The upcoming installment in the “Fast & Furious” franchise will begin filming next summer, and the movie will be a tribute to the late Paul Walker, who was part of the first seven movies.

Actress Michelle Rodriguez, who plays Letty Ortiz in the blockbuster franchise, recently spoke about the upcoming instalment at the Harper’s Bazaar Icon Party in New York City, saying the eighth movie is a tribute to Walker.

Walker passed away in November 2013 in a car accident, and “Furious 7” featured a touching send-off to the late actor at the end of the movie. Although Walker won’t be a part of “Fast & Furious 8”, there are chances that he will still be mentioned in the movie.

Rodriguez revealed that the eighth film will primarily be about street racing as Walker had expressed a desire for the film to remain true to its core theme — racing.

“[Paul] wanted to bring it back down to the core, which is the racing,” Rodriguez told People. “He was always complaining about the special effects and the blue screens.”

She also added that Walker wasn’t a fan of “exaggerated explosions and crazy plot lines,” and the production house will try to stay “true to Paul’s wishes.”

Although the film is currently in pre-production, actor Vin Diesel also spoke about the movie during the MTV Movie Awards in April, saying Walker always knew there would be a “Fast & Furious 8.”

Nicknaming the movie as “F8” aka “fate”, Diesel said: “Paul used to say that 8 was guaranteed and, in some ways, when your brother guarantees something, you have to make sure it comes to pass. So, if fate has it — fate, F8 — then you’ll get it. Furious 7 was for Paul; 8 is from Paul.”

On 12 September, Diesel paid a tribute to Walker on his birth anniversary, calling him one of the greatest human beings he has known.

“Happy Birthday to one of the greatest human beings I have ever known… one that I have been lucky to call a brother…Happy Birthday Paul… we miss you,” Diesel wrote.

“Fast and Furious 8” is set for an April 2017 release, and it will feature Dwyane Johnson, Jason Statham besides Rodriguez and Diesel. The rest of the cast is yet to be confirmed.

Rumours are rife that Eva Mendes will reprise her role as agent Monica Fuentes in “Fast and Furious 8”. Monica was a lead character in “2 Fast 2 Furious,” and according to rumours she will team up with Johnson’s Hobbs to take on a new villain in New York.