The "Fast and Furious" franchise isn't known for its subtlety, and true to form, its star is making a bold claim about the series's upcoming seventh installment.

In an interview with Variety, Vin Diesel declared that "Furious 7" would take awards season by storm -- and snag a Best Picture Oscar statuette, too.

"Universal is going to have the biggest movie in history with this movie," Diesel told the trade. "It will probably win best picture at the Oscars, unless the Oscars don't want to be relevant ever."

We're going to go out on a limb and guess that Diesel's claim won't come true (the Oscars have been struggling with relevancy lately, after all), though it wouldn't be a "Fast" movie without some hyperbole surrounding the flick. As Diesel puts it, the film's handling of co-star Paul Walker's passing should elevate it to the same level as the more artsy fare favored by the Academy.

"This will win best picture. There is nothing that will ever come close to the power of this thing," Diesel told Variety. He expanded on that thought:

We were successful in one-upping the action sequences, and adding an interesting dynamic to the world. But what the world won't anticipate is how emotionally powerful the movie is. The head of the studio, Ron Meyer, often said when 'Fast 5' or 'Fast 6' came out, 'If there was no number attached to these movies, they would be contenders for best picture.' And when people see 'Furious 7,' they are going to agree.

Fans can judge for themselves when "Furious 7" hits theaters on April 3.

[via: Variety]

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