November 29th 2003
Update
Logged by Jarryd
Sourced from PitcherBlacker.com and VinXperience
Riddick countdown to 2004 begins
As the calender counts down to Christmas 2003 and the end of yet another year, the countdown begins for Riddick.
For those of you who may or may not have been reading stuff over at VinXperience, the sequel to Pitch Black has become an epic production off screen - which we can only hope means it is going to be epic on screen!
The film boasts 1,500 employees (which is HUGE), hires up to 800 extra's a day (which is expensive) and is the fifth largest user of the local Hydro Electricity company. Then of course there are 85 sculptors working on everything from alien looks to costumes, and one million dollars spent on spray foam which can be used for everything from creating an alien landscape to who knows what!
Universal has obviously gone psycho on this film.
We also have a new character in the film - Shirah. She is intended to be something of a Siren character for Riddick. No idea yet on who has been cast.
We also have confirmation that the revamped Jack (Audrey) is NOT Riddick's love interest - thank GOD!! That would have just been creepy.
Last but not least in our roundup of news on Riddick, there is a great quote from Karl Urban (Eomer in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers). It gives us an interesting look into what this sequel is trying to do:
"It's about time we reclaimed science fiction and made it dark, it's gotten a little candy on us lately, but we are going to flip that. Vin is prey for my part, I mean, in this film you're either the hunter or the hunted."
Interesting!
Promise the updates will be more regular from now on.
Let's all kick back and wait impatiently for Riddick - or whatever they're eventually going to call the film! :-)
September 14th 2003
Update
Logged by Jarryd
Sourced from Sci-Fi Wire, The Hollywood Reporter, PitcherBlacker.com, and VinXperience
Greenlight for xXx2 and some new TCOR updates
First things first... sorry it's been a long time between updates. About two weeks I'd say. Life got away from me again. I'm sure you've all experienced that one now and again. Some day's I think life is like a wild bull. You're lucky to stay in the saddle.
But enough of my weary attempts at metaphor... here's what you really want to know:
Over at Sci-Fi Wire (the official news site of the Sci-Fi Channel in the United States) they reported about two weeks ago that the sequel to Vin's action/adventure/spy flick, xXx (as if you didn't know what I was talking about), had been given the go ahead by the studio.
Revolution Studios is more than happy to move ahead with the planned sequel, but to date no one knows if Rob Cohen (the original director) will helm the project. Despite his enthusiasm for the two planned sequels he has right of first refusal and hasn't yet made it public if he will stay with the project or not.
It seems that there may be a conflict for Rob as he has been offered directing duties on Columbia Pictures' Stealth. If Rob takes the job on Stealth - which he might be contractually bound to do - then directing duty will fall to Lee Tamahori, both Sci-Fi Wire and VinXperience have reported.
Rob Cohen has not officially left the production of xXx2 so we'll just have to wait and see what happens.
For those of you interested in the credentials of Lee Tamahori, he is well versed in the spy genre - though from two very different angles. Lee hails from just across the Tasman Sea (if you live in Australia) from the other island nation of New Zealand - birth place of the exceptionally brilliant Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings). Lee has directed such films as the James Bond flick Die Another Day, and the far more serious and dark and suspenseful Along Came a Spider.
As we all obviously have a vested interest in xXx2 I'll keep you posted on any new information coming to light!
Now to The Chronicles of Riddick:
This is the internet... and that means conflicting reports, vague specualation, delusional imaginings, and simple bullshit. So it's no surprise that there is some contradictory information floating about - especially about a movie as widely anticipated as The Chronicles of Riddick is. There is currently so much building hype about this movie that it's both wonderful and frustrating. And it seems I'm not the only webmaster with that view. The wonderful webmaster over at PitcherBlacker recently (but more subtley and politely) expressed a similer observation.
So... it might be wise to say the following - until the film is released, take everything you read with a grain of salt.
PitcherBlacker reports that Ain't it Cool News? has a set report from a previously unverified source at that site about the happenings on the set of The Chronicles of Riddick. The report states that Vin looks pretty much the same, but the bad guys are weighed down with incredible armour that includes for some heavy capes and shoulder plates with saw blade like attachments. I guess you wouldn't want to throw your head to the side or anything if that is the case!
