Fast and Furious 6: Gina Carano, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and Vin Diesel targeted as cast

When will Gina Carano return to mixed martial arts (MMA)?

Not anytime soon, it seems, thanks to her blossoming acting career over in Tinsel Town.

Since leaving the fight game after her first professional loss at the hands of Cristiane Santos in 2009, "Conviction" bolted for the bright lights of Hollywood, Calif., rubbing elbows with heavy hitters such as Michael Douglas, Ewan McGregor and Antonio Banderas in her first feature film, "Haywire."

After receiving good reviews for her performance in the film, which was directed by Academy Award-winning director Steven Soderbergh -- who also directed such films as "Traffic" and the successful "Ocean's Eleven" trilogy and Erin Brokovich, the former face of women's MMA has nabbed yet another role in an even bigger and much more high profile film:

"Fast & The Furious 6."

The Hollywood Reporter has the scoop:

Haywire star Gina Carano, the MMA athlete-turned-actress, is in negotiations to join the cast of Fast & Furious 6, the next installment in the billion-dollar franchise for Universal Pictures.

Plot and character are being kept locked in the trunk of a 1970 Dodge Charger, but Paul Walker and Vin Diesel are set to return as rogue heroes Brian O'Connor and Dominic Toretto, respectively, while Dwayne Johnson is reprising his role as Diplomatic Security Service Agent Luke Hobbs, out to capture the boys.

Carano will play a member of Johnson's team.

Launched in 2001, the Fast franchise is one of Universal's hottest properties, with 2011's Fast Five reinvigorating what was considered a long-in-the-tooth series. Fast Five gave Universal its biggest opening weekend in studio history and grossed more than $600 million worldwide.

Fast 6 is slated for release May 24, 2013.

The wildly popular film franchise, which has grossed over $1 billion worldwide, is mostly based on fancy, juiced up sports cars, hot women and cat-and-mouse heists, featuring action movie stars Paul Walker and Vin Diesel. The casting crew recently added another big player in Hollywood to the mix in last year's Fast Five, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) star and avid MMA fan and supporter, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

With Carano doing very well in the film industry, her return to fighting will be delayed yet a bit more, and perhaps, if her career continues to prosper, we may never get to see her grace the Strikeforce Hexagon ever again.

One thing is certain, Fast & Furious 6 will not be a box office flop and will definitely put more eyes on Carano. And that my friends, is a good thing.