As one of the 30 million people who follows Vin Diesel on Facebook, I have now seen quite a few photos from the set of his latest movie, and a few other hints to boot.
However, until this point, nothing revealed on the page seemed particularly noteworthy. Recently though, things have grown significantly more interesting with a press release from Universal officially announcing the second Pitch Black sequel and a new photo from the film, which can be seen above.
For those unfamiliar with the film, or haven’t yet seen the plot summary, check it out below.
The infamous Riddick (Diesel) 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 has 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.
Diesel has played Riddick in two films prior to this – Pitch Black, and the bigger-budget The Chronicles of Riddick. In addition to Vin Diesel, the film is also bringing back former co-star Karl Urban, who has recently buffered his sci-fi résumé with Star Trek and Dredd.
Diesel and his director, David Twohy, have promised a return to the darker, stripped-down tone of Pitch Black, a promising sign based on the artistic direction taken in the second film.
The film is currently in production in Montreal, and will be released by Universal in 2013.