Vin Diesel, the lovable master of self-promotion described the upcoming xXx 3 as an “extreme sports take on the spy genre.” Now the film, which is currently in production, is getting an added taste of spots. Tony Gonzalez, former NFL tight end (Editor's Note: Falcons fever true believers!) and current sports analyst on CBS’ The NFL Today, has joined The Return of Xander Cage in an unspecified role.

Variety was the first to report the casting as Gonzalez joins Samuel L. Jackson, Nina Dobrev (The Vampire Diaries), Ruby Rose (Orange Is the New Black), Donnie Yen (Ip Man), and Deepika Padukone (Chennai Express). Diesel, who returns as the title character in xXx: The Return of Xander Cage, has been posting behind-the-scenes photos and videos to social media ahead of its January 20, 2017 release date. Gonzalez made his acting debut in the TV movie A.I.: Assault and had an appearance on NCIS as Special Agent Tony Francis, but this will be his first big-screen credit.


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Image via CBS

D.J. Caruso directs the sequel from a script by Chad St. John, while F. Scott Frazier penned revisions. Check out the official synopsis below:

The third explosive chapter of the blockbuster franchise that redefined the spy thriller finds extreme athlete turned government operative Xander Cage (Vin Diesel) coming out of self-imposed exile and on a collision course with deadly alpha warrior Xiang and his team in a race to recover a sinister and seemingly unstoppable weapon known as Pandora’s Box. Recruiting an all-new group of thrill-seeking cohorts, Xander finds himself enmeshed in a deadly conspiracy that points to collusion at the highest levels of world governments. Packed with the series’ signature deadpan wit and bad-ass attitude, “xXx: THE RETURN OF XANDER CAGE” will raise the bar on extreme action with some of the most mind-blowing stunts to ever be caught on film.

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Image via Vin Diesel

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Image via Vin Diesel
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Image via Vin Diesel