The director search for Universal Studios' billion-dollar franchise, "Fast and Furious 8," continues and is down to the final three contenders, with no sight of actor-producer Vin Diesel among them.

According to Hollywood Reporter, Universal Studios has narrowed down the choices to F. Gary Gray ("Straight Outta Compton"), Louis Letterier ("The Incredible Hulk," "The Transporter" and "Now You See Me") and Adam Wingard ("The Guest," "You're Next" and "The ABCs of Death").

The departure of horror film director James Wan ("Insidious" and "Saw") from the franchise has left a huge hole in the development of the eighth "Fast and Furious" installment.

Despite a lucrative offer from Universal Studios to direct not only the eighth installment but also the ninth one, the director turned down the job and signed for the second installment of "Conjuring" instead, according to a source from Variety.

With the director seat empty, apart from acting and producing, Vin Diesel offered to direct the next installment, which is set to be released on April 14, 2017.

However, the studio sees Diesel to be unfit as it has already released the final three contenders who will direct the next outing.

Recently, Hollywood Reporter reported that Diesel expressed his interest in directing "Fast and Furious 8" through a lengthy Facebook post, saying that he is the "right choice for the high-profile gig."

According to Diesel's post, his mother encouraged him to try seizing the director's seat. "Either you direct 8 yourself... or don't do it," Diesel's mom said. The actor added that his mom has been a witness to all his efforts just to "make these movies defy expectations and become increasingly successful, even when the studio thought [he] was crazy."

Some at Universal has already foreseen Diesel's interest to be the director and the studio has not released a statement regarding Diesel's post.

It was also reported that James Wan left the franchise after the successful "Fast and Furious 7" due to health issues.

According to Hollywood Reporter, as the producer, Diesel caused a headache to Wan. He was very difficult to deal with during the production, criticizing every inch of the action sequences, adding up to the complexity of producing the film, especially when it was only halfway done when Paul Walker died.

The three short-listed directors are set to meet with Universal Studios management and Diesel himself. Although he is the producer of the box office hit, a source told Hollywood Reporter that Diesel does not have the power to pick who among the directors will actually get the seat.