vin diesel
Vin Diesel And The Curious Case Of The Action Star EGOT
This past weekend, we saw history being made. We watched in awe as Vin Diesel achieved the action-star equivalent of an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony). With the box office success of xXx: The Return Of Xander Cage, Diesel is the first Hollywood action star to be the face of three action movie franchises simultaneously!
In the past, action stars rarely got locked in to more than one action franchise at a time because they were franchises unto themselves. The closest that anyone has come would be Sylvester Stallone, who made Rocky Balboa, Rambo and The Expendables in the span of five years. Sadly, Rambo isn’t much of a franchise in the 21st century and Rocky movies just seem to happen organically these days (not exactly a bad thing).
Van Damme, Seagal, Willis and Schwarzenegger all had about one franchise apiece while Statham couldn’t sustain more than two at a time (The Transporter and Crank were short-lived but fun while they lasted).
Diesel’s three franchises all kicked off back in the early 2000s when the action landscape was MUCH different. At one point in the mid 2000s, he seemed to have abandoned all three franchises entirely in favor of making original films. After a string if disasters (remember Babylon A.D.?) and one marginal success (never forget The Pacifier), he went back to the well and found great success.
At this point, Diesel can just make xXx, Riddick and The Fast And The Furious movies in rotation for the next decade of his life. He won’t need to make an original movie again until he’s nearly 60! And that’s actually pretty disappointing.
For all its flaws, The Last Witch Hunter had a lot of dorky charm. Its plot, characters and overly complicated lore feel like the product of Diesel marathoning pen and paper RPGs. It was the kind of movie that I, Frankenstein wishes it was. Vin Diesel, the producer, is a unique voice in Hollywood. While most others are working to appropriate nerd culture for financial gain, Diesel is a legit nerd making legitimately nerdy choices.
With the modern film industry’s intense reliance on the safety of franchises, we can expect Diesel’s accomplishment to be overshadowed soon enough. At this point, actors serve as window dressing for the franchise and don’t necessarily find much success outside of it (just as the cast of The Avengers).
If Vin Diesel decides to cycle between his three big franchises for awhile, more power to him; he’s earned it. But if he cares to indulge in his nerdy druthers from time to time, that’d just be swell.
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: VOL 2 Reveals More Than Chris Pratt Wanted In The Newest Teaser Trailer!
Set to the backdrop of ‘Awesome Mixtape #2,’ Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continues the team’s adventures as they traverse the outer reaches of the cosmos. The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mysteries of Peter Quill’s true parentage. Old foes become new allies and fan-favorite characters from the classic comics will come to our heroes’ aid as the Marvel cinematic universe continues to expand.
[UPDATED] The First Official Teaser Poster For GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: VOL. 2 Is Just Too Damn Cool
UPDATE: The first international teaser trailer has arrived just beneath!
The New Trailer For xXx: THE RETURN OF XANDER CAGE Kicks Ass And Looks Dope Doing It
— Return Of XanderCage (@XXXReturnOfCage) July 19, 2016
Charlize Theron Flaunts Her Arsenal In A New Still From FAST 8
Some women collect shoes. And then you have Charlize Theron here sporting her own collection of sorts as per her latest casting as villain, Cipher, in the new movie, Fast 8 as seen in the new photo below.
New Roads Ahead In The First FAST 8 Teaser Poster
Universal Pictures’s The Fast And The Furious saga is one that continues to sell itself to succession, fifteen years and seven hit films into its existence. Alas, with director F. Gary Gray’s Fast 8 set to officially roll cameras this summer, who better than franchise star and producer Vin Diesel to keep the hype going? Alas, he’s done so with the first teaser poster below.
It’s the second promotional image thusfar following the first one from January teasing the film’s partial New York City setting. April 14, 2017 is the date with Diesel returning to star, as are Tyrese Gibson, Christopher Bridges, Michelle Rodriguez, Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham, with newly added Scott Eastwood, Kristofer Hivju and Charlize Theron.