Actor Vin Diesel is slated to revive the dormant "xXx" movie franchise, according to the actor's Instagram post.
In the first film directed by Rob Cohen released back in 2002, Diesel portrayed the role of a rebellious extreme sports athlete named Xander Cage who was forced to become a spy for the National Security Agency. The movie earned a total of $277.4 million during its release against a $70 million budget.
Thirteen years later, the actor is set to reprise that role in the film that is tentatively titled "The Return of Xander Cage."
Diesel himself confirmed the news about the third installment in the action movie franchise through a social media post, saying: "While I was filming XXX, guys on set called me Air Diesel... The time to return has come. Filming starts December in the Philippines."
The 46-year-old actor is not a stranger in big-named franchises, since he also stars in the long-running heist action film series "The Fast and the Furious."
However, Diesel and film director Rob Cohen had to miss the second installment in the "xXx" series because the actor had a prior commitment to work on another film titled "The Pacifier" while the director was busy filming "Stealth."
Rapper/ actor Ice Cube had to step in to fill the vacant lead role left by Diesel in the sequel. He portrayed the role of the U.S. Navy officer Darius Stone in the second film titled "xXx: State of the Union." Lee Tamahori, who earlier helmed the James Bond film "Die Another Day," was tapped to direct the sequel released in 2005 . However, it did not receive the same commercial success that the first film enjoyed, with box-office earnings reaching only $71 million against a $113.1 million budget.
But aside from the confirmation that a third "xXx" film is in the works, little is known about the movie, and its release date is still unannounced.
