In addition to the Fast & Furious franchise, the Riddick saga is one of the most popular Vin Diesel series. In 2000, the sci-fi universe was launched with the film Pitch Black directed by David Twohy and starring the star.
Our international sister site Espinof recalled Riddick’s franchise history in a recent article, which almost came to an end in 2004. At the moment everything looks hopeful again. We summarize the Espinof story for you here.
Riddick saga almost went under with flop 20 years ago
With a smaller budget of $23 million, Pitch Black became a minor surprise success, grossing over $53 million worldwide. Twohy then shot the sequel Riddick Chronicles with a significantly larger budget. The sequel grossed a total of just over $115 million on a budget of a more generous $105 million. A considerable sum, but one due to the significantly increased costs Total flop meant.
Check out the trailer for Pitch Black here again:
Pitch Black Planet of Darkness – Trailer (German) HD
Vin Diesel secured the rights to the sci-fi series
After Riddick, the responsible studio Universal Pictures wanted Vin Diesel to concentrate only on his more successful Fast & Furious franchise. It finally agreed with one Cameo in the end credits of The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift in return for the rights to the Riddick series.
After the financial failure of the film released in 2004, it took until 2013 before another sequel from the science fiction universe, Riddick, was released in cinemas. David Twohy took over the direction once again and Riddick proved that with a budget of 38 million dollars and a worldwide box office success of over 98 million still life in the Riddick franchise stuck.
Riddick 4 is now more likely than ever
It’s been over 10 years since the last Riddick part and Diesel has repeatedly teased a planned sequel. This sank into production hell in the meantime and was only saved at the beginning of 2023 with the news that David Twohy could be hired to direct again.
The blockbuster with the working title Riddick 4: Furya has been given the green light, but a theatrical release is currently not set. According to Deadline, filming should take place in… August 2024 begin, making a release sometime in 2025 possible. A current update on the status of the sci-fi sequel is still pending.
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