PitcherBlacker also offers up some extra additions to the film crew of the currently in production sequel. Duck on over to the site (can get there via the home page) to check it out if it interests you.
VinXperience reports that the trailer for The Chronicles of Riddick will be released in January!
Yay!!
And second last bit of news, and a goodie to boot... a great old site has reopened to the public online. Reasons Why Riddick. If you've never been there, go check it out. The link is now on this site's home page.
Finally, this is something you are all already pretty familiar with, but just in case some of you aren't...
Universal Studios offers this blurb about the film:
Riddick has spent the last five years on the move among the forgotten worlds on the outskirts of the galaxy, eluding mercenaries bent on collecting the price on his head. Now, the fugitive finds himself on planet Helion, home to a progressive multicultural society, which has been invaded by the Lord Marshal (Colm Feore), a zealot who targets humans for subjugation with his army of warriors known as Necromongers.
Exiled to a subterranean prison where extremes of temperature range from arctic nights to volcanic days, Riddick encounters Kyra (Alexa Davalos), the lone survivor from an earlier chapter in his life. His efforts to free himself and Kyra lead him to the Necromonger command ship, where he is pitted against Lord Marshal in an apocalyptic battle with possibly the fate of all beings-both living and dead-hanging in the balance.
August 24th 2003
Update
Logged by Jarryd
Sourced from VinXperience and Hollywood Reporter
Confirmation of TCOR release date and a little about xXx2
Hollywood Reporter's Martin Grove reports via the VinXperience website that the much anticipated sequel to the sleeper hit Pitch Black will be released June 11 2004. That's four years after the original was released. Not that I'm keeping count or anything.
The report presented on VinXperience states that the film is aimed primarilly at the box office spending 18 to 35 year old male audience, though between you and me, I can see a lot of women in those age groups (and younger and older) going along to have a little bit of a look.
The report also goes on to confirm what Vin and David Twohy have been saying for some time now - that the film can be a viable mainstream franchise for Universal.
Other than that, there is not a lot more said about the movie that we all don't already know. If you'd like to check out the report in full, go along to VinXperience (via the link on the Home Page) and it's all there.
In addition to TCOR there is also a mention of xXx2. Yes, there is definately going to be a sequel.
The industry reports are suggesting that xXx2 will be released a week after TCOR on or around June 18. This is unlikely though. The report continues to say that some schedules have the sequel being released June 18 while others have it some time in the future. Realistically, the sequel won't come out until 2005.
According to schedules that some websites (inc this one) have been examining from reports posted at News sites online, all reports suggest that Vin's next movie is the Navy drama Dreadnaught. Of course schedules can be changed, but even without Dreadnaught they would be cutting it tight to put Vin in front of the camera right after shooting on TCOR finishes later this year. It's feasibly possible, but wouldn't leave much time for post-production, nor would it give Vin some much needed time to rest up after the demanding shoot that TCOR will undoubtably be.
Time will tell.
For those of you interested, the only other reported cast member to be reprising a role in xXx2 is Samuel L. Jackson as Agent Agustus Gibbons. Unfortunately it looks like the xXx franchise may just become another revolving door for female lead roles just like the 007 movies.
I'll keep you up to date as soon as anything new comes along.
August 17th 2003
Update
Logged by Jarryd
Sourced from VinXperience
Bits and Pieces about the upcomming sequel
I missed an update last week due to an unavoidable social obligation one day, and a desperate need to get a mountain of housework done the next - so my weekend was a wash out!
But sometimes a missing week doesn't matter! There wasn't a lot to report last week, nor is there a lot to report this week.
Over at VinXperience there are a few reports floating around that might interest some of you. Naturally, because of my incredible bias, I will only be mentioning stuff related to Pitch Black!
Of interest might be this small piece about Vin and those contacts he loves to hate! Apparently they have caused him some continuing vision problems which resulted in him running into a catering table and knocking its contents flying! When this happened, Vin finally admitted to the crew how much pain the contacts were causing, and they had someone come in and fix them.
Also from the Vancouver shooting set, there was apparently a fire which caused damage to the sets at Mammoth Studios where the sequel is being filmed. The fire has set the production back and the film will take longer to complete than usual.
