'Fast & Furious 8' movie update: Vin Diesel confirms development of expanded franchise

 Instagram/Vin Diesel

The love continues to pour for the record-breaking film franchise "The Fast and the Furious" after several actors confirmed their participation in the eighth installment of the series.

At the moment, some of the original stars revealed that they will still be part of the soon-to-be-released "Fast & Furious 8," including lead star Vin Diesel, who will reprise his role as Dominic Toretto in the series.

He will also be joined by co-stars Michelle Rodriguez as Dom's wife Letty Ortiz-Toretto, Tyrese Gibson as Roman Pearce, Ludacris as Tej Parker, as well as Jason Statham, who was introduced in the series as the "Furious 7" villain Deckard Shaw.

But this may not be the last film that will be made for the box-office hit movie franchise according to Diesel, who also serves as one of the producers of the films.

In an interview with Variety, the action star revealed that they are currently coming up with plans to create prequels and spinoffs for the series. "We've written out story lines for various characters," Diesel revealed. "We've been playing with it for a long time. It's a very rich property and we're committed to treating it with a lot of class."

However, the actor did not reveal who among the characters will be given a chance to shine in their own standalone movie.

Universal Pictures Chairman Donna Langley also confirmed Diesel's statement in the same report, saying that they are already in talks with several individuals to expand the film franchise. "We're certainly in conversations about how we can expand the franchise now. It's an ensemble cast and there's room to bring characters in and out," Langley explained.

The upcoming "Fast & Furious 8" film will be helmed by "Straight Outta Compton" director F. Gary Gray, and it is scheduled to be released on April 14, 2017.

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