Actor Vin Diesel has confirmed that he is making a return to the "XXX" action film franchise with his character Xander Cage.

According to Entertainment Weekly, Diesel portrayed the character back in the 2002 hit film that came after his first stint on "The Fast and the Furious" franchise that catapulted him to worldwide stardom.

The first film featured Diesel as Cage in a role where his character was an extreme athlete that enjoyed many freedoms outside the law until the law caught up with him in the form of Samuel L. Jackson. His character was given a new lease on life and to maintain his freedom, he had to turn into an undercover agent for the American government.

Cage was initially billed as a James Bond-type of hero, even spitting out the one-liner, "The things I have to do for my country," while in the presence of a half-naked woman. This was also a line belted out by Pierce Brosnan while portraying James Bond in one of his many films in the role.

Diesel was expected to return to the franchise in 2005 but backed out and left a gaping hole in the project. The film "XXX: State of the Union" eventually got made, but featured another agent portrayed on-screen by Ice Cube.

The rumors of a third film have circulated for years, but it was when Diesel took to social media platform Instagram that the news became official.

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

Although filming for the movie has been set for December, there has been no word yet as to when it is expected to be released.

Diesel's next movie, "The Last Witch Hunter," will be opening in U.S. theaters on Oct. 23.