After sitting out the first sequel, actor Vin Diesel and director Rob Cohen will come back to the XXX story, with writers Michael Ferris and John Brancato (TERMINATOR: SALVATION) in early talks to pen the script, per VARIETY.
XXX: THE RETURN OF XANDER CAGE represents a trend for studios to bring back branded material. Diesel and Cohen teamed on the 2002 original, then declined the second, XXX: STATE OF THE UNION, which starred Ice Cube and was directed by Lee Tamahori.
Diesel's Cage, an extreme sports enthusiast who gets drafted by the government into spy work, was killed in STATE OF THE UNION, but in a way that filmmakers could resurrect him. Producer Joe Roth got Diesel and Cohen to agree to come back in September. Columbia locked up the property, getting first look because of its past relationship with XXX generator Revolution Studios.
Diesel, who bowed out of the two THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS SEQUELS, is also scheduled to return for the fourth installment with Paul Walker. FAST AND FURIOUS is set for a June 12 release from Universal Pictures.
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