The third installment in the XXX opus is on its way, and Columbia Pictures has hired Ericson Core to direct it. Titled XXX: The Return of Xander Cage, relative newcomer Core (Invincible) will need to be approved by Vin Diesel, though Core and Diesel have worked together previously on The Fast And the Furious where Core acted as cinematographer.
XXX director Rob Cohen was originally supposed to reunite with Diesel. When Cohen backed out to direct Medieval, he called the decision to leave "tough" and hoped the production would wait for him. Apparently, it hasn't.
The script for The Return of Xander Cage was written by Terminator Salvation writers John Brancato and Michael Ferris, and will follow Cage's return to the National Security Agency after an absence of eight years.