“This thing will win Best Picture.”

That’s what actor and celebrity Vin Diesel had to say about Furious 7, the seventh and supposedly final film in the successful Fast & Furious street racing/heist series. According to an article from BBC News, Diesel is pulling out all the stops in the press tour for the movie, which officially hits theaters on April 3rd.

The Fast & Furious franchise got its start in 2001, and has since become the most successful franchise in the history of Universal Pictures. According to Box Office Mojo, the first six films in the series have grossed $938 million domestically and $2.38 billion worldwide.

However, while the Fast films have been a commercial juggernaut, they have never been awards contenders. In fact, none of the first six movies in the series have received so much as a single Oscar nomination, let alone a mention in the Best Picture field.

Yet, Vin Diesel, the star of the franchise, seems confident that the seventh film will receive more acclaim and recognition than its six predecessors.

“What the world won’t anticipate is how emotionally powerful the movie is,” he said.

There is a sort of emotional gravitas surrounding the release of Furious 7 that hasn’t been there for the previous entries in the series. It is the first film to be released since the death of series co-star Paul Walker in November 2013. Walker was killed in a single-vehicle car crash, while on a break from shooting the film, and his two brothers were brought in to finish his scenes.

Previously, Walker had speculated that the Fast series could last as long as 10 films. His death called the future of the franchise into question, and Furious 7 has been given the tagline “One Last Ride,” hinting that it could be the grand finale.

Early reviews for Furious 7 mesh with Diesel’s “emotionally powerful” description. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film currently holds a “Fresh” rating of 88% out of 17 reviews, and at least a few critics have described the ending as a tearjerker. If buzz holds strong, the movie could be the most well-reviewed entry in the entire series, beating out the 77% “Fresh” rating held by 2011’s Fast Five.

Still, even if Furious 7 is the perfect tribute to the late Paul Walker, it is highly unlikely that it will show up in the Oscar Best Picture field. After all, the Academy has famously ignored both action movies and sequels throughout the majority of its history.

Then again, maybe Diesel is just taking a shot at the stodgy Oscar voting body.

“It will probably win Best Picture at the Oscars, unless the Oscars don’t want to be relevant ever,” he said.