In Hollywood, there’s no higher danger than mounting a conceit challenge. You recognize the sort – when a director or star achieves celebrity stage, they’ll’t resist the temptation to show their pet challenge into a movie, regardless of how poorly conceived or uncommercial it might be. When a star will get that huge, chances are high they’ll discover somebody to fund their film, with notable examples being John Travolta’s Battlefield Earth, Chris Pine’s Poolman, or The Weeknd’s latest flop, Hurry Up Tomorrow.
Considerably in that vein, however not as egregious, is the best way that star Vin Diesel, at any time when his stardom hits a peak versus a valley, makes use of the chance to attempt to make his favorite character, Riddick, a family title. One can see why Diesel may maintain the character in excessive regard, with the unique Pitch Black arguably the primary true Vin Diesel film. He’d been round for years earlier than, however in Pitch Black, we had all of the Diesel logos, together with the shaved head, the ripped physique, and the growled dialogue.
Co-written and directed by David Twohy, this low-budget sci-fi flick wasn’t initially going to get a lot of a theatrical launch. Nonetheless, it was championed by early web movie critics, reminiscent of Harry Knowles, at a time when that appeared to matter. The movie was a shock sleeper hit, incomes practically $40 million domestically and paving the best way for Diesel to star in The Quick and the Livid. When that film, and his follow-up, XXX, proved to be hits, Diesel, now minted as a megastar, opted to not make a Quick and Livid sequel. As an alternative, he satisfied Common Photos, the Pitch Black proper holders (and the Quick and Livid producers), to inexperienced mild a Pitch Black sequel that may be wildly formidable in comparison with the unique. The consequence was a film that just about killed Diesel’s profession, however nonetheless didn’t dissuade him from returning to the character repeatedly.
Now, one factor ought to be acknowledged. The Chronicles of Riddick isn’t exactly a Pitch Black sequel. Whereas it has returning characters and call-backs, it was meant to attach with a wider fanbase, so Common upped the finances from the unique’s $23 million to at least one that may be nicely over $100 million. This was meant to be an occasion movie. Why did the studio comply with all this? There are just a few causes. One was that, on the time, Diesel seemed like he can be the following megastar within the mould of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Given how nicely The Quick and the Livid and XXX did, studios thought Diesel was a generation-defining icon, and everybody wished to be in enterprise with him. It additionally helped that Fantasy was all the trend on the field workplace, because of the mammoth success of the Lord of the Rings collection.
Diesel, an enormous fantasy fan, and his returning collaborator, David Twohy, pitched increasing upon Riddick’s origins, giving him a legendary background that would span a complete new collection they might name The Chronicles of Riddicokay. On this new movie, we study that Riddick is the final descendant of the Furyans, a race of warriors killed off by the evil Necromongers, whose chief, Colm Feore’s Lord Marshal, is prophesied to die by the hands of a Furyan. Although, as a substitute of the Alien clone the unique was, this was a universe spanning epic, packed to the gills with the sort of status actors you’d discover in a legit fantasy, together with Dame Judi Dench, Thandiwe Newton, and even a Lord of the Rings star – Karl City – who would play an antagonist.
Given the larger finances and style swap, the choice was made early on to make this a PG-13 film, and a summer time tentpole besides, with it getting a chief June launch date. It appears ridiculous now, however Common appeared to assume audiences would catch Riddick fever, with them even green-lighting a direct-to-DVD animated movie referred to as Darkish Fury, which might fill within the gaps between this and Pitch Black. Twohy and Diesel additionally anticipated this to be a megahit, and the primary in a deliberate Chronicles of Riddick trilogy.
Suffice it to say, none of that occurred. Chronicles of Riddick, which – it must be mentioned – isn’t truly a foul film in any respect, underwhelmed on the field workplace. It made greater than twice what Pitch Black made internationally, however contemplating the hype and the way a lot it price, the $57 million home gross was thought-about disastrous. It primarily ended Diesel’s temporary reign as a celebrity, along with his follow-up movies, besides the Disney comedy, The Pacifier, all being field workplace flops. It paved the best way for his return to the Quick and Livid franchise, and as soon as these movies made him a film star once more, he tried to get one other installment within the franchise made. Certainly, he succeeded with Riddick, which returned to the low-budget aesthetic of Pitch Black and turned a revenue. Whereas its $42 million home gross was poor, it virtually crossed the $100 million mark abroad, which isn’t dangerous contemplating they saved the finances below $40 million. A fourth movie within the franchise, Riddick: Furya, was apparently shot in 2024, however curiously, there’s little or no details about it on-line, together with who else is within the forged or whether or not or not it was truly accomplished. Will the fourth time be the appeal and eventually make Riddick a factor? Solely time will inform – however by no means depend Diesel out -that’s for positive.
