'Xander Cage' Finds The Core

The long talked about return of Vin Diesel to the XXX franchise is finally looking to happen. Diesel has talked about returning to the role off and on for years, but now THR reports that Columbia has hired a director for the third film in the franchise and intend to begin lensing early next year. Read the full details about "XXX: The Return of Xander Cage" below...


Columbia Pictures has hired Invincible director Ericson Core to direct "XXX: The Return of Xander Cage". Core who is started off as a Director of Photography on films like One Eight Seven, Payback, The Fast and The Furious and Daredevil made the jump to director in 2006 with Invincible. Core also recently finished directing a film with Richard Gere titled "The Prodigy", a film that is currently waiting distribution and is also attached to direct "Conrail" at New Line and "Liberty" for Touchstone.

Core will be working off a script penned by John Brancato and Michael Ferris who most recently wrote Terminator Salvation. Their script was also recently touched up by the original XXX film scribe Richard Wilkes. Neal Moritz and Joe Roth are producing the third action adventure and intend to begin lensing early in 2010. Clearly Columbia Pictures is looking to put "XXX: The Return of Xander Cage" to the top of Ericson Core's to-do list.

I can't say that I am all that excited about this news. I like Vin Diesel a lot, but never really cared all that much about XXX. The first film wasn't all that spectacular and I hardly ever re-watch it. The sequel without Vin Diesel was a epic waste of time and as for a third film with Diesel returning, it just feels unnecessary. I would much rather see Vin Diesel do something new than re-hash the very few characters people actually enjoyed him in. I would like to see him do more of what we saw in the 2006 film Find Me Guilty. More news on "XXX: The Return of Xander Cage" as it develops...

What say you? Does a third XXX film have you amped? Strikeback...