Vin Diesel is Dominic Toretto in James Wan's "Fast and Furious 7." (Photo : Instagram/vindiesel)
Contrary to the belief that "Fast And Furious" series is coming to an end with its last trilogy, it seems that the beloved franchise is here to stay for another decade or so.
Recent reports stated that Universal Pictures is in the preliminary stages of developing several prequels and spin-offs of certain characters of the series to expand its reach.
"We've written out story lines for various characters," Vin Diesel, who will be reprising his role as Dominic Toretto in "Fast and Furious 8," told Variety.
"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," he added.
Diesel's announcement was also supported by Universal Pictures Chairman Donna Langley, who has declared that talks were taking place about ways to broaden the series' reach since long time.
Although it is not yet revealed which characters will be getting their own spin-offs, it is anticipated that Torreto will get a couple of standalone films along with Diplomatic Security agent Luke Hobbs, played by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, who admited recently that he will love to be in such a spin-off.
"We all are interested in it. I just had a big conversation with the studio," Johnson told Screen Rant.
"Fast And Furious 8" is set to hit the theatres on April 14, 2017. The filming of the thriller series will begin soon and is expected to take place in the busy streets of New York.
Unfortunately, NBC Universal Vice-Chairman Ron Meyer confirmed that Paul Walker's character Brian O' Connor will not be included in the film, but will be represented in some form or another.
It was rumored earlier that the late actor's brother Cody Walker will reprise his role and keep the character alive. It now seems that O' Connor will be shown breaking away from the gang and leading a retired life. However, the late actor's image is expected to be featured heavily in flashback scenes.
