After what's been months of pre-production on Riddick, the latest in the science fiction franchise starring Vin Diesel that began way with 2000's Pitch Black, and continued with 2004's The Chronicles of Riddick. That film proved to be more of a cult favorite than a box office success, but Diesel has been wanting to keep the adventures of his Furyan warrior going ever since. A couple of days ago, Vin Diesel's One Race Films, along with Universal, announced that filming on Riddick has officially begun in Montreal with David Twohy writing and directing.
Along with the above new image the full cast has been revealed, and the end of any speculation regarding the return of Karl Urban as Vaako....
Riddick also sees the return of Karl Urban (Star Trek, The Bourne Supremacy) as Vaako and introduces to the series Jordi Molla (Bad Boys II, Colombiana) as Santana, the arrogant captain of the mercenary ship; Matt Nable (Killer Elite) as Boss Johns, a man looking for answers; Katee Sackhoff (TV's Battlestar Galactica) as the Nordic mercenary Dahl; and Bokeem Woodbine (upcoming Total Recall) as bounty hunter Moss. Rounding out the cast are Dave Bautista (The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption), Conrad Pla (Immortals), Raoul Trujillo (Apocalypto), Nolan Funk (TV's Aliens in America) and two-time Grammy Award-nominated singer Keri Hilson.
We also got a more in depth plot, and it sounds like Riddick may have bitten off more than he can chew for once....
The infamous Riddick has been left for dead on a sun-scorched planet that appears to be lifeless. Soon, however, he finds himself fighting for survival against alien predators more lethal than any human he's encountered. The only way off is for Riddick to activate an emergency beacon and alert mercenaries who rapidly descend to the planet in search of their bounty.
The first ship to arrive carries a new breed of merc, more lethal and violent, while the second is captained by a man whose pursuit of Riddick is more personal. With time running out and a storm on the horizon that no one could survive, his hunters won't leave the planet without Riddick's head as their trophy.
What sticks out to me about everything is the character of Boss Johns, played by Matt Nable. Cole Hauser's character in Pitch Black was William Johns, and a mercenary who actually had Riddick in custody until circumstances forced them to work together....for awhile. So it's possible Boss is back and looking to get a little revenge for William's death.
No word on when this will open, but I wouldn't be surprised to see it in early 2013.
