For quite a while now, Vin Diesel has been hyping up his return as Riddick in a possible third Pitch Black sequel, but the movie seems to have not really progressed in the last eight years since it was first mentioned. However, with the Fast and Furious movies heading toward their conclusion in the next couple of years, the actor is possibly looking for his next big franchise to focus on, and that could mean Riddick 4: Furya will now move forward at Universal. To boost those chances, Diesel has been sharing some storyboards from the movie that see the return of his antihero lead character.
Pitch Black arrived back in 2000 to a mixed reception, telling the story of Richard B. Riddick, a dangerous criminal who is en route to prison when the spaceship transporting him is hit by a comet and is forced to crash-land on a seemingly deserted planet. As you might expect, there is nothing deserted about it, and soon vicious aliens are picking off survivors and Riddick must turn hero for them all to survive. The film grossed $53 million, and the character of Riddick struck enough of a chord to get two sequels: 2004’s The Chronicles of Riddick and Riddick in 2013. While both movies improved massively on the original film’s box office performance, the subsequently announced fourth film fell into the dark and has only been mentioned in infrequent social media posts by Diesel.
One such post arrived recently, and rather than just the usual comments about ideas and meetings, this time Diesel provided new storyboard slides featuring Riddick, with glowing eyes and a startled expression. For those who have been waiting for news of the production, this follows from the actor’s update in December when he announced that he had a productive meeting with Universal, and strongly suggests that things may finally be moving forward with the sequel.
Vin Diesel is About to Say Goodbye to The Fast and Furious Franchise
While fans of Riddick have been waiting a long time for a new film in that franchise, Vin Diesel has been pretty tied up with some other big movies in the last few years, and that could have been one of the main reasons for the delays in getting Riddick 4 off the ground. Having put out several Fast and Furious movies, and frequently been called on to provide his voice in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Vin Diesel also has an undisclosed role in this year’s Avatar: The Way of Water. However, as the action hero puts his role in the Fast Saga to bed, he may now find more time to return to Riddick.
As well as the movies, Riddick has also been seen in a TV series and a handful of video games, but the new movie would be a direct sequel to the 2013 movie and is thought to delve into the origins of the character. Considering Vin Diesel was actively sharing updates in the latter part of 2021, it might not be too long before we hear more on the latest addition to the franchise.