover Jeanne Mundt, Riedel Communications
USA - Western Region Governor
Jeffrey F. Way, Open Drives
Also elected were four newcomers to the SMPTE Board:
Canada Region Governor
Jonathan Jobin, Grass Valley
USA - Hollywood Region Governor
Allan Schollnick, Voxx... Read More