While all eyes have understandably been focused on who will direct Furious 8 in recent weeks, given the film’s looming release date and Universal Pictures’ trouble in finding the right person for the job, Vin Diesel has a sequel of a different sort to tackle first. The actor has been personally hyping a third xXx movie over the last few months, claiming that filming would get underway by the end of 2015 despite there being little to no actual information on the follow-up. Well now a little more light has been shed on the project, namely who will be behind the camera.

In an interview with io9, Diesel revealed that Disturbia and Eagle Eye director D.J. Caruso will helm xXx 3, though now he’s less sure about it entering production before Furious 8:


“I’m excited as hell about XXX. D.J. Caruso is directing it, which is exciting. The big question now is which will race to production first now that F. Gary Gray is on [Furious 8]? Will XXX race to production first or will Fast race to production first?”

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It was only August when Diesel said that filming on xXx 3 would begin in December, but now he seems to be uncertain about the timetable of the film in relation to Furious 8. The latter is towards the top of Universal’s list of priorities given the massive box office success of Furious 7 and April 2017 release date. Now that Straight Outta Compton helmer F. Gary Gray is set as the next Furious director, development will no doubt ramp up in anticipation of a production start date sometime in the first half of 2016.

As for xXx 3, it’s the sequel that no one really asked for. Diesel led the 2002 extreme sports-hewing, Bond-riffing action film with his The Fast and the Furious director Rob Cohen at the helm, then Sony changed things up for the sequel xXx: State of the Union by setting Ice Cube as the franchise’s new star. But that kind of franchise is a bit played out in today's moviegoing marketplace, so I don't really see the appeal here. Regardless, Diesel is mighty keen on returning to the series, and he’s got Caruso at the helm.

After solid efforts like The Salton Sea and Taking Lives, Caruso found greater success with his Rear Window twist Disturbia. He tried his hand at the YA actioner genre with the 2011 misfire I Am Number Four, and he most recently helmed the indie drama The Disappointments Room. It appears he’s looking to tackle the action genre in a big way soon, however, as he’s also attached to helm G.I. Joe 3 in addition to xXx 3.


It remains unclear which movie will go into production first, but given the Fast & Furious franchise’s popularity and the fact that xXx 3 doesn’t have a release date, I imagine Furious 8 will be Diesel’s priority for the near future.

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Image via Sony Pictures