XXX 3 Starts Production - Vin Diesel Shares Photos
Welcome back to the Xander Zone. 14 years after he first played the role, Vin Diesel is reprising the role of rebellious extreme sports expert-turned-secret agent in ‘XXX: The Return of Xander Cage.’
With director DJ Caruso calling the shots, the long-delayed follow-up - only Diesel’s second time in the role after he sat out first sequel ‘XXX: State of the Union’ (AKA ‘XXX 2: The Next Level’), which starred Ice Cube - is now rolling.
(Yes - they said Cage was dead in the second movie. But come on people, this is Hollywood.)
To prove that Xander Cage is well and truly back in action, Diesel shared a somewhat eye-opening image from the first day’s filming on Facebook:
Diesel marked the image, “ First day on the sound stage… Xander…”
If it’s a case of ‘start as you mean to go on,’ we can surely expect quite the spectacle - although we are a little surprised by the lack of Xander Cage’s distinctive tattoos. (Maybe they’ll add them in post?)
Another, somewhat more subdued photo shared from the set showed the crew off camera - and Diesel used this to reflect on what making movies means to him.
The actor remarked, “The Director, producers and myself sitting in wonder as we take in the artistry of the many craftsmen that have built these amazing sets. You can tell the first day what level of crew you will be working with and it is clear that XxX has the very best.
Grateful for the opportunity to make magic.”
The original ‘XXX’ - directed by original ‘The Fast and the Furious’ director Rob Cohen (both actor and director chose it over ‘2 Fast 2 Furious’) - was intended as a more streetwise variation on the James Bond franchise.
However, the ante has been upped somewhat in the intervening years, not only with the Daniel Craig Bonds, but also with Diesel’s own progressively more international and spectacular ‘Fast and Furious’ movies - all of which leaves the third ‘XXX’ with a lot to live up to.
Well, we already know that ‘The Return of Xander Cage’ will pack a lot of muscle, for Diesel will be joined by martial arts superstars Jet Li and Tony Jaa, UFC fighter Conor McGregor, and the original film’s Samuel L Jackson.
And it seems unlikely Diesel will get much rest in 2016, as he’s also set to reprise his other signature role of Dominic Torretto in ‘Fast 8′ this year - and there’s even talk of a fourth ‘Riddick’ movie.
No release date has been set for ‘XXX: The Return of Xander Cage,’ but the film is expected in 2017.
Picture Credit: Universal, Vin Diesel/Facebook
Read More:
Jet Li, Tony Jaa Join XXX 3
Eva Mendes May Lead Fast & Furious Spin-Off
Will Fast 8 Shoot In Cuba?
