Tuesday, September 1

• XXX 3 Lands a Director

  

  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.

  
  

  Posted 09/01/2009 by Ryan

  Related: Ericson Core | Rob Cohen | Vin Diesel | Michael Ferris | John Brancato | XXX | Invincible

Thursday, June 11

• Rob Cohen Leaves XXX 3 for Medieval

  Rob Cohen has decided not to reunite with Vin Diesel. The director and star were both set to return for XXX: The Return of Xander Cage, when Cohen jumped at the chance to direct Medieval, a movie that Cohen describes as "The Magnificent Seven in the Middle Ages."

  Cohen and Diesel had also worked together on The Fast and the Furious and were supposed to reunite for XXX: State of the Union. However, both left that project. Cohen wasn't happy about leaving the third XXX either:

  It was a tough decision about XXX. I talked to Vin over the weekend and said I hoped they would wait, but that if they find another director who's right for the sequel, I certainly wouldn't be angry. But I could not let something like this go.

  Medieval looks to bring warriors together from disparate cultures and was written by Alex Litvak (Predators) and Michael Finch. McG will produce.

  
  

  Posted 06/11/2009 by Ryan

  Related: Rob Cohen | Vin Diesel | McG | XXX | The Fast and the Furious | XXX: State of the Union | Predators