The Fate of the Furious may be the darkest movie in the franchise yet, according to star Vin Diesel.

The Fate of the Furious, the eighth installment in the popular movie saga, centers on Dom (Diesel) betraying his family and hitching his wagon to Charlize Theron's criminal mastermind Cypher. With Dom essentially going against his code, Diesel recently spoke about what fans should expect as the franchise heads into dark new territory.

"We have been talking the talk. Now it was time to walk the walk," Diesel told Entertainment Weekly, when asked about his nerves over taking Dom in a new direction. "Of course I was worried about going down such a dark road... but in some ways, there was little reason to continue if we weren't going to challenge our characters and the fans' faith in our saga."

Playing Dom as a more conflicted, tortured soul in The Fate of the Furious was a decidedly different experience compared to past movies, according to Diesel.

"I knew that I was going to have to go to a dark place, part of the reason I returned to Xander [in 'XXX: The Return of Xander Cage'] beforehand, to laugh a little onscreen before returning to Dom," he said. "It was an intense experience, to say the least. I only hope that the audience enjoys the journey despite the dark road ahead."

Fast & Furious fans have certainly been on a wild roller coaster following the franchise over the years. One of the most trying moments for many fans was the untimely death of Paul Walker, who played Brian in the franchise. It was an especially difficult time for Diesel, who has since said that The Fate of the Furious is "from" Walker himself.

"I was trying to keep it close to the vest throughout the release. Paul Walker used to say that [an eighth film] was guaranteed," he said. "And in some ways, when your brother guarantees something, you sometimes feel like you have to make sure it comes to pass... so if fate has it, then you'll get this when you hear about it. ['Furious 7'] was for Paul, [the eighth film] is from Paul."

The Fate of the Furious will be released April 14 in theaters.

Tags: The Fate of the Furious Movies Vin Diesel