Action star Vin Diesel recently revealed to fans that the next installment in his popular "Riddick" franchise will be returning the character back to his origins and will once again be rated R.
According to Screen Rant, the film is once again being co-written and directed by David Twohy, with the intention of having at least two more films being added to the franchise.
The news of the film's confirmation was made via Diesel's Facebook account through a live video a few days ago. During the interview, Twohy confirmed that he is currently writing the next "Riddick" film, as well as a spinoff TV series.
According to Twohy, the series will be named "Merc City" and will be following the "Mercs and Bounty Hunters of the Riddick Universe" timeline.
During the live cast, Twohy revealed that he has been wanting to return to the "Riddick" Universe for quite some time and that he would like the origins of the character more fleshed out and known to the viewing public.
The writer / director states that the film will continue to have the dark action adventure style that the series has been known to have and that the story will have several surprises for fans.
However, it has been confirmed that the script is still in its early stages, and Diesel has become quite busy over the last couple of months, with his other franchises picking up popularity once again. Therefore, it may take a considerable amount of time before "Riddick 4" sees theaters.
Diesel has recently confirmed that the "xXx" franchise will be receiving a sequel with him on it. The actor will also be directing the next "Fast and the Furious" installment, he will be reprising his role as Groot in "Guardians of the Galaxy 2," and his pet project sequel to "The Pacifier" will be shooting late next year.
It seems like a busy time for Diesel as he prepares to develop what seems like all of his popular franchises, so the most likely timeline for the movie to start shooting will be 2018 with a 2019 release date.
The release date, script and cast are still unknown variables for "Riddick 4," so fans will just have to wait for more information regarding the film. The good thing is that Diesel is very well known for keeping his fans in the loop with information about his films.