Vin Diesel announces 'XXX' sequel

London: Actor Vin Diesel has announced that he is set to return to the action franchise "XXX" with a sequel.

The 48-year-old "Fast and Furious" star, who played Xander Cage in the 2002 film but was not part of its second installment, "State of the Union", took to Instagram and said a new film is in the pipeline, reported Female First.

"While I was filming 'XXX', guys on set called me Air Diesel... The time to return has come. Filming starts December in the Philippines."

There is, however, still no word on a director for the film.

Directed by Rob Cohen, "XXX" chronicled the life of Xander Cage, a stuntman and rebellious athlete-turned- reluctant spy for the National Security Agency who is sent on a dangerous mission to infiltrate a group of potential Russian terrorists in Central Europe.

The film also starred Asia Argento, Samuel L Jackson, and Marton Csokas.