I took a look at IMDB to see if there was any news about a new release date to take into account the damange, but there was no news there or at any of the other Entertainment websites about the fire or any rescheduling of TCOR's release date.
Maybe there will be no set back.
If you want to read the full reports, take a trip over to VinXperience and catch up on all the Vin goss!
One thing that might be interesting to ponder, is, will the set back to the shooting schedule conflict with the start date of Vin's next movie to start production, Dreadnaught?
As ever, if I hear anything, I'll keep you posted.
 August 2nd 2003
Update
Logged by Jarryd
Sourced from PitcherBlacker.com
Someone we thought lost returns
Sometimes it's just wonderful to contradict an article you yourself posted only weeks ago!
I'm of course referring to the report that was bandied about the internet that said Keith David (Iman) would not be returning to the Universe of Pitch Black and that he had been recast for a brief death scene by a man who would only be glimpsed from afar.
My compliments go out to the webmaster at PitcherBlacker.com for having probably the best place on the net to stop to pick up news and facts on the upcomming sequel.
Keith David returns!
Smilin' Jack Ruby, reporter for ubersite CHUD, is back from his trip to the set of TCOR in Canada.
- Keith David is returning, but is the only original castmember besides Diesel. Alexa Davolos replaced Rhiana Griffin as Jack.
- It's a 77 day shoot and they're halfway through.
- Theyre only shooting this movie now even though a trilogy is still planned.
If you would like to read everything that is up at PitcherBlacker about the film, and the full version of the article above, you can because here's the link: http://www.pitcherblacker.com
I only used part of the article on my site. I don't want to detract from the hardwork of the webmaster at PitcherBlacker. Hey! We webmasters need to look out for each other these days. If you'd like to read even more after visiting PitcherBlacker, you can by following the link to CHUD that is available at the website.
Apparently there will be an indepth report closer to the release of The Chronicles of Riddick, and once I learn when that report is up, we'll post a link to it from this site.
 
July 26th 2003
Update
Logged by Jarryd
Sourced from Dreamwatch Magazine
TCOR - The Chronicles of Riddick
Sometimes it seems so damn hard to dig up information on this film. You search the internet like a man obsessed to come up with... well... sweet f all.
So, when the internet fails, you turn to traditional, hard copy media reports.
While rummaging through my local Boarders bookstore I came across the latest release of Dreamwatch. And while a lot of what I'd read I'd already had posted on the site for weeks, there was one recent development that I thought might interest visitors to the site! It's nothing about the plot of the film, or about Vin in particular, but instead about something that affected filming in Vancouver.
There was a storm that hit some of the location sets and thoroughly destroyed them. The good news is no one was hurt! The bad news? The cost to production was (the article said) approximately $3,000,000. That may not seem like a lot to people who may be thinking "movie budgets soar into the tens and sometimes hundreds of millions of dollars range", but trust me - it's huge.
To put it into perspective, that's two epsides of a Star Trek television episode. While you may not like Star Trek it is one of the best filmed, and best produced series on television today with production standards and special effects that are feature film quality and soar above other television shows.
$3,000,000 could very well equate to the combined saleries of probably ten to twenty people or more on the movie. Movies are controlled by a budget that is usually supervised from a studio appointed producer. If a film is in danger of going over budget for whatever reason, things can get... less than happy! So unless the production company and distributor for TCOR are feeling all love and light, the production may suffer a few unfortunate hiccups.
Knowing Vin as we've all come to in the way only obsessed fans can ;-p, it could be safe to say Vin will battle for his baby.
So if you have a few spare moments, spend them sending off good thoughts to the cast and crew of TCOR as they struggle with the weather and conditions in Canada.
July 13th 2003
Update
Logged by Jarryd
Sourced from IMDB
Riddick Update and a rumour
The Internet Movie Data Base has it's own page on The Chronicles of Riddick up at the site - for those of you who didn't know.
The site reports the following, and the plot summary is very well provided by Jade Maxim:
Riddick, now a hunted man, finds himself in the middle of two opposing forces in a major crusade. Feore will play Lord Marshal, a warrior priest who is the leader of a sect that is waging the 10th and perhaps final crusade 500 years in the future. Dench will play Aereon, an ambassador from the Elemental race. She is an ethereal being who helps Riddick unearth his origins.
