Vin Diesel announced the release date for Furious 8 at Universal Pictures’ CinemaCon panel on Thursday, April 23.

Vin Diesel Announces Furious 8

Diesel, who stars in the Fast and Furious franchise as Dominic Toretto, attended the Las Vegas panel to share the news. “It means a lot to me to get your blessing,” Diesel told the audience.

While Furious 7 continues to dominate the box office, another installment felt inevitable, but the future of the franchise was unclear due to the sudden loss of Paul Walker, who died in 2013 before completing Furious 7. Walker and his character, Brian O’Conner, were given an elegant sendoff at the end of the seventh film, and audiences wondered if it meant the end of the franchise.

Before Diesel walked on stage, footage of Furious 7’s tribute to Walker was screened for the audience. “The last time I was on this stage I was with my brother, Pablo…It’s hard for me to even watch that clip and then come out here without being emotional,” Diesel said.

Diesel was emotional as he addressed CinemaCon, remembering his last CinemaCon appearance with Walker, when the duo announced plans for Furious 7. “We were giddy and excited. You all gave me so much confidence. There was so much love,” he added.

Diesel also unveiled a poster for Furious 8, which features Dom’s image superimposed onto the Empire State Building. “New City Even Vengeance,” reads the tagline.

Fast & Furious Cast Returning?

Diesel is clearly onboard for the just announced film, but no other franchise actors have been announced as reprising their roles. Both Tyrese Gibson and Ludacris celebrated the news on Instagram, and Diesel has previously revealed that Kurt Russell’s character would play a major role in the upcoming installments. More uncertain is the possible return of original cast member Jordana Brewster, whose character, Mia Toretto is married to Walker’s Brian.

Furious 8 is set to hit theaters on April 14, 2017, and Diesel promised the crowd it would be “the best movie you’ve ever seen.”

Article by Olivia Truffaut-Wong

Olivia Truffaut-Wong was born and raised in Berkeley, California, where she developed her love of all things entertainment. After moving to New York City to earn her degree in Film Studies, she stayed on the East Coast to follow her passion and become an entertainment writer. She lives on a diet of television, movies and food.