Vin Diesel and His Next 4 Films

At a press junket for his latest film "Fast and Furious," Vin Diesel spoke about his hopes and ideas for his next four movies.

Paul (Walker) mentioned you had ideas about a 'Fast and Furious 5,' about how it could go to Europe. Are you already thinking, after this opens, that...

Vin: Yes. Yes. I think a few pictures at a time ahead. I try to work out stories in the way I approach sequels. In that, Coppola way. I try to think out the story, even before we go to shoot the film that's at hand. So yes, I have been thinking about it. I actually brought up the idea of shooting both of the movies back to back to the President of Universal. He was like, "What? We're just getting our feet back together."

If this movie is a big hit, will it finally enable you to get 'Hannibal' off the ground?

Vin: We hope, right? In theory, yes. To be 100% honest, I think the studio might be a little bit, and I can understand, apprehensive about giving me a budget that big to direct. So the question has been, and is what probably has held the film back from being realized, "Do I have to direct it?"

And?

Vin: I would ask you that. Do I have to direct it or, do I produce it, get my voice on it, you know, put my mojo on it, and let someone else direct it that the studio would feel comfortable with with that size budget.



The third 'Riddick,' you've been talking about that being a Ramboesque, bare bones smaller scale Riddick. Would that close the trilogy? Or are you planning a third Riddick after that?

Vin: I talked about Riddick as being 'The Fellowship' in the Tolkien series. I was using 'Pitch Black' as 'The Hobbit,' as an independent story that introduces you to the world of Middle Earth, and then taking 'The Chronicles of Riddick' and treating it as a trilogy that goes from the story that you saw, to the Underverse, and ultimately to Furia in the third film.

You said David is currently writing the third right now?

Vin: He's currently writing the third. It's hot. But to answer your question, about the scaled down aspect. Yes, there is a scaled down portion of this that goes back to the 'Pitch Black' style. So if you think of 'Pitch Black' as an introduction to the world, and you think of 'Lord of the Rings,' and I'm just using this as a parallel, you think of it as a trilogy, you would think of 'Chronicles of Riddick' as the first in a trilogy.

And what about reviving Xander Cage? How would they do that since they blew your scalp off?

Vin: Ha! Rob Cohen found a way to incorporate that into the story years ago, and he's just now able to implement it.



Will a 'XXX 3' happen you think?

Vin: Should I do it?

Ya.

Vin: That's all I need to hear!

After the junket was over, Vin still talked about 'Hannibal.' Should he direct it? Should he let someone else do it?

He said, "If it's in service of telling a great story, Because at the end of the day, you just want to see an incredible Hannibal. And you'd hope, that even if I'm not directing it, all of the work, the development that's been put into it will shine and that you will see that, and that it will speak to you. And the message and the integrity behind the story, and the passion that I've held on to, and that you know has driven me in the hope of telling that story, is present. The question is, how can I maintain that, and make a studio feel comfortable."

Diesel has his plate full for the next couple of years if the sequels work out. "Hannibal the Conqueror" will star Vin Diesel as the Carthaginian general who led an elephant-riding battalion across the Alps to attack Rome in the 3rd Century B.C. It won't be about the Hannibal from "Silence of the Lambs" (Some people think it will just because of the name).

More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: Latino Review