Universal Pictures, in association with Radar Pictures and One Race Productions, has announced the start of principal photography on the science fiction action-adventure epic.
“The Chronicles of Riddick,” starring Vin Diesel and co-starring Colm Feore, Alexa Davalos, Karl Urban, Linus Roache, Thandie Newton and Dame Judi Dench. Written and directed by David Twohy (“Below,” “Pitch Black”), “The Chronicles of Riddick” is produced by Scott Kroopf (“The Last Samurai,” “Pitch Black”) and Vin Diesel (“XXX,” “Pitch Black”). Ted Field (“The Last Samurai,” “Pitch Black”) George Zakk (“A Man Apart,” “XXX”) and David Womark (“The Hulk,” “The Grinch”) serve as executive producers.
Vin Diesel reprises his star-making “Pitch Black” role of enigmatic anti- hero Richard B. Riddick in the new science fiction action-adventure epic, “The Chronicles of Riddick.”
Riddick has spent the last five years on the move among the forgotten worlds on the outskirts of the galaxy, eluding mercenaries bent on collecting the price on his head. Now, the fugitive finds himself on planet Helion, home to a progressive multicultural society, which has been invaded by the Lord Marshal (Colm Feore), a zealot who targets humans for subjugation with his army of warriors known as Necromongers.
Exiled to a subterranean prison where extremes of temperature range from arctic nights to volcanic days, Riddick encounters Kyra (Alexa Davalos), the lone survivor from an earlier chapter in his life. His efforts to free himself and Kyra lead him to the Necromonger command ship, where he is pitted against the Lord Marshal in an apocalyptic battle with possibly the fate of all beings-both living and dead-hanging in the balance.
Diesel reprises the role he created in the science fiction hit “Pitch Black.” Diesel also starred in Universal’s hit film “The Fast and the Furious,” directed by Rob Cohen; for his role, Diesel was honored with 2002 MTV Movie Award nominations both as Best Male Performance and Best On-Screen Team. He then teamed up again with Rob Cohen in his starring role as Xander Cage in last summer’s hit “XXX.” Most recently, Diesel was seen starring as an undercover DEA agent in “A Man Apart,” directed by F. Gary Gray.
Diesel’s other motion picture credits include his standout performance in “Boiler Room;” the voice of the title character in the animated feature “The Iron Giant,” which won an Annie Award for Best Animated Feature; and his role of Private Carpazo in “Saving Private Ryan,” opposite Tom Hanks, for which Diesel was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award as part of the film’s ensemble cast.
In the early 1990’s Diesel wrote, produced, directed and starred in his first film, a short, Multi-facial, which was screened at the Cannes Film Festival. He then wrote his first full-length feature, “Strays,” in which he also was the star, director and producer. This raw urban drama was selected for competition at the Sundance Film Festival.
