xxx trilogy

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 […]

Plot Details Emerge Amid Paramount Deal To Release xXx: THE RETURN OF XANDER CAGE

Lee B. Golden III

It only took about eleven years but a third installment to the xXx franchise is now underway with plans to film scenes in Toronto, Canada and in the Dominican Republic. xXx: The Return Of Xander Cage is the official title amid news that following earlier speculation, Paramount Pictures is now boarding the film to distribute with Revolution Studios, Roth Kirschenbaum Films and Diesel’s One Race Films producing. D.J. Caruso is directing the script from scribe Chad St. John with revisions by F. Scott Frazier which THR says will reboot the franchise. As such, the trades are reporting new plot details with one version featuring specifics on Diesel and Thai action star Tony Jaa, reading as follows (UPDATE: Diesel posted a new casting photo on his Facebook page hours after this report, essentially correcting THR’s initial write-up which reads as follows): The film will see operative Xander Cage coming out of self-imposed exile […]

Is Ice Cube Joining xXx: THE RETURN OF XANDER CAGE?

Lee B. Golden III

Columbia Pictures Peep this. I just rambled about director Lee Tamahori’s 2005 sequel flub, xXx: State Of The Union, and you can click here to read it if it interests you. Low and behold however, filming is slated to begin next month for the third installation, xXx: The Return Of Xander Cage and the cast so far is looking pretty extraordinary. Actresses Deepika Padukone, Nina Dobrev and Ruby Rose, action stars Jet Li and UFC champion Conor McGregor and returning actor Samuel L. Jackson round out the current cast list with D.J. Caruso at the helm and Thai action star Tony Jaa as the latest confirmation to star. Now, word has it from a source privy to Moviehole that actor Ice Cube may be joining as well since starring in the sequel. The film was more than half bad in its delivery despite Cube’s own improving gravitas as an action […]