When Diesel says something about the future of the franchise, you listen, and not just because his last name is Diesel.  In addition to starring as Dominic Toretto in all but two installments of the series, Diesel now serves as a producer.  Even before 2011's Fast Five proved to be the biggest entry so far, Diesel and fellow producer Neal H. Moritz made it clear that the fourth movie, Fast & Furious, was meant as the first in a new trilogy, with a possible spin-off for Luke Hobbs, the dogged law enforcement played by Dwayne Johnson in Fast Five.

As Fast & Furious 6 was gearing up, however, rumors that Universal Pictures was considering shooting Fast Six and another sequel Fast Seven, bubbled up online.  Eventually, the studio and returning director Justin Lin kiboshed that plan, with Johnson later citing weather issues.  With one big production out of the question, Universal is apparently eager to keep downtime between sequels to a minimum.

A prolific Facebook user, Diesel recently updated his page with a picture of himself accompanied by text that now reads:

There was an early screening in LA this week of Fast 6. The crowd reaction was surreal... and their demand for the continuation was powerful...

It's remarkable to think I first embodied this character in 1999... and the evolution continues.

Sounds good, right?  Test audiences are happy with Fast & Furious 6's escalation to vehicular warfare and all-out lunacy.  But that's not the big story.  The big story is an addendum that Diesel originally included in the update but subsequently removed.  Thanks to Coming Soon, we can see that addendum stating,

P.s. Filming begins this summer in LA, where it all started... talk about a studio in sync with the audience...

It only makes sense that Diesel would remove his P.S.  This is conjecture, but Universal probably doesn't want audiences to know that the studio has its figurative foot hovering above the accelerator on 7 Fast 7 Furious, particularly since Fast & Furious 6 is still almost two months off.

Last month a hugely spoilerific rumor popped up online asserting that Fast & Furious 6 concludes with an introduction to a nefarious villain, already played by a very recognizable actor, who will menace our heroes in the seventh installment.  You can check out the details on that one by clicking here. 

If that rumor turns out to be true, it'll demonstrate the aggression with which Universal and screenwriter Chris Morgan are serializing this franchise.  Barring a disastrous reception for Fast & Furious 6 (not likely), 7 Fast 7 Furious will happen.  The only question is when.  And according to Diesel, it'll be soon.

Here's why this isn't necessarily a case of a cart way, way ahead of its horse.  Since boarding the series with The Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift, Justin Lin has proved he's mastered the arithmetic of sequel-making, as each new adventure has gotten bigger, stupider, and more fun than its predecessor.  For example, Fast Five added "franchise Viagra" Johnson, making an event out of he and fellow bald muscleman Diesel going toe to toe.  As this screengrab from a recent trailer shows, Fast & Furious 6 ups the ante by having Johnson and Diesel both fight and even bigger dude:

Scheduled to hit theaters nationwide on May 24th, the latest sequel stars familiar figures Diesel, Johnson, Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Sung Kang, Elsa Pataky, Ludacris, and Gal Gadot, along with newcomers like Luke Evans, Gina Carano, and Joe Taslim.

As we dream of Fast & Furious 7 shooting in LA this summer, let's take a stroll down memory lane with Rob Cohen's 2000 original The Fast and the Furious: