Kiwi actors Vinnie Bennett and Anna Sawai have joined the cast of the ninth instalment of the massive Fast & Furious franchise.

It's unclear what roles they will play as Deadline reports character descriptions for Fast & Furious 9 are "being kept under the hood".

Bennett will be best known to Kiwis for his roles on Filthy Rich, The Shannara Chronicles and more recently, The Bad Seed.

He's also starred in films including Human Traces and Ghost in the Shell.

Sawai is lesser known, but has starred in Warner Bros' Ninja Assassin.

Now, they'll work under the direction of Justin Lin, who directed Fast & Furious 6. They'll also star alongside the franchise's producer and lead Vin Diesel, who plays Dominic Toretto, as well as other returning favourites and new cast members.

The film is set to go into production this month, to release in May 2020.

Bennett's New Zealand talent agent Imogen Johnson, who has represented the actor since 2011, said: "We always knew Vinnie had the makings of being a huge star, and with this announcement he's officially stepped into the major leagues now with this casting in one of Hollywood's biggest blockbuster film franchises."

Bennett is currently based in LA, where he lives with his partner, fellow Kiwi actor and star of The Expanse, Frankie Adams.