Vin Diesel says 'Furious 7' will win Best Picture at the Oscars

Vin Diesel already established his career as an actor and producer, but it looks like the muscle man wants in the film criticism business. That would be in relation to his latest award-season predictions, where Diesel believes his new film Furious 7 takes home Best Picture at next year's Academy Awards ceremony.

Whether or not Diesel is joking, this is what he has said to Variety. To be more specific, he said, "Universal is going to have the biggest movie in history with this movie. It will probably win best picture at the Oscars, unless the Oscars don’t want to be relevant ever....This will win Best Picture. There is nothing that will ever come close to the power of this thing."

Although the quote sounds pretty tongue-in-cheek, Diesel is known to say fairly outlandish things in interviews. That said, to be so confident in an April release holding not only a Best Picture nomination but a win, let alone the sixth sequel in an action franchise with no Oscar nominations for it getting the Oscars' biggest prize, is bold to say the least. Diesel certainly seems confident in his film's success, though.

To the actor/producer's credit, Furious 7 received good reviews during its recent premiere at SXSW. Some critics even noted it's the best one in the franchise yet, not only in terms of outlandish stunts but in its respectful farewell to the late Paul Walker. His death haunted over both the production and release of the film, with Diesel even reportedly getting emotional at a California screening.

"We were successful in one-upping the action sequences, and adding an interesting dynamic to the world," Diesel also said. "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 Five 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."

These quotes come on the heels of the Academy determining whether or not to keep ten possible Best Picture nominations or go back to five. The decision initially came in 2009 as a way to attract more viewers to the awards show, as blockbusters and audience favorites like Furious 7 often were shut out of the competition. After this year's indie-favorite selections and ratings for this year's Oscars down 14 percent, the Academy believes their plan isn't working out.

The Academy Board of Governers meet this evening to discuss what the future holds. Be on the lookout later this week for their eventual decision either way.

Whether or not Furious 7 gets any Oscar nominations, it comes to theaters on April 3.

Image courtesy of INFphoto.com

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