'Fast and Furious 8' Cast & Release Date: Vin Diesel Starring in Franchise Spin Off? Actor Hints at Series Expansion

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Is Dominic Toretto, the head honcho of the "Fast & Furious" films, getting his own solo, possibly "origins" type of film? It may be likely. Enstarz reports that according to Universal Pictures Chairman Donna Langley, there are already talks about how to further expand the already massive franchise, whether it be sequels or prequels.

Langley said, "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."

However, fans won't be seeing the late Paul Walker, as the studio does not plan on using the same technology they used in "Furious 7" to complete his scenes. The International Business Times reports that as per NBC Universal vice chair Ron Meyer, "Paul won't be in it, but he'll be represented in some form or another but whether his image is in it, I can't tell you yet, but he won't be in the film as a performer, as an actor, the way we did it last time. It will still be Fast and Furious, it will just be without Paul."

Vin Diesel spoke to Variety last month to discuss the possibility of solo films, saying, "We’ve written out story lines for various characters. 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."

While the 48-year-old actor did not confirm which characters may possibly get a spinoff, Variety reports that Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson had hinted about his interest in further playing Diplomatic Security Service agent Luke Hobbs in additional films.

Diesel is very invested in the "Furious" franchise that helped catapult him to global fame and is now looking to create a trilogy after the events of "Furious 7," which earned over $1 billion globally this year. If this is any indication, the moviegoers' passion for the franchise is still alive and real. Diesel has also risen to the ranks of executive producer for the franchise.

Meanwhile, Cinema Bend reports that Diesel is also coming back to portray former extreme sports athlete Xander Cage in "XXX: The Return of Xander Cage" following the last "XXX" movie back in 2005. D.J. Caruso will be directing the flick, which will also bring back Samuel L. Jackson as NSA Agent Augustus Gibbons.

While there is no release date set for the new "XXX" film yet, fans can catch Diesel as he returns to the big screen for "Furious 8" on April 14, 2017, "Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk" on November 11, 2016, and "Guardians of the Galaxy" sequel on May 5, 2017.