Action star Vin Diesel has confirmed that Samuel L. Jackson will be reprising his role as Augustus Gibbons for the third installment in the "xXx" franchise.
The news came from Diesel's Twitter account, where the actor stated that he was excited to work with Jackson again, and that his portrayal of Gibbons is nothing else but timeless.
Diesel has also confirmed that he will be returning as Xander Cross, an extreme sports star turned government agent by the xXx program.
The first film was a box office success, earning over USD $200 million worldwide, with a sequel green lighted by Columbia Pictures.
Diesel was originally thought to reprise his role as Xander Cage, and the actor was excited for the film. However, after several setbacks Diesel chose not return to the franchise and decided to do the action / comedy "The Pacifier" instead.
Samuel L. Jackson did return, however, as Augustus Gibbons to help the new xXX agent, Daruis Stone (played by rapper Ice Cube), to help with a murder supposedly done by Xander Cross, and several other high level agents.
Stone was a former Military Navy SEAL officer, and now a prisoner who was offered a deal if he chose to work with the xXx project.
The second installment failed at the box office, and after the ticket sales and poor reviews, Columbia Pictures actually lost money on the film. Many fans and critics panned the movie, stating that the chemistry between Jackson and Ice Cube was far from Diesel and Jackson.
Now, 10 years later, Columbia is looking to reignite the magic that Jackson and Diesel had on screen. Not much is known at this point about the story for the film, but Slash Film is reporting that new UFC Featherweight Champion Connor McGregor has signed on to the film to play the movie's villain.
Diesel has also confirmed that shooting is to start sometime this month in the Philippines and that DJ Caruso has been signed on to direct the film.
Currently the film does not have an official release date, but Diesel has said that he looking for a late 2016 to early 2017 release.
What do you think of Samuel L. Jackson's return to the "xXx" franchise? Let us know in the comments below.
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