xXx 3 FAQ: Everything We Know About The Return of Xander Cage

xXx isn’t really a movie very many people talk about anymore, but it has sort of survived as a weirdly nostalgic way to revisit Vin Diesel’s rise to action stardom. Diesel apparently feels the same way, and has been pushing forward development on one final entry in the series. 

We’ll be using this page to keep tabs on the upcoming sequel, and will update it as more news breaks.

Remind me again, what’s the deal with xXx?

The original xXx was released in 2002. It starred Diesel as a character named Xander Cage, an extreme sports enthusiast who’s recruited by the NSA to go undercover with a terrorist organization known as “Anarchy 99” (the writing in this movie isn’t particularly subtle).

The film was a pretty decent success for the studio, and a sequel was produced in 2005. xXx: State of the Union didn’t star Diesel though (who didn’t appear in the movie at all), and instead featured Ice Cube. It didn’t turn out very well.

So they’re bringing Vin Diesel back?

That’s the plan. Diesel has been teasing a potential xXx sequel since 2008, but just recently revealed that pre-production is about to begin in earnest on one, with the tentative title of The Return of Xander Cage.

Who else is involved?

D.J. Caruso, the director of Disturbia, I Am Number Four, and Eagle Eye is currently attached to direct. Outside of Caruso and Diesel though, we haven’t heard about any other cast or crew commitments.

When is it coming out?

We’re not completely sure. The last we heard of it, Diesel stated that production would begin in the Philippines in December.

However, this plan likely hinges on the still-unannounced production dates of Furious 8, which is currently scheduled for release on April 2017.

Wait, didn’t Xander Cage already die in this series?

Weirdly enough, yes, in a short film titled The Final Chapter: The Death of Xander Cage. The four-minute short was included on the Director’s Cut DVD of xXx, and ties into the sequel. In it, Cage is murdered by one of the villains in State of the Union, likely in an attempt to explain why he isn’t around for this new adventure.

Considering how obscure the short is though (and the fact that State of the Union was a pretty big box office bomb), I’m guessing this will be ignored completely.