Most actors are lucky if they're able to star in just one franchise, but Vin Diesel has multiple under his belt. From playing Dominic Tortetto in the Fast and the Furious movies and the Riddick film series' eponymous protagonist to voicing Groot in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and recently reprising Xander Cage in xXx: The Return of Xander Cage, Diesel doesn't have any shortage of blockbusters to fill out his resume, and that number won't stop growing anytime soon. It's been announced that Diesel will star in the upcoming action-comedy Muscle, which is intended to spawn a new franchise.
As reported by Deadline, Vin Diesel and his production company One Race Films are teaming up with STX Entertainment to make Muscle. No plot details were revealed, but STX chairman Adam Fogelson described the project as "the perfect blend of action and comedy that [Diesel's] millions of devoted fans around the world have come to love him for," and also noted it has the potential to become the actor's "next big, signature franchise." One Race's Samantha Vincent is attached alongside Diesel as a producer, as are Reginald Hudlin and Byron Phillips, who brought Muscle to STX.
Without any information about Muscle's story, we can't yet discern what we can expect from Vin Diesel as the movie's lead. However, it's been a while since he starred in an action-comedy, rather than a pure action movie with some comedic elements. The Guardians of the Galaxy movies come close, but it's not really the same since Diesel isn't actually appearing on screen, instead reciting his many versions of "I am Groot" after principal photography has concluded. Still, Muscle will ideally be a good way for Diesel to stretch his acting chops a little bit, blending his tough guy persona with a story peppered with more shenanigans and laugh-out-loud moments (just as long as we don't get anything remotely close to resembling The Pacifier).
Vin Diesel was most recently heard voicing Groot for the third time in Avengers: Infinity War, and he will reprise the talking tree next year in Avengers 4. But his MCU contributions and Muscle aren't the only major projects Diesel has coming up. In addition to the xXx 4 and Fast & Furious 9, he's also been tapped to play the Bloodshot movie's title character, a.k.a. Raymond Garrison. Judging by Diesel's recent update on Bloodshot, it sounds that will be his next project, but perhaps once he's done with the Valiant Comics adaptation, then he'll move on to Muscle.
Keep checking in with CinemaBlend for all the latest regarding Vin Diesel and his Hollywood work. If you're interested in planning your trips to the theater this year, you can find release date information in our 2018 premiere guide.
