Race for 'Fast and Furious 8' begins; set for 2017 release

The 'Fast and Furious' franchise is set to roar into its next phase with an eighth installment due in 2017, the first without Paul Walker, the late actor's co-star Vin Diesel said.

'Furious 7' has only just raced to the top of the global box office, taking over $1 billion worldwide in the last appearance for Walker, who died in a tragic unrelated car crash mid-way through filming.

"We're going to make the best movie you've ever seen," Diesel told the CinemaCon movie confab in Las Vegas, cited by industry journal the Hollywood Reporter, which said the eighth movie will come out on April 14, 2017.

Diesel recalled announcing the seventh movie with Walker at the same event.

"The last time I was on this stage I was with my brother Pablo," he said. "It's hard for me to even watch that clip and then come out here without being emotional."

Walker died in a high-speed car crash north of Los Angeles when the last movie was only half completed. The film was finished using computer-generated visual effects and body doubles.

Diesel did not reveal details about the new movie. He also did not confirm whether co-stars Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster and Kurt Russell will return to make the franchise's next installment.

'Furious 7' continues to race past box office records.

The hugely popular sequel crossed the $1 billion mark at the international box office, becoming only the third film to pull off that track. It's in some pretty rarefied company in that regard, joining 'Avatar' and 'Titanic.' With a global haul of $1.3 billion, 'Furious 7' is now the fifth highest-grossing film in history.

'Furious 7,' which is the last film in the series to feature actor Paul Walker, is also the highest-grossing film in China. Its $323 million gross in the People's Republic exceeds 'Transformers: Age of Extinction's' record-breaking $319 million bounty.

Domestically, 'Furious 7' became the first film since "The Hunger Games" in 2012 to top box office charts for four weeks in a row, picking up a leading $18.3 million and driving its Stateside total to $320 million.

The 2013 death of Walker in a car crash forced Universal to suspend production, but the studio was able to complete work on the film by using a combination of digital trickery and stunt doubles. Last week at CinemaCon, Walker's co-star Vin Diesel said an eighth film in the series will debut on April 14, 2017.

The actor paid tribute to Walker and thanked exhibitors for supporting the franchise.

"You've been so loyal all along," Diesel told the crowd of theater owners. "You helped us create history here."

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