By this stage in the game, Vin Diesel is so embedded in Hollywood’s roster of franchises that you’d struggle to locate a role from the last five years that wasn’t tethered to an existing series.
From The Fast and the Furious to Riddick to Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Diesel is now beginning to work exclusively within established franchises – even The Last Witch Hunter was angled to be the first in a series of fantasy epics, though the jury’s still out on whether Kaulder will ever be seen on the silver screen again.
And so, to maintain that streak, the Hollywood veteran teamed with writer-director D.J. Caruso earlier this year to resurrect the long-dormant xXx series. That reboot took the form of xXx: Return of Xander Cage, and despite mixed box office results – propelled by the casting of Asian superstar Donnie Yen, Caruso’s revival performed markedly better overseas ($346 million) than it did on home turf ($146 million) – it seems the franchise still has a future.
Variety is reporting today that LA-based production banner H Collective is working closely with producers Joe Roth and Jeff Kirschenbaum to engineer a xXx sequel. Details are thin on the ground, but Vin Diesel has expressed an interest in reprising as Xander Cage in the past – and we all know how much the actor likes to foster a franchise.
There’s not much else to go on at the moment, but there you have it; xXx 4 has been handed a lifeline, and with Diesel seemingly interested in coming back for more, we’d imagine the project will begin to come together quite soon. As always, watch this space for more.
