Vin Diesel Announces Next ‘Riddick’ Movie And Accompanying TV Series Based On The ‘Chronicles of Riddick’ Fictional Universe
Vin Diesel has officially confirmed the next Riddick movie. The actor also announced a new television series based on the Chronicles of Riddick fictional universe.
Vin Diesel is bringing back multiple characters from his successful movie franchises. Not only is he busy with Fast and Furious as well as XXX, the multi-faceted action star has confirmed about the next installment of Riddick, an action-packed futuristic movie set on distant planets and powerful aliens that distinctively look like humans, but possess supernatural abilities. Apart from the movie that could very well take up where the earlier movie left off, Vin Diesel also announced a new television series based on the Chronicles of Riddick fictional universe.
On his Instagram account, Diesel announced the series. The TV series has been named Merc City. The storyline “will follow the Mercs and Bounty Hunters of the Riddick Universe,” said the actor,
“Merc City is a show that will follow the Mercs and Bounty Hunters of the Riddick Universe,” while the next Chronicles of Riddick film will be titled Furia. Diesel added that “DT” (director/screenwriter David Twohy) will begin penning the movie sequel next month,” reported MSN
The Riddick franchise debuted with the film Pitch Black. Though the movie didn’t garner much commercial success initially, it managed to pique interest of Vin Diesel fans, and allowed the actor to explore his rather dark, but not necessarily sinister side. The conflicting role played by Diesel himself, was quite appreciated, and allowed the star to continue with the franchise. The first, lesser-known film, turned out to be a sleeper hit. It was written and directed by David Twohy. Fans of the franchise, and more importantly, the Riddick character, will be happy to know, Twohy has been roped-in to direct Furia and according to Diesel, the director has already begun penning the screenplay.
There is no indication if Vin Diesel will seek partnership with a network. The actor has not even confirmed when a pilot might be produced. However, realizing that Riddick, though critical to the storyline, has a limited scope for development of plots, Merc City will focus on the various mercenaries and bounty hunters. Ever since the first installment, there has been no dearth of characters who wish to capture the most infamous inter-galactic fugitive and his accomplices.
Interestingly, the Merc City series isn’t the only such franchise in which Vin Diesel is involved. Diesel said he’s working right now on spin-offs of the Fast and the Furious film franchise. He added that the Fast and Furious franchise is a “very rich property”. The Fast and Furious movies have been getting better, with cutting-edge cars. Perhaps addressing concerns that a TV series might ruin the grandeur, Diesel promised to treat the material “with a lot of class,” reported IGN.
This dedicated fan base – which has worshiped the Riddick character and the storyline that promises advanced weaponry and gadgets, combined with mixed-martial arts at every twist of the plot – will surely help in keeping the viewership for the TV series above required levels.
Not much is known about the upcoming Chronicles of Riddick series, except the fact that Diesel’s production company, One Race Films, will manage the production. As for the TV series, a new division has been specially formed to manage televised content.
Besides himself, Vin Diesel’s announcement of the next Riddick movie had Judi Dench, who starred in the original movie as ‘Aereon’. Since the actress has relieved herself from the Bond movies, could she be more involved in the TV series as well?
[Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images]
