The Fast and Furious franchise star Vin Diesel has long teased a return to the role of Xander Cage, the edgy secret agent he played in 2002’s xXx, and now that appears to be a very real possibility with recent, high-profile casting reports and a well-known director and producer attached.
The latest news from the project now adds a pair of celebrated action stars to the mix, as Tony Jaa (Ong-bak, Furious 7) and Jet Li (The Expendables, Unleashed) have both reportedly joined the cast.
While nothing is official at this point, previous reports have linked Samuel L. Jackson and UFC champion Conor McGregor to roles in the upcoming third installment of the xXx franchise, and I Am Number Four and Disturbia filmmaker D.J. Caruso is reportedly set to direct the movie. Twitch first reported the involvement of Jaa and Li in the project, and also indicated that Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone is also joining the cast. Padukone will reportedly be on the good guys’ side of the storyline, while the allegiances of Jaa and Li’s characters are unknown.
The original xXx was directed by The Fast and the Furious filmmaker Rob Cohen and cast Diesel as a rebellious extreme-sports enthusiast who’s recruited by the National Security Agency to infiltrate a terrorist organization. While the film didn’t exactly win over critics, it did earn a respectable $277 million worldwide, which led to a 2005 sequel starring Ice Cube.
The original film cast Jackson as NSA Agent Augustus Gibbons, and the actor will reportedly reprise that role for the third film.
Tentatively titled xXx: The Return of Xander Cage, the upcoming sequel features a script by Terminator Salvation screenwriters Michael Ferris and John Brancato, and along with Caruso in the director’s chair, the film has Fast and Furious franchise producer Neal H. Moritz on board as producer.