Very similar to all of the rumours that have been floating around like hyperactive butterflies on 'V'. The most interesting information to be added is the disclosure about a "crusade", evoking memories of the ancient crusades that swept across Europe a few hundred years ago.
Equally interesting is the mention of Aeron helping Riddick to unearth his origins. Hints that this potential franchise is going to definately slip into epic drama with a designed mythic element - just as Vin has been promising with his comparisons to The Lord of the Rings and Battlestar Galactica, both based strongly in mythology.
The IMDB also has this to say:
Production Notes/Status:
Status: Filming (last updated June 4 2003).
The site has a standard cautionary note, that mentions that as the film is currently in production, any information recorded is subject to change or removal.
It lists in the Credited Cast section the following:
Vin Diesel - Riddick
Judi Dench - Aeron
Colm Feore - Lord Marshal
Alexa Davalos - Kyra (aka Jack)
Chris Astoyan - Tony Nesteravich
Nick Chinlund - Toombs
Colin Corrigan - Vault Officer
Aaron Douglas - Young Soldier
The following are also included without role names:
Thandie Newton
Linus Roache
Ron Selmour
Karl Urban
If you're interested in the Production Credits, go to the IMDB via your search engine if you don't have it bookmarked or logged in your Favourites Folder, and type in "Riddick". All the info you need will pop up before you. Gee, just like magic, this internet thing!
One last comment, before we wrap this update... there is a rumour going about that may interest you. Especially those of you who have been e-mailing me and asking me what has happened to Iman.
First... this is unconfirmed.
I've done some digging, and it seems that in the very first few minutes of the film, Iman is killed off. Some are suggesting it is in a flashback of the escape from the nasty critter world, but nothing has been confimed. It is confirmed that Keith David will not be returning, but it has been hinted at that an actor was cast to replace him in the few moments he is seen dying on screen.
In my opinion that's a huge shame. It would have been wonderful to see Keith back for the sequel, as his presence on screen and his ability as an actor greatly enhanced the original.
We've got less than a year to wait, to find out if these rumours are true!
July 6th 2003
Update
Logged by Jarryd
Sourced from Sci-Fi Wire (Sci Fi Channel Online News Service)
Riddick
Five days ago (July 1st) filming began on the sequel to Pitch Black, tentatively titled Riddick.
According to reports, the film takes place five years after the events that killed off most of the characters in the original film, and left only Riddick, Jack and Iman alive to blast their way off of the creepie crawly planet where nocturnal creatures delighted in placing anything that moved on the menu.
In the sequel Riddick has found himself on the planet Helion detained in a prison that alternates between a frozen landscape and a volcanic nightmare. He meets up with a more mature Jack (now Kyra and played by Alexa Davalos) who is also in prison, and together they plot and plan to escape.
Helion, as a world, is a far cry from the desert world Kyra and Riddick found themselves on years earlier. The planet is home to a progressive, multi-cultural society that finds itself invaded by a zeolat madman - Lord Marshal (Colm Feore). His intentions are anything but pleasant. Marshal's goal is to subjugate humanity and make them part of his army of 'Necromongers'.
Riddick and Kyra plan to spring themselves from prison to take on Marshal in a battle that could "determine the fate of humanity".
Both of our heroes find themselves on Marshal's Necromonger command ship, where the climactic battle takes place.
It all sounds pretty damn great!! Very epic and exciting and hopefully it will be served well by the story, writing, directing and special effects. We don't really have any worries about the acting, as Dame Judi Dench, Colm Feore, Karl Urban, Alexa Davalos and Thandie Newton make up the cast with our beloved Vin.
We have a little over a year to wait now until the film hits cinema screens around the world, and Extreme Diesel will keep you as up to date as we can on the events surrounding the development of the film.
June 29th 2003
Update
Logged by Jarryd
New Chronicles of Riddick Release Date
Well, there is not a lot to report this week! About the most exciting thing is a new release date for the Chronicles of Riddick, which according to the Dark Horizons website is no longer called the Chronicles of Riddick! Apparently the film is simply being called "Riddick" now. I'm sure that'll change...
The new release date is now on June 11 2004! Less than a year away. By moving the release date, the production has guaranteed the film will get a jump start on a lot of it's competition - like the next Harry Potter movie!
