Writer/director David Twohy posted the above piece of art on his blog in a post titled “To the Fans of “Riddick” Everywhere” in which he opened with the following:
The hurdles seem to be dropping. The final turn is being rounded. The finish line (actually a starting line) seems closer than ever.
What he’s referring to is the nearing of a start date on Riddick, the third film in the Riddick franchise, which started with Pitch Black in 2000 and was followed up by The Chronicles of Riddick in 2004, which was also accompanied by a video game titled The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury.
Twohy’s post comes following the widely circulated Facebook update Riddick star Vin Diesel posted back on May 24 when he wrote:
GRRRR..
[David Twohy] the writer/director just landed in New York with the good news. We can start filming this summer. However, there is a catch… in order for us to make a true R rated film, I must work for scale upfront. Not unlike the “Find me Guilty” experience (which I wouldn’t have changed for the world)…
Money is always second to art, integrity and spirit… but the real issue is deeper. Can I suspend my life, to momentarily venture to that dark place… called Riddick.
Putting all of these pieces together it would seem the likelihood of a Riddick 3 shooting this summer have increased ten-fold. What will it be about? Well, we do have the previously released synopsis to go by:
Betrayed by his own kind and left for dead on a desolate planet, Riddick (Diesel) fights for survival against alien predators and becomes more powerful and dangerous than ever before. Soon bounty hunters from throughout the galaxy descend on Riddick only to find themselves pawns in his greater scheme for revenge. With his enemies right where he wants them, Riddick unleashes a vicious attack of vengeance before returning to his home planet of Furya to save it from destruction.
I wouldn’t be surprised if that story has changed a bit, considering what Twohy wrote in his post when he said, “Yeah, I had some good face-time with Vin in NYC. We talked at length about where we go from here – about how to travel to all the places in the RIDDICK universe that needed traveling to – and we think we know have the Master Map. We’ll keep it tucked tightly in our breast pocket for now, but it’s enough to say that, if we can pull it all off, you’ll have spent a good 15 years with us.”
Twohy also refers to the above piece of art saying, “Above is a piece of art I did for Vin to help him see some of the visuals I carry around in my head night and day. Titled ‘Fifth Horseman,’ it’s a tableau from the next movie.”
I still remember back in April 2009 I posted a poll asking “Would You Rather Universal Make a Third Riddick Film or ‘Serenity 2’? and after 17,643 votes the overwhelming winner was Riddick with 11,533 votes. I guess the fans have spoken and the powers that be have listened.
