Furious 8 could be first Hollywood film to shoot in Cuba since the 60s

Fast & Furious 8 is planning an historic shoot in Cuba, targeting a record other than one for most franchise entries of all time.

Straight Outta Compton director F Gary Gray's film will be the first major Hollywood picture to shoot in the country since the 1960s.

With the US having started 'normalising' relations with the island country last year, Universal told THR that it is "currently in the process seeking approval" from the Cuba and US governments to film a segment of the movie there.

Last year, the upcoming Hemingway biopic ​Papa​ - which stars Giovanni Ribisi and Minka Kelly - became the first US production to shoot in Cuba.

The filmmakers are also exploring locations including Russia and Iceland. Previous instalments have taken the cast from Los Angeles and London to Tokyo and Abu Dhabi.

Cuba is currently still closed to tourists from the US but is increasingly open for educational, business and research trips.

The 1959 drama ​Pier 5, Havana​ is believed to be the last US film to have shot in Cuba before souring relations to Fidel Castro's new regime saw the long-standing embargo introduced.

Vin Diesel, Jason Statham, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster and Kurt Russell are all expected to return for ​Fast and Furious 8​, which is scheduled for release on April 14, 2017.