Vin Diesel in Fast & Furious 8
Vin Diesel in The Fate of the Furious. Universal Pictures

Vin Diesel has taken it upon himself to reveal two major returns for the final two Fast & Furious films, announcing on Facebook that actor Jordana Brewster and director Justin Lin are both on board for the sequels.

In a Facebook Live stream, Diesel - who plays Dominic Toretto in the nitrous-fuelled series - introduces the pair on a set for a project the star describes as "top secret". With Fast & Furious 9 not expected until April 2020 however, it's unlikely to be that.

"The crowd goes wild," Diesel said after turning the camera to Lin. "It's a three-point shot that made 9 and 10 incredible. You wanted 9 and 10 to be incredible.

"We've heard your concerns about the saga and where it needs to arrive in its final chapters."

According to Entertainment Weekly however, Lin's involvement in the final two films isn't as sure a thing as Diesel makes it seem, as the director is still "in talks" with studio Universal Pictures.

Lin directed The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift way back in 2006, then directed the next three films including Fast Five, which introduced Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and turned the franchise into a global hit.

His last film was Fast & Furious 6 in 2013, after which he went on to direct episodes of HBO series True Detective and last year's sci-fi adventure Star Trek Beyond. Fast & Furious 7 was directed by James Wan, while The Fate of the Furious was overseen by F Gary Gray.

Brewster meanwhile - who plays Dom's sister Mia - skipped the most recent film having made her last appearance in Fast & Furious 7 opposite on-screen husband Paul Walker, who tragically died during its production.

The future of the Fast & Furious franchise has been at the centre of some controversy recently after star Tyrese Gibson publicly called out The Rock, blaming him for the ninth film's delayed release.

#FastFamily right? Nah..... It's about #TeamDwayne #3yrs will it be worth the wait? #NoShaw just Hobbs will this be another #BayWatch? Guys, guys, just relax, I'm just a passionate film critic," Gibson said.

Tyrese's rant was fueled by a since-announced spin-off movie starring The Rock's character Hobbs and Jason Statham's one-time villain Deckard Shaw, who sided with the heroes in The Fate of the Furious.

The untitled spin-off is set for release in July 2019.