Movies
Vin Diesel Returns as ‘Riddick’ in New Sequel and Television Series!
David Twohy‘s 2000 Pitch Black was our major introduction to action star Vin Diesel, who went on to become a household name with The Fast and the Furious.
And even though Diesel has become one of the biggest players in the game, he’s always continued to do projects for himself. It’s one of the things I love about him. While Diesel could take on countless franchise roles, he continues to force projects into production that he personally loves. A perfect example is The Last Witch Hunter, which was an obvious disaster at the box office. But before that, there was Pitch Black, which has been the glue to his roots. Nobody is asking for sequels based on the film, but he continues to back them, presumably because he enjoys the character, and working with Twohy.
Pitch Black was followed by the 2004 The Chronicles of Riddick, and then the surprisingly successful 2013 Riddick (it nearly passed $100 million worldwide). I personally never believed Riddick would happen, so when Diesel stated that another sequel was in the works, I’ve learned to believe him. Talk about a guy who stands his ground and gets shit done.
Anyways, Diesel acts as his own publicist quite a bit, prematurely announcing everything (he uses this to his advantage). So, it comes as an unsurprising surprise that he’s announced that the adventures of Riddick will continue in both a feature film sequel and television series!
Diesel’s One Race Films is behind both, with Twohy starting work on the script for Chronicles of Riddick: Furia next month. The series is tentatively titled “Merc City” and will follow the Mercs and Bounty Hunters of the Riddick Universe.
Riddick was an astoundingly fun sequel that reignited my love for the character and had me both believing in Diesel’s passion of the franchise, and begging for more.
The franchise began with Pitch Black, in which a commercial transport ship and its crew are marooned on a planet full of bloodthirsty creatures that only come out to feast at night. But then, they learn that a month-long eclipse is about to occur.
Movies
‘Boorman and the Devil’ Documentary Trailer Chronicles Complicated Relationship with ‘Exorcist II’
Critically acclaimed documentary Boorman and the Devil chronicles how one of the world’s greatest filmmakers made one of the most hated movies ever: Exorcist II: The Heretic. A new trailer highlighting some of the troubled production woes has arrived.
Boorman and the Devil opens at The Quad in NYC on August 28 before opening wider in various cities on September 4, including: Los Angeles, Columbus, Houston, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Seattle and more.
After the success of Point Blank and Deliverance, Warner Brothers offered John Boorman the opportunity of a lifetime: the chance to direct a sequel to their smash hit, The Exorcist. The result was one of the biggest disasters in movie history. A critical and financial failure that not only changed how Hollywood did business, but nearly ended Boorman’s filmmaking career… but to be an artist is to be a risk-taker.
Now, John Boorman, Linda Blair, Louise Fletcher, Karyn Kusama, Joe Dante, Mike Flanagan, and more reflect back on the ambition of the film, the artistry and craft, and the value of big creative swings.
“I am beyond thrilled that Yellow Veil has come on board to help us share this story with a larger audience,” said director David Kittredge. “Like myself and the rest of our team, they’re huge cinema-lovers. It’s so exciting that a film which is not only a love letter to John Boorman, but also to ambitious filmmaking, will be handled by people who share the same passions that our team shares.”
“I first saw the film at an early festival screening and the post-screening buzz was just electric. Everyone was loving Boorman and the Devil,” added Yellow Veil co-founder Justin Timms. “To be able to team up with David and the filmmaking team on this release is incredibly exciting, and we can’t wait to spread that post-screening electricity with audiences across the country.”
Boorman and the Devil is produced by Kittredge’s Triple Fire Productions, Travis Stevens (Jodorowsky’s Dune, Starry Eyes) of Snowfort Pictures, and Jim Fall (The Lizzie McGuire Movie), with Alan Koenigsberg of Milton Ventures Media serving as co-producer.
Daniel Kurland wrote in his review, “Boorman and the Devil goes above and beyond to be the definitive text on Exorcist II. This documentary will delight horror and Exorcist fans alike, but it also provides incredible insight for anyone who is just marginally interested in film production.”