'Furious 8' Cast Member Vin Diesel Announces Release Dates For Parts 9 And 10; When Will The 'Fast And Furious' Movies End?

There’s good news and bad news for fans of the “Fast and Furious” franchise following a major announcement from star Vin Diesel. The bad news is that the franchise now has a definitive end date; the good news is that there will be three more movies before the series takes its final bow.

The news comes from the very best source of “Furious” information, the teaser-heavy social media accounts of Diesel. Since signing on as a producer of the franchise in 2008, the 48-year-old actor has been by far the best hype man the films could ask for. Although his followers have mostly been treated to teasers from the set of “xXx: The Return of Xander Cage,” the actor took a break to announce release dates for “Furious 9” and “Furious 10,” promising a new trilogy of films following last year’s immensely popular “Furious 7.”

One thing to mention at the top is that “Furious 9” and “Furious 10” are not official titles for the movies. The franchise tends to change up its titles with each new installment; the first being “The Fast and the Furious,” the second being “2 Fast 2 Furious” and the most recent opting for “Furious 7.” The announcement on Diesel’s Instagram account didn’t give titles for the films, but did announce the three dates fans can mark in their calendar before the franchise ends. After the previously announced “Furious 8” hits theaters on April 14, 2017, “Furious 9” and “Furious 10” will drop on April 12, 2019 and April 2, 2021, respectively. When it’s all said and done, the film will have spanned two decades, 10 films and, as Diesel puts it, one saga.

The real announcement here is the existence of plans for a 10th movie. Previously, while promoting “Furious 7” the actor confessed that he was planning to use the movie to kick off a new trilogy. He mentioned the idea of a new trilogy prior to the film’s release on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” in March 2015. He reiterated the idea on his Facebook page in September, leading many to believe that the franchise would only go as long as nine movies. It’s unclear if something changed or if the actor was simply speaking out of turn when he heralded “Furious 7” as the start of a new trilogy.

What is clear is that “Furious 8,” which was previously revealed to be taking place in New York City, will indeed be the kickoff to the “Fast and Furious” finale. So far Diesel is set to return along with Tyreese Gibson, Ludacris, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez and Jason Statham. Other cast members are expected to return, but nothing has been confirmed yet.