Donnie Yen Replaces Jet Li in Vin Diesel’s ‘xXx’ Sequel
Chinese actor Donnie Yen has replaced Jet Li in Vin Diesel’s action sequel “xXx: The Return of Xander Cage,” Revolution Studios has confirmed.
Diesel also confirmed that Yen has joined the cast with a post on his Facebook page.
The film, which is shooing in Toronto, with additional filming in the Dominican Republic, is being produced by Revolution Studios, Roth Kirschenbaum Films and Diesel’s One Race Film. Paramount announced Thursday that it will handle distribution.
D.J. Caruso (“I Am Number Four”) is directing from a script by Chad St. John, with current revisions by F. Scott Frazier.
Diesel starred in the original 2002 “XXX,” directed by Rob Cohen, as underground sports star Xander Cage, who was blackmailed by the U.S. government to take down a gang of international terrorists. The film, released by Sony, performed well with $277 million worldwide.
Diesel was not part of the sequel, with Ice Cube playing the lead role in 2005’s “xXx: State of the Union,” which grossed $71 million worldwide for Sony. Lee Tamahori directed the second film.
Revolution Studios, founded by Joe Roth in 2000, produced both films. The company was acquired in 2014 by Fortress Investment Group.
The third film follows Diesel’s character as he comes out of self-imposed exile to recover a sinister and seemingly unstoppable weapon known as Pandora’s Box.
Indian actress Deepika Padukone will play the female lead opposite Diesel, joining Ruby Rose and Nina Dobrev in the sequel. Samuel L. Jackson is returning to reprise his role.
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