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Oscar-winning actress Dame Helen Mirren is the newest actor to join the very financially successful 鈥淔ast and the Furious鈥� film series.聽

Dame Helen has reportedly signed on for the eighth film in the series, set for release in spring 2017, a movie release season that has served the 鈥淔ast鈥澛爁ilms well in the past.聽

Actress Charlize Theron, another newcomer to the series,聽will also reportedly appear in the upcoming film.

Dame Helen is most likely best known to movie and theater fans as the star of films like 鈥淭he Queen鈥� (for which she won a Best Actress Oscar) and 鈥淭he Audience,鈥� a Broadway play for which she reprised her role as Queen Elizabeth II.聽

But like many other actors working today, she has also appeared in blockbusters that for the most part grossed far more than 鈥淨ueen,鈥� like the Pixar sequel 鈥淢onsters University,鈥� the 鈥淩ED鈥� action series, and the movie 鈥淣ational Treasure: Book of Secrets.鈥�

For decades, many actors have attempted to balance appearances in blockbusters with roles in critically acclaimed small films.

Some actors receive critical acclaim for a lesser-seen movie and use that to launch themselves into a franchise, like Jennifer Lawrence, who received a Best Actress Oscar nomination for the 2010 film 鈥淲inter鈥檚 Bone鈥� and then starred in the 鈥淴-Men鈥� and 鈥淗unger Games鈥� franchises.

Other actors reverse the order, first becoming known to audiences for a big hit movie and then starring in an independent film that receives awards recognition, like Ms. Lawrence鈥檚 frequent co-star Bradley Cooper, who appeared in the 鈥淗angover鈥� comedy franchise and has now received multiple Oscar nominations for films like the 2012 movie 鈥淪ilver Linings Playbook鈥� and the 2013 film 鈥淎merican Hustle.鈥�

Film analyst Robert Mitchell theorized in an interview with that an actor becoming well-known through a blockbuster could then help the financial performance of a smaller film in which they star.聽

鈥淸Marion] Cotillard can work her career knowing she has the power to do films like 鈥楻ust and Bone鈥� alongside 鈥楾he Dark Knight Rises,鈥欌�� Mr. Mitchell said. 鈥淭he blockbusters increase her star appeal, which in turn puts more attention on the smaller films because people think: 鈥極h, she was good in 鈥業nception,鈥� I鈥檇 like to see 鈥楻ust and Bone.鈥� 鈥澛�

And suggested that for actors who have starred in acclaimed, smaller films, the decision to star in blockbusters could have a financial aspect as well.聽

鈥淚f even our best actors want steady work without chaining their careers to a single franchise or subsisting on a diet of microscopic indie salaries, these kinds of action movies [like Liam Neeson's 'Taken'] are the easiest and most lucrative route,鈥� Mr. Meslow wrote.