Last week, Vin Diesel shared the first photos from the set of XXX: The Return of Xander Cage, which appeared to indicate that production was already under way. The actor took to both his Instagram and Facebook pages today, to reveal that today was in fact the first day of filming. Two of these photos feature the actor alongside his co-star Deepika Padukone.
In the photos we showed you from earlier this week, it appeared that the actor was rehearsing a motorcycle stunt with one of his co-stars. The actor wasn't showcasing any tattoos in those photos, but in today's shots, we see that his Xander Cage character has plenty of ink, with the shirtless actor sporting numerous tattoos. Hopefully we'll see more of the daring stunts this action icon plans on pulling off in this action-packed sequel in the weeks and months ahead.
The story centers on Vin Diesel's Xander Cage, who forms a new team filled with ""sexy badasses and comic relief players." This franchise will follow the same path as Vin Diesel's Fast & Furious franchise, which has risen to new box office heights since being reconfigured as an action franchise. International action stars Tony Jaa and Jet Li have joined the cast. It is believed that Jet Li may be playing one of the villains.
Samuel L. Jackson will be reprising his role from the original xXx as Special Agent Augustus Gibbons. Other new cast members include Deepika Padukone, Nina Dobrev, Ruby Rose and Conor McGregor. There is also a report that XXX: State of the Union star Ice Cube may also be making an appearance. No other cast members have been confirmed yet, but perhaps we'll get a full cast list now that principal photography is under way.
D.J. Caruso (Eagle Eye) is directing from a script by F. Scott Frazier (The Numbers Station). Vin Diesel is producing alongside his sister Samantha Vincent, Jeff Kirschenbaum and Joe Roth. Production is scheduled to take place in Toronto and the Philippines. The sequel doesn't have a distributor yet, but several sources claim that Paramount Pictures will be the franchise's new home. Check out these latest images, and stay tuned for more .
