We're just a few short weeks away from seeing Vin Diesel return to the role of RIDDICK, but if Diesel and writer/director David Twohy have things their way, we're in for many more adventures in the Underverse, Furya and the dark and often violent world of Richard B. Riddick.
Speaking with SFX Magazine, Twohy and Diesel revealed that THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK was intended to be the first in a trilogy that dealt with the mythology of the necromongers, the Underverse and Riddick’s fabled homeworld, Furya. Says Diesel…
“Think of Pitch Black as The Hobbit to The Lord Of The Rings".
The duo went on to reveal that RIDDICK isn’t the planned second part of that trilogy. After CHRONICLES’ disappointing box office, they’ve refined their plans but haven’t given up on Plan A completely, with Twohy stating…
“At its core [Riddick] is a survival story about one man, and his only way to get off this planet is to call in the mercenaries for a ride. That said, we don’t turn our backs on the mythology that we planted in the last movie, and we are actually bringing Karl [Urban] back for a few days of filming to advance it and lay the groundwork for movie four. We’re concerned with paying off the loyal fans and think that if somebody doesn’t understand something the solution is to look at the other two movies and get up to speed. It does play in a gratifying way as a standalone movie, but there are threads that we continue to sew that we started in previous movies and will continue in future movies.”
Sounds good to me! I'm always up for seeing more of the universe Twohy has created. As for what we can expect to see, Diesel shared…
“You’ve got to go to the Underverse. It’s expected, it’s something I firmly believe. You’ll have to go through the Underverse to get to Furya. So, those are the two further stories that are mapped out. The Underverse is a much more costly venture. We went this direction, trying to do an R-rated movie, which is cool and even more interesting because it’s so unexpected. But yes, you will be at the Underverse and you will be at Furya sooner or later.”
For now, we still have RIDDICK to look forward to, as it hits theaters in just a few weeks. RIDDICK stars Vin Diesel, Karl Urban, Jordi Mollà, Matt Nable, Katee Sackhoff, Dave Bautista, Bokeem Woodbine, Raoul Trujillo, Nolan Gerard Funk. It opens on September 6th.
Riddick, the latest chapter of the groundbreaking saga that began with 2000’s hit sci-fi film Pitch Black and 2004’s The Chronicles of Riddick reunites writer/director David Twohy (A Perfect Getaway, The Fugitive) and star Vin Diesel (the Fast and Furious franchise, xXx). Diesel reprises his role as the antihero Riddick, a dangerous, escaped convict wanted by every bounty hunter in the known galaxy. The infamous Riddick has been left for dead on a sun-scorched planet that appears to be lifeless. Soon, however, he finds himself fighting for survival against alien predators more lethal than any human he’s encountered. The only way off is for Riddick to activate an emergency beacon and alert mercenaries who rapidly descend to the planet in search of their bounty. The first ship to arrive carries a new breed of merc, more lethal and violent, while the second is captained by a man whose pursuit of Riddick is more personal. With time running out and a storm on the horizon that no one could survive, his hunters won’t leave the planet without Riddick’s head as their trophy.