Helen Mirren made waves a couple years ago when she publicly campaigned for a part in the "Fast and Furious" franchise, revealing that she's a huge fan of the series (and loves doing her own stunt driving, too). Now, after months of rumors that she'd be joining the cast of "Fast 8," the Oscar-winning actress has confirmed that she'll indeed be part of the flick.

In an interview with Elle, Mirren discussed her preference for "serious" cinematic roles, but admitted that that doesn't really apply to the "Fast" franchise -- and officially revealed that she's set to appear in the next installment.

" ... I'm about to do 'Fast and Furious 8.' But that's for the fun of it," the actress told Elle. " ... I've always rather loved driving. I said, 'I'll be in it, but only if I'm allowed to drive if I do drive in it.' But we'll see. We'll see how it transpires."

From the sounds of it, Mirren's part is probably a smaller one, since she apparently hasn't even filmed her scenes yet. (Or perhaps she's just being coy, so as not to reveal too much about her role.) Still, we one hundred percent approve of this move, and can't wait to see how the celebrated actress fits into the ensemble. (We'd love to see her go toe-to-toe with fellow Oscar winner Charlize Theron's enigmatic villain Cipher.)

"Fast 8" zooms into theaters on April 14, 2017.

[via: Elle]

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