So, we keep counting down the days and keep hoping that more news will come our way.
June 20th 2003
Update
Logged by Jarryd
Luke Cage - Fact or Fiction?
The rumour mill is at work once more, this time linking Vin's name to yet another comic book adaptation to the silver screen that is under consideration: Luke Cage - Hero for Hire.
Vin's name has been linked to a number of different comic books that may (and have) become films in the past, among them DareDevil, and Hellboy. But you never know, he may actually take on this role!
For those of you who don't know, Luke Cage is a MARVEL COMICS property that came into being in 1972 and lasted on and off until 1993 when the last comic was produced late in that year.
The story centres around an African-American character (touted as the first black man to have his own comic book) who undergoes an experiment that goes wrong, and gives him the typical physics defying MARVEL Super Hero powers. You know MARVEL - have spider, radiation, or some other cool substance or creature and just add a little water and BANG! KAPOW! Super Hero! That's why we all love the comics and the movies! Well... those of us with a wee little geek bend.
The character of Cage was framed for a drug related crime he didn't commit by his arch nemesis who was once his best friend (of course) and locked away in prison. While in prison the woman he loves was killed in a drug deal that went terribly wrong and low and behold that deal was organised by his ex-friend soon to be nemesis.
To buy his freedom and exact his revenge, Cage (then Carl Lucas) volunteered for a scientific experiment. It went wrong, and as mentioned above the comic loving world inherited a guy who was almost invincible with fantastic strength who decided to exact revenge and become a hero for hire on the side. Attidute included.
I have to admit that when researching this Luke Cage character I was slightly disturbed by all the inferences to black men and women and their connections to drugs, robbery, intimidation and gangs... but admittedly I'm Australian. Part black myself, but from a completely different country. So maybe all of this seemingly negative stereotyping was meant to be positive because the character (it seems) was fighting against that, though he did predominantly fight only black villians until years after the comics initial release.
Not being up my American-centric history, I can imagine that at that time a black hero fighting against such activities was desperately needed in such a racist decade as the late sixties and early seventies - even if the bad guys he was fighting were a continuation of negative black stereotypes.
Throwing all of that away as an abberation of the times, all in all, it sounds like a promising premise - as long as they get rid of the bright yellow and black costume, and the afro and flares and wide collared shirts...
Whether or not Vin will join this project is anyone's guess. It seems to me that it could be an important role and it could also be a fantastic opportunity for him as both an actor and someone of mixed racial descent.
I'll keep you appraised of any developments in this new rumour, and we'll see what Vin decides. Personally, I'm getting sick of the rumours, it would be nice to get some news on Vin that is concrete!
June 9th 2003
Update
Logged by Jarryd
A Man Apart
This report is probably of more interest to Australians than it is to anyone else out there around the world who visits the site!
For my fellow Australians... time's up! For those of you who didn't catch the commencement of the national advertisement campaign on TV tonight, airing on Channel 7 during The Sixth Sense, Vin's latest completed film will show in cinema's around the country from June 12th - that's this Thursday!
For those who missed the trailer, it looks like a great film. A lot more action packed than I thought it would be, and Vin seems to alternate between a goateed look, and clean shaven. I don't honestly remember much of the add because I let out a whoop of joy and danced about on the couch with the household dogs and one of my housemates looking on in amusement.
Hey, I'm a fan.
It's impossible to predict how A Man Apart will go on Australian screens, as it is being released during a time when many impressive blockbusters are screening.
Currently airing on Australian Screens (among a few other films) are the following blockbusters that are enjoying frequent repeat viewings:
X-Men 2
The Matrix Reloaded
Phone Booth
New films being released on Thursday around the nation contain a few other possible blockbusters providing stiff competition for your money... here's a list of the new ones out this Thursday.
Bulletproof Monk
The Core
White Oleander
Following before the end of the month we also get The Hulk on the 26th.
Start counting your coins kids, it's Vin Diesel day at a cinema near you on June 12th!
It will be interesting to see how A Man Apart does against some truly excellent movies. All I can say is support Vin and go see the film on opening night! If it gets a good enough attendence, that will guarantee it lasts longer than a couple of weeks on our screens! For those interested, the film goes for 109 minutes.
May 25th 2003
Update
Logged by Jarryd
Sourced from: Movies.go
The Chronicles of Riddick
I've finally waded through my e-mails, and discovered a few more tid bits for the fans of the upcoming sequel to the surprise hit Pitch Black.
Additional casting news has been made available, and among the actors cast there are two more well-known names.
Karl Urban has been cast in the role of Vaako, a military leader who works for the films protagonist (that's bad guy) - Lord Marshal. You might be familiar with him. The New Zealand actor rose to international stardom through his exceptional portrayal of Eomer in the Academy Award winning Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers. He joins Colm Feore and the extraordinary Dame Judi Dench. Yeah, I'm a fan of the British actor. So you can expect a lot of wonderful adjectives and such surrounding her name anytime I mention it!
As well as Karl, actress Thandie Newton is in talks with the producers to star in the film, but to date I have no idea of the role she will play. Considering how beautiful the young woman is, one can't help but wonder if she will be a love interest for Riddick. Hopefully she survives longer that Rhada's character (Caroline Fry) from the original!
Last, but not least, another actress has been signed, but one less well known. Alexa Davalos. Fans of the supernatural/horror/drama series Angel will be familiar with this actress, as she has had a number of recurring guest star roles in the Buffy spin off series playing character Gwen Raiden. In the sequel to Pitch Black she will be playing the role of Kyra - an adult Jack. Remember the young girl who disguised herself as a boy in the original? Yep, at least one original character will be returning.
The sequel is definately shaping up. Great actors, we can safely assume a good script, and a great director.
  
May 20th 2003
Update
Logged by Jarryd
Sourced from: IGN Filmforce and djdchronology.com
The Chronicles of Riddick
In what can only be described as a monumental coup, Vin Diesel and David Twohy have signed Dame Judi Dench to the first Pitch Black sequel.
Dame Judi is a remarkable actress with an incredible amount of talent and presence, and to have her be part of a project like 'Chronicles' which is not her usual choice of project, is a wonderful testament to both Vin's quality as an actor, and no doubt the quality of the script.
For those unaware, 'Chronicles' is being produced by Radar Pictures and One Race Productions (Vin's Production Company). The film has been written, and will also be directed by David Twohy, and reports have mentioned that Vin has also added his writing talents to the last draft of the screenplay.
In addition to Dame Judi another huge name has been signed to star in the film. Colm Feore. For those of you unfamiliar with the man, he has starred in such films as The Insider starring Russell Crowe, Pearl Harbour starring Ben Affleck, The Sum of All Fears starring Ben Affleck and Morgan Freeman, and the Academy Award winning Chicago to name only a few. Colm will be playing the villian, Lord Marshal.
Just as exciting as news about the additions to the cast, is news about the story.
Riddick is on the run, and it is some years after the events that took place in the original film. In his adventures, he comes up against a fantatical warrior priest (Lord Marshal) on a 'holy crusade'.
The new villians of the piece are apparently called 'necromongers' and come from a 'negative matter' universe or dimension - I'm unsure which. I'm not sure if negative matter is the same as the theory related to dark matter, but either way it sounds like the sequel is a far cry from the original - and that might not be a bad thing. But enough about the bad guys.
Dame Judi Dench will play an Ambassador for the mysterious Elemental race. Her character's name will be Aereon. She is described as an 'etherial being' who will play an instrumental role in helping Riddick discover his origins.
It has been reported that Dame Judi will receive 4.5 million dollars for her role in the sequel, but that Vin had to fight for her to get that high a salery. He was insistant that she get paid what she is worth as an actress. The big money men weren't keen to give her that much despite the fact she is more than worth it by a long shot. Vin, a fan, went to bat for this woman he so obviously admires.
For those of you looking for a horror film, you're not in luck. Both Vin and David have described the sequel as a science fiction action adventure... but that doesn't mean Riddick has gone and become the Universe's fairy god mother. He'll still have that psychotic edge we all came to love.
Vin has been reported as saying that he and David have gone to a lot of trouble to work up a believable and exciting Universe with a very dark edge for the characters to play in.
With the inclusion of a race called the 'Elementals', one can only wonder if the science fiction adventure will also have a strong element of fantasy and mythology laced throughout it. Elementals are mythological creatures (according to our planet) that are the energetic embodiment of the four major elements of Air, Earth, Fire and Water.
As bits and pieces come together about this new project, things sound like we're in for a very special film.
I don't know about you, but I'm excited!
On one last note, I received a report today that the sequel may be out as soon as the end of this year. Knowing a little something about the production of a film I can see how this is possible... but remotely so. I doubt the report, though it came from a reliable source. I wouldn't look for the film before June 2004 because of post production work - but if the studio pushes it for an early release, it might make it out by Christmas.
And on a different note, I also received a report today from the same source who said that Vin will move from 'Chronicles' to Hannibal. Again, I don't know about this. A lot of industry reports are saying he goes straight to Dreadnaught from 'Chronicles' but you never know.
Hollywood is a fickle place.
 
May 5th 2003
Update
Logged by Jarryd
Sourced from: Yahoo Movies
Dreadnaught
Filming is set to begin on Vin's new film, Dreadnaught, later this year (Fall in the northern hemiphere, Spring down under). But there are some contradictory reports floating around about this new action/drama military flick, that seem to have changed what was reported on this site late last month.
Yahoo! Movies has stated that the storyline has changed due to the events of September 11 2001, and that what was reported regarding Vin Diesel's character is no longer the case. It was reported earlier on this site that Vin would play the first officer of a new Dreadnaught vessel - the most powerful and technologically advanced of it's kind. According to Yahoo! Movies, that isn't the case anymore. Vin will play the Captain.
The film will be moved forward into the 'near future' rather than present day, to avoid any potential political upsets.
The distributor for the film will be Columbia Pictures and the production company handling the movie will be Red Wagon Productions and Horsepower Entertainment.
There is still no news on who else will be starring alongside Vin, but rumours are that the original star under consideration for the role was box office giant Will Smith of Men In Black, Independence Day and Wild, Wild, West fame.
The Director of the film will be Dominic Sena, who was responsible for the Nic Cage/Angelina Jolie film Gone in 60 Seconds.
The first draft of the film was by a new writer, Blake Masters, and the (I presume) first rewrite was handled by Dan Gilroy who gave us Freejack. The latest rewrites are being handled by the impressive team of Stephen J Rivele and Christopher Wilkinson who were responsible for Ali and Nixson.
The plot of the story, as far as can be discerned, sounds very interesting.
A commercial airliner is shot down by accident by the namesake of the film - the Dreadnaught. The Captain decides to mutiny when he is ordered by his superiors to kill the sole survivor of the accident. The Dreadnaught finds itself in a high tech cat and mouse game for survival as it is hunted down by the fleet.
The film has a budget of $75 million US, and is set to go before the cameras once Vin wraps up the filming for the sequel to Pitch Black.
Any more news on the film will find it's way here as soon as I discover it.
April 23rd 2003
Update
Logged by Jarryd
Sourced from: The Age Newspaper Australia, JoBlo.com
Pitch Black 2
aka The Chronicles of Riddick
Vin goes before the cameras very very soon to begin the process of filming the long awaited sequel to the sleeper hit Pitch Black where he continues in the role of ex-con on the run, Riddick.
The team commence filming in Vancouver in June of this year, and the film is set to be released a year later in June of 2004.
To date the plot of Pitch Black 2 is under wraps, so not a lot is known about the arc the story will take, or may continue from the original film.
As news comes to me, it'll get posted here as we begin the countdown to 2004.
NY Giant
Vin is set to star in his first romantic comedy! It seems of late that the actor is finally choosing projects that will stretch his range beyond simply looking good and acting tough - though this character may not be much of a stretch, it's a step in the right direction.
Vin has been signed to star in the film which is tentatively titled NY Giant, where he will be taught the rules of etiquette to curb his unusual behaviour.
The character he will play is described as 'trash-talking' (I'm assuming that's an Americanism) and 'eccentric'.
The character is signed up to an endorsement contract and it is decided by the powers that be that his behaviour is anything but appropriate. To fix their oversight, they enlist the assistance of an uptight, prissy etiqueete teacher... and SURPRISE... they fall in love.
Vin will also produce the film which is being penned by writers Michael Ellis and Pamela Falk of the Wedding Planner. To date there has been no official information on who Vin's love interest for the film will be.
Dreadnaught
Vin is set to star in a new Naval thriller that takes place on the world's most sophisticated warship.
He plays the first officer of the warship, and, it is reported, comes up against his commanding officer who is simply described as 'relentless'.
No further details regarding the plot of the film have been released to this date.
The original report comes from The Age Newspaper Australia, dated April 15th 2003.
As soon as more information turns up, I'll include it on this page. The good news is that this style of film takes Vin into a more interesting arena than can usually be found in the action film genre.
Guys and Dolls
There is a lot of nothing floating around about this project at the moment.
Official word from the people who want to produce the film, is that they don't even own the rights to do a remake yet.
Vin has not been signed, and there is no promise that he will be. Everything is still up in the air. The producers of Chicago (Neil Meron and Craig Zadan) who are the producers interested in redoing Guys and Dolls want to set the record straight.
"Oh God! Vin Diesel. We'd better clear this up, he gave interviews saying that he and Nicole Kidman were doing Guys and Dolls. We met him socially, but that's all. We're in the process of closing a rights deal right now, and we can't make a commitment to any actor yet."
It almost sounds dismissive, but I'm sure that wasn't their intent. Hopefully!
Meron and Zadan won an Academy Award recently for their remake of Chicago.
The roles that Vin MAY have a shot at, gamblers Nathan Detroit and Sky Masterson, were originated by Frank Sinatra and Marlon Brando in the 1955 original.
 March 30th 2003
Update
Logged by Jarryd
Here goes one reasonable sized update. I haven't touched this section of the site since I published it in September last year, but luckily there hasn't been a great deal of news to throw around about new projects.
Here's what I've been able to uncover.
xXx
There are currently TWO scripts being worked on by Rob Cohen. Though there have been reports that Vin has seen the scripts, word from Cohens mouth is that he hasn't, nor will he until they are closer to completion.
The studio is aware of the scripts and eagerly anticipating both, as xXx has collected a world wide box office profit of $277 million US. Not bad.
Want to know what the scripts are about? One is based around the South Asia Pacific region and the notorious pirates that on occassion have been known to mess with local shipping and pleasure craft. Yes, there still are real live sea pirates in the 21st Century. And they're not very nice people - usually.
The second is based in Washington DC and there isn't a lot that Cohen is saying about this particular one. But, he has said through 'DETAILS' magizine that he is confident BOTH will be filmed, he just doesn't know which one the studio will choose to go with for the first sequel. Cohen is pretty happy with how both are shaping up to date.
He plans to be behind the camera filming the first sequel by 2004, and to have the film released in 2005.
Pitch Black
The man himself is currently working on fine tuning the script for the first follow up to the sleeper hit.
I don't have a lot of information on what is coming for the sequel/prequel, but I have heard it described as Lord of the Rings meets Battlestar Galactica!
For those of you who aren't familiar with the 1970's Science Fiction epic Battlestar Galactica, it's premise was based in the concept that Earth was seeded by beings from another world. These humans hailed from a world called Kobol, the original home of humanity. When that world went big bang, thirteen 'tribes' fled the destruction - one going off into deep space alone, and twelve to a star system that housed twelve planets. The twelve tribes settled there until an act of genocide by their enemies drove them from their worlds. From there, the series focused on how these intergalactic refugees survived their trek across the stars in search of the legendary thirteenth tribe - Earth.
You can take a lot from that brief premise of Battlestar Galactica, and the premise of Lord of the Rings, and come up with heaps of possibility.
If the writers have chosen to draw inspiration from Lord of the Rings and Battlestar Galactica then they have made compelling choices.
As far as I know, the release date is Christmas 2004 - but that certainly isn't definate. With a science fiction film there is a lot of post production, so I wouldn't be surprised if we don't see the sequel until 2005.
The Fast and the Furious
Everyone knows this, but still, for the sake of having it here, I'll throw this in.
Vin originally asked for $20 million US to star in a sequel to the surprise hit film about street racing, where he played a Cuban-American mechanic by day, street racer by night wanted by the law for hijacking trucks.
As we all know by now, Vin turned the sequel down for a number of reasons, despite the agreement to give him $20 million to star. One of the reasons was because he didn't think there should be a sequel to the film, and that it should stand alone.
As we also all know, the studio is going ahead with a sequel without Vin.
That's it for this update.
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