This is what we call a "lateral move". Vin Diesel has got production going on XXX: The Return of Xander Cage, the third film in the action franchise he started back in 2002. While he had previously cast martial arts legend Jet Li in one of the key supporting roles, it turns out things have changed and Li has been replaced by another international superstar, Donnie Yen. An image of Yen on set is below.
Yen, who most recently starred in Ip Man 3 and wrapped shooting on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, is playing the film's villain, Xiang. He joins Diesel and the previously-cast Samuel L. Jackson, Tony Jaa, Nina Dobrev, Deepika Padukone, Toni Collette, Ruby Rose, and UFC champ Conor McGregor. The story finds extreme agent Xander Cage coming out of exile and recruiting a new group of thrill seekers to stop Xiang from recovering an unstoppable weapon known as the Pandora's Box.
Directed by DJ Caruso, XXX: The Return of Xander Cage has been picked up by Paramount but has yet to gain a release date. [Twitch]
