Los Angeles - Vin Diesel has confirmed the Fast and Furious franchise will run for 10 films.

The blockbuster racing series has so far been comprised on seven movies since its inception in 2001, and the 47-year-old star of the films has announced that the remaining sequels will be released in April 2017, 2019 and 2021 respectively.

Taking to his Instagram account, Vin uploaded an image with the words "2 decades, 10 films, 1 saga" and release dates "8 - April 14 2017, 9 - April 19 2019, 10 - April 2 2021".

If all goes to plan, by Summer 2021 the total running time for the franchise will stretch to more than 15 hours of car chases.

And whilst the road ahead is now mapped for the series - with the next film being titled Fast 8 - the consecutive movies are as-yet-unnamed.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson - who plays Diplomatic Security Service agent Luke Hobbs - will star in the eighth movie and it has been confirmed by NBC Universal vice-chairman Ron Meyer that Paul Walker, who tragically died in an unrelated car accident halfway through filming of Fast and Furious 7, will also feature in the 2017 release in "some form or another".

In Fast and Furious 7 Paul's image was shot using CGI and his younger brother, Cody Walker, 27, played the body double of his character Brian O'Conner.

Diesel reprises his lead role as former street racer Dominic Toretto and teased the next instalment will be a lot darker and this will be brought out by Straight Outta Compton director F. Gary Gray who is helming the sequel.

Vin said "We have a director who is going to bring the darkness out and bring out the character."

Fast 8 is expected to be released on 14 April 2017.

http://www.channel24.co.za/Movies/News/save-the-date-heres-when-the-last-3-fast-and-furious-flicks-will-be-in-cinema-20160204