With Riddick set to hit theatres at the beginning of next month, it was only fitting that buzz begin about the potentialities of another sequel in the franchise. Never a man to keep quiet about things he’s excited about – and he’s excited about his profession – Vin Diesel has taken to discussing what might happen in future Riddick sequels.
Diesel was conversing with SFX (via Screen Rant), when he let this fall:
You’ve got to go to the Underverse. It’s expected, it’s something I firmly believe. You’ll have to go through the Underverse to get to Furya. So, those are the two further stories that are mapped out. The Underverse is a much more costly venture. We went this direction, trying to do an R rated movie, which is cool and even more interesting because it’s so unexpected. But yes, you will be at the Underverse and you will be at Furya sooner or later.
While I’m not 100% up on my Riddick mythology, that sounds like a promising and pretty straight-forward mapping of where the franchise could potentially go. Sequel ideas are dependent on the success of their predecessors, though, and thus far the Riddick films have been very spotty. Pitch Black was a great introduction to the main character, and remains one of the cleverest sci-fi films I’ve ever seen. The Chronicles of Riddick was another matter entirely, Judi Dench notwithstanding. We’ll have to wait and see what Riddick brings to the table. If the trailers are any indication, it should get the franchise on the right path once more.
Hidden in that statement by Diesel, though, is the implicit suggestion that any future Riddick films will likely be PG-13 rated. That could be a terrible idea. With Riddick being rated R, I was hoping for an increase in quality, big-budget films intended for grown-ups, and not the ever popular 14 year old demographic. Oh, well; I guess you can’t have everything.
We’ll find out about the potential future of the Riddick franchise when Riddick finally hits theatres on September 4. After all the trailers and all the hype, we can only hope that it’s as good and enjoyable a flick as it looks.
Are you excited at the prospect of a continuing franchise with Diesel as the star? Let us know in the comments below.