We do not want or need a third xXx movie, and yet because the Fast & Furious franchise had to go and be so damn successful, here we are, back in what may as well be 2002 with Vin Diesel able to command a few franchises despite his extremely limited acting range and charisma. In 2002, xXx was supposed to be the answer to James Bond, and it was so laughably bad that even Diesel fled the sequel, xXx: State of the Union, a film I have seen and yet can’t properly articulate why.

But give us a decade and shuffle those into the dustbin of film history, and now we can pretend like people are clamoring for more xXx movies with Xander Cage as some unforgettable super spy who deserves to stand alongside Bond and Bourne. Just go ahead and read this synopsis from a press release announcing that Paramount will distribute the film. If you can make it through the whole thing without rolling your eyes, you are truly a xXx and/or Diesel fan:


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.

My favorite part is “signature deadpan wit and badass attitude” because when I think of things with deadpan wit, I also think about how they have a badass attitude.

Filming on xXx: The Return of Xander Cage is underway in Toronto with additional shooting set for the Dominican Republic.  Check out some images from filming below via Diesel's Facebook and Instagram.

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Image via Vin Diesel
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Image via Vin Diesel

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Image via Vin Diesel
Xander and Ainsley... On set making magic... #blessedtodowhatilove A photo posted by Vin Diesel (@vindiesel) on