Earlier this month, a report surfaced that Sony’s upcoming action sequelXXX: The Return of Xander Cagehas landed international action starsTony JaaandJet Li. That report was never confirmed by the studio, and it was never revealed what characters the action icons would be playing. Today,The Hollywood Reporterhas confirmed thatJet Lihas finalized his deal, and that he may be playing one of the main villains.
The story centers onVin Diesel’sXander Cage, who forms a new team filled with ““sexy badasses and comic relief players.” This franchise will follow the same path asVin Diesel’sFast & Furiousfranchise, which has risen to new box office heights since being reconfigured as an action franchise. This new report reveals thatJet Li’s character will be leading a separate team who will square off with Xander, but it wasn’t confirmed if themartial artsstar is playing the primary villain. Here’s what Revolution Studios CEO Vince Totino had to say in a statement about the casting.
“XXX: The Return of Xander Cageis one of the jewels in Revolution Studio’s library, and we’re giving the devoted fans more of what they want by expanding the franchise and introducing new and extreme action characters likeJet Li’s.”
We have also recently reported thatSamuel L. Jacksonwill be reprising his role from the originalxXxas Special Agent Augustus Gibbons. Other new cast members include Deepika Padukone,Nina Dobrev,Ruby RoseandConor McGregor. The site reports that, while word ofJet Li’s involvement surfaced weeks ago, his deal only recently closed due to complex negotiations. The site also adds thatJennifer Lopezwas also rumored for a role, but a deal could not be made.
D.J. Caruso(Eagle Eye) is directing from a script byF. Scott Frazier(The Numbers Station).Vin Dieselproducing alongside his sister Samantha Vincent, Jeff Kirschenbaum andJoe Roth. Production is scheduled to take place in Toronto and the Philippines. The sequel doesn’t have a distributor yet, but several sources claim that Paramount Pictures will be the franchise’s new home. What do you think aboutJet Lijoining this action franchise?
