AceShowbiz -

Universal Pictures is looking forward to further cashing in on the "Fast and Furious" franchise. Star Vin Diesel confirms that the production team is mulling plans to develop prequels and spin-offs to debut after the current new trilogy.

"We've written out story lines for various characters," Diesel told Variety in an interview. "We've been playing with it for a long time. It's a very rich property and we're committed to treating it with a lot of class." He did not say which characters would get their own movies.

One possibility is a movie centering on Dwayne Johnson a.k.a. The Rock's DSS agent Luke Hobbs. The actor revealed in May, "We all are interested in it. I just had a big conversation with the studio so we'll see. I still think for me personally, we create a little bit of space from seven and gauge what the audience will want and go from there. That's my take on it. Now a lot of other people have their own [say]."

Universal Pictures Chairman Donna Langley also previously confirmed that the franchise was to live longer and wider. "We're certainly in conversations about how we can expand the franchise now," she said. "It's an ensemble cast and there's room to bring characters in and out."

The projects are a long way to go since Universal is concentrating on the follow-ups to "Furious 7" which raked in $1.5 billion at the box office worldwide. An eighth film in the series is being directed by F. Gary Gray and will be released on April 14, 2017 in the U.S.