Vin Diesel recently posted some updates on his Facebook page that suggest we might be seeing Riddick as early as January of next year.  Principal photography wrapped recently on Riddick, the third film in a franchise that started with Pitch Black. While Diesel was hoping to see a release in 2012, this comes as a good sign that the studio is happy with what they’re seeing.  That bodes well, not only for Riddick, but for the potential sequels if Riddick proves commercially successful.  Be sure to check out some images from set here. The extensive cast includes Karl Urban, Katee Sackhoff, Jordi Molla, Bokeem Woodbine, David Bautista, Matt Nable, Conrad Pla, Raoul Trujillo, Nolan Funk, and Keri Hilson. Hit the jump to see what Diesel had to say.

In case you were somehow confused by the recent set photos Vin Diesel has been sending out, Universal Pictures has announced that principal photography has officially begun on Riddick.  The press release provides an updated synopsis and casting info.  We knew that Diesel would be joined by Karl Urban, Katee Sackhoff, and Jordi Molla, but now Bokeem Woodbine and David Bautista have been confirmed as cast members.  The film also stars Matt Nable, Conrad Pla, Raoul Trujillo, Nolan Funk, and Keri Hilson.

Hit the jump for the press release.

While you probably know her as Starbuck from Battlestar Galactica, Katee Sackhoff will soon have a new sci-fi franchise to add to her repertoire. We previously reported that Sackhoff was being considered for a role opposite Vin Diesel in the upcoming sci-fi flick, Riddick. It now looks as if she’s a lock as Sackhoff is reported to be in final negotiations for the role. She’ll be playing Dahl, a Nordic mercenary tasked with tracking down the titular anti-hero. Also playing the mercenary game is Jordi Molla (Blow) who will play Santana,  a leader of an eight-man crew bent on killing Riddick. Things are not looking up for our favorite Furyan.

The third installment of the franchise that started with Pitch Black and staggered with The Chronicles of Riddick was once again written and directed by David Twohy; it also stars Karl Urban reprising his role as Lord Vaako. Hit the jump for more on Riddick.

It’s going to be tough for me to find a way past Khan being the villain in J.J. Abrams‘ Star Trek 2 (unconfirmed at this point, but looking likelier by the day), and having a talented actor like Benicio Del Toro pass on the movie doesn’t make matters any better.  However, another excellent choice is now in the mix.  Variety reports that Carlos star Édgar Ramírez is now the frontrunner to play the villain, with Jordi Mollà (the bad guy from Bad Boys 2) also in the mix.  So you have three Hispanic actors connected to a villain role that no one will officially say is Khan even though Khan was originally played by a Hispanic actor (Ricardo Montalban).  Sigh.

Hit the jump for more.  Alice Eve and Peter Weller have already signed on to join the returning cast.  Star Trek 2 opens in 3D on May 17, 2013.

With Knight and Day getting ready to come out this week, 20th Century Fox has provided us with 5 clips, about 5 minutes of B-Roll (Behind the Scenes Footage), and an on set interview with Tom Cruise.  While I usually don’t post studio provided interviews, with how little press Cruise has done with the online community, I figured some of you might like to hear him talk about making the film and why he got involved.

Even though some of you have lost interest in Cruise as an action star, I’m still a fan of his work and hope this is the start of a new chapter in his career.  On a separate note, I’ve heard the movie is a lot of fun.  Judge for yourself after the jump: