Charlize Theron to play villain in 'Fast 8'

LOS ANGELES, April 7 (UPI) -- Charlize Theron will star in the newest Fast and the Furious installment, Fast 8.

Universal Pictures confirmed the 40-year-old actress' casting on the movie's official Facebook page after news outlets reported Theron will play a villain in the sequel Thursday.

"Our crew will face its greatest adversary ever in our next film as we welcome Charlize Theron to the Fast family. 4.14.17. #F8," the studio captioned a photo of the star.

Theron was first linked to the project in February and reportedly waited to commit until the final script was completed. The actress last played Furiosa in Mad Max: Fury Road and won a Critics' Choice Movie Award for the action-packed role.

Kristopher Hivju, who portrays Tormund Giantsbane on HBO series Game of Thrones, will reportedly also join the cast. The 37-year-old Norwegian actor will play Theron's character's henchman, according to The Wrap.

The Italian Job (2003) director F. Gary Gray will helm the new installment. Vin Diesel will return as Dominic Toretto, with Dwayne Johnson as Luke Hobbs, Michelle Rodriguez as Letty Ortiz and Jason Statham as Deckard Shaw.

Fast 8 will open in theaters April 14, 2017. The most recent installment, Furious 7, was the last to feature late star Paul Walker, and earned $1.51 billion at the box office. The film series has earned a total $3.9 billion.

Theron will next star in The Huntsman: Winter's War with Chris Hemsworth and Emily Blunt. The actress is also slated for The Coldest City with James McAvoy and will voice Monkey in the animated movie Kubo and the Two Strings.