Shortly before the release of Furious 7, franchise star Vin Diesel revealed that Fast & Furious 8 was already in the works, long before it was officially announced, and that the sequel will be set in New York City. Just a few weeks later, the actor confirmed that Fast & Furious 8 is actually happening, with Universal Pictures setting an April 14, 2017 release date. Today, the actor took to his Instagram page, releasing the first poster, which confirms the New York City setting.

After the Fast & Furious franchise started in Los Angeles with 2001's The Fast and the Furious, the beloved film series quickly became an international affair, with its sequels set in Miami, Tokyo, Panama, Rio de Janeiro and London. No plot details have surfaced yet, but Vin Diesel teased last year that Kurt Russell's Furious 7 character Mr. Nobody will play a key role in the sequel, which would start a new trilogy. This follow-up will also bring aboard a new director, with Straight Outta Compton director F. Gary Gray taking the helm. It's also known that the production team wants to make history by shooting several scenes from the sequel in Cuba.

There have also been rumors that 2 Fast 2 Furious star Eva Mendes will return as Customs Agent Monica Fuentes. After starring in 2 Fast 2 Furious, Eva Mendes also appeared in a mid-credits sequence of 2011's Fast Five. She makes contact with Dwayne Johnson's Luke Hobbs, and tells him that Michelle Rodriguez' Leti is actually alive and well, working for the villainous Owen Shaw (Luke Evans), which helps set up 2013's Fast & Furious 6.

What hasn't been confirmed yet is who will write this new sequel. Chris Morgan has written the last five movies, but he is now in charge of shepherding Universal's shared monster universe with Alex Kurtzman. Production on Fast & Furious 8 is expected to begin sometime this year, but no official production start date has been announced. Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham have also confirmed that they'll be back as Hobbs and Ian Shaw, alongside Vin Diesel's Dominic Toretto, with Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Elsa Pataky and Lucas Black expected to return as well.

With the arrival of this new poster, hopefully Universal will confirm more details about this highly-anticipated sequel in the near future. Furious 7 earned a whopping $1.5 billion at the box office earlier this year, but we'll have to wait and see if this follow-up can top its predecessor. While we wait for more details about Fast & Furious 8, take a look at this new poster, courtesy of franchise star Vin Diesel.