Things are about to Riddick-ulous, as it looks like there are going to be a few more Chronicles to add to the list. Vin Diesel recently dropped a big bomb on fans of the Chronicles of Riddick film series and has officially confirmed that there will be a fourth feature installment named Furia, AND a TV series being developed to boot! This ominous and vague announcement is a potentially exciting addition to a franchise which, as of now, has been in the film world for a whopping 15 years.
Diesel’s character Riddick was first introduced in a lesser-known film Pitch Black, a sleeper hit written and directed by David Twohy. Franchise fans should be happy to learn that Twohy will indeed be back for Furia, as he's currently penning the screenplay, according to Diesel.
This fanbase will certainly be useful in helping with TV viewership for the upcoming TV project, titled Merc City. While there is no word on whether a network is involved, or when a pilot might be produced, Diesel did give a hint about the subject matter. Rather than revolving around the titular character, the series will expand the universe of the franchise. Merc City will focus on the various Mercanaries and Bounty Hunters (and there are a lot of them) that seem to always be after Riddick and his companions.
Check out Diesel's Instagram post below.
So what can we expect from Furia? Frankly, I have no idea. But it is exciting that the universe that was set in motion 15 years ago is being more fleshed out. And with a television show in the works, they may be able to bring characters back and forth through projects ala Phil Coulson in Agents of Shield.
I also find it interesting that Diesel chose to use an image of himself and Dame Judi Dench for this announcement. Is this a clue that her character, Aereon, will be present in one of the new projects? Afterall, Aereon is still presumably alive and well, and since the actress is no longer involved in the Bond films, her schedule may be more flexible to get more involved with another project. I’m just going to keep my fingers crossed over here, because I can always use more Judi Dench in my life.
Following Pitch Black, a bigger-budget sequel The Chronicles of Riddick was released in 2004, but received mixed reviews, as did the 2013 follow-up Riddick. However, the cult following with the series has been substantial, and DVD sales have been significant since the start. Additionally, a Direct-To-DVD animated movie was sandwiched between the first two films, and there have been multiple video games, books, and comics. Needless to say, there is a strong fanbase, and they’re willing to shell out some paper to get their Riddick fix in.
The Riddick franchise has also boasted an impressive supporting cast beyond Dench, including Star Trek’s Karl Urban in the last two installments and video game adaptation. Urban has been known to stay loyal to large-scale movie series, with a notable role in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, in addition to his upcoming appearance in the third Star Trek film.
With so many comic book adventures and superheroes being brought to television and film recently, it seems perfect timing to return to the Riddick-verse while newcomers to the series may be more open to becoming involved. And if the show and film don’t have the legs that Diesel is expecting them to have, at least the die hard fans will Furia-sly buy the DVDs and box sets.
