David Twohy Issues A Minor 'Riddick' Update

Every six months or so it seems that we get a very small update on the possibility of a third Riddick film from either star Vin Diesel or writer/director David Twohy. In late 2010 we heard that Riddick, the proposed follow-up to Pitch Black and The Chronicles of