The seventh film in the Fast and Furious film franchise recently rolled past one billion dollars point at the box office and the extraordinary success enjoyed by it has resulted in attention has been focused on the sequel "Fast And Furious 8". So far most of the news about the sequel has emerged via actor Vin Diesel who officially announced it during the Las Vega CinemaCon in April and stated that it would release in 2017.

Revealing the news about "Fast And Furious 8" in the panel hosted by Universal, Diesel paid tribute to series co-star Paul Walker who died mid-way during the filming the seventh film in the series. Diesel then indicated that the next film in the franchise will take place in New York City.

In a recent post on his Instagram account Diesel indicated that the plans to feature New York City in the film are progressing. He included a graphic from the upcoming film which had the logo placed above the New York skyline and with the Brooklyn Bridge appearing in foreground.

This could mean that at least part of the film will be located in New York, but it won't be surprising if other locations around the globe are included, as previous films in the franchise have included everything from deserts in the Middle East to cities in South America.

There is still some speculation about the cast for the upcoming film, while Diesel's role has been confirmed, recent reports appear to point towards Dwayne Johnson aka "The Rock" returning. Some rumors also point towards Jason Statham reappearing it but they have not been confirmed. However, it appears likely that Kurt Russell who played the role of Mr. Nobody in the film "Furious 7" will be returning for the sequel and probably even the ninth film as he signed up for a three film package.

The success of the seventh film has helped reenergize the film franchise, but it remains unclear if the sequel will be able to build on it as director James Wan is working on other films and it appears he will not return.