Vin Diesel is ready to reprise his role as Xander Cage in the third installment of the "xXx" franchise.
The action star, who early this year teased the once-unlikely sequel to 2005's "xXx: State of the Union," announced Sunday on Instagram that production will begin in January.
Diesel headlined the 2002 original as an extreme-sports enthusiast/stuntman who becomes a reluctant spy for the National Security Agency, assigned to infiltrate a group of terrorists. While the film received mixed reviews, it grossed more than $277 million worldwide, leading Columbia Pictures to greenlight a sequel, which was made without Diesel or director Rob Cohen. It was a box-office flop.
Because of that, the occasionally discussed "xXx" appeared to be little more than a pipe dream, yet here we are. Diesel certainly has the star power to ensure this film gets made, but it's probably best to wait for the cameras to start rolling before getting too excited.
While I was filming XXX, guys on set called me Air Diesel... The time to return has come. Filming starts December in the Philippines. #ILiveForThisShit A photo posted by Vin Diesel (@vindiesel) on