It was over a year ago that we learned Vin Diesel was finally ready for a new sequel to his OTHER action franchise, The Chronicles of Riddick, the first one in over a decade. And now Diesel fans, and presumably what Riddick fans there are out there, can rejoice because Riddick: Furya will begin production this August.
Production company Rocket Science dropped the news today. Riddick: Furya is the fourth movie in the franchise that began with Pitch Black in 2000, followed by The Chronicles of Riddick in 2004, and Riddick in 2013. All of the sci-fi films star Diesel as Richard B. Riddick, a notorious intergalactic criminal with soup-up abilities (like seeing in the dark, agility, etc.) and among the last of the Furyan race.
As the title suggests, Riddick will be going back to his home planet to face a monstrous threat to what remains of his people.
Here’s the synopsis: In Riddick: Furya, Riddick finally returns to his homeworld, a place he barely remembers and one he fears might be left in ruins. But there he finds other Furyans fighting for their existence against a new monster. And some of these Furyans are more like Riddick than he could have ever imagined.
Diesel will produce and star in the film, reuniting with writer/director David Twohy who he has worked with on the entire Riddick series.
These movies have never been huge, but they do indeed have a small and loyal following. Pitch Black was a sleeper hit, coming out of nowhere to earn $53M on a limited budget. Chronicles of Riddick severely exaggerated the fanbase, earning just $115M on a budget over $120M. Riddick rebounded with a smaller budget of $38M and managed to score $98M overall. There’s also a pretty awesome video game and the animated short film Dark Fury which is also worth checking out if you’re a Diesel completist.
However, this is the longest stretch without a Riddick movie and it’s a big question whether there’s any genuine excitement for another one.
