Home Entertainment Vin Diesel unveils XXX 3 concept art; Samuel L. Jackson, MMA star Conor McGregor joins cast

Vin Diesel unveils XXX 3 concept art; Samuel L. Jackson, MMA star Conor McGregor joins cast

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It may sound ridiculous, but I think Terry Gilliam should ask Vin Diesel for some filmmaking tips. While Gilliam has infamously been struggling for decades to get some of his film projects made, Diesel just keeps pulling off the impossible. First he helped turn a pretty average fast car action series into one of the biggest franchises in movie history, then he pulled a off a third Riddick sequel even though the previous film was not well received by critics.

And for his next piece of magic, Diesel somehow managed to convince the Hollywood Powers-That-Be to make a third xXx film, despite the fact that not only was the first film pretty meh, and the second quite horrible, but he wasn’t even in the second film! And it looks like he isn’t the only one that will be returning though as Diesel revealed on his Facebook page (via /Film)that Samuel L. Jackson will also be showing up in xXx 3, reprising his role as Agent Augustus Eugene Gibbons, the government spook who recruited Diesel’s extreme athlete Xander Cage to be a secret agent in the first film.

Excited to work with Sam again… his portrayal of Gibbons was so good… timeless. Welcome to the Xander Zone!

Diesel was also busy over on Instagram, where he revealed some early concept art for the upcoming threequel, and it’s kind of nutty. During the posted Instagram video the art is only flashed on screen quite briefly, but what we can see included Xander Cage ride some kind of motorcross bike/jetski hybrid, a meteor seemingly about to crash into Earth, Cage skateboarding while nearly being hit by a bus, and Cage leaping out of a plane. Good luck on trying to figure out how all of that fits together in a screenplay.

Now, if you’re a fan of mixed martial arts in any form (and probably even if you’re not), chances are that you’ve heard of Conor McGregor. The incredibly talented unbeaten Irish fighter has been setting the fight world alight over the last year or two, with his efforts culminating in him claiming the UFC Featherweight World Championship two weekends ago by beating longtime champion Jose Aldo. Not only had Aldo not lost in a decade prior to this, but it literally took McGregor only 13 seconds and one left hook to do it. Couple that kind of fighting prowess with a masterful gift of the gab and an incredibly colourful personality, and it should come as no surprise that Hollywood – or specifically in this case, Diesel, who is quite a fight fan – has come calling. Diesel seemingly confirmed on Instagram that McGregor has now also joined the xXx 3 cast, though his role is still a mystery at this point.

Timing and precision… The casting of the new XXX gets more exciting everyday. #Iliveforthisshit A photo posted by Vin Diesel (@vindiesel) on


This will be McGregor’s first feature film role, but he’s probably to follow in the octagon to film set footsteps of some his MMA peers like Gina Carano (who also starred with Diesel in Fast 6) and of course Ronda Rousey (who starred with Diesel in Furious 7 and has already built up an incredible filmography in only a couple of years). If McGregor can bring just half of the explosive personality that he brings to the ring to the film set, then he could actually be a pretty cool addition. You know, if he can actually act. Not that this franchise has really been known for strong dramatic performances.

The kind of ridiculously titled xXx 3: The Return of Xander Cage still has no release date yet, but I Am Number Four, Disturbia and Eagle Eye director DJ Caruso has been recently tapped to helm the film. It’s uncertain as to when the film will go into production as it all depends on the timetable for Fast 8.

 

Last Updated: December 21, 2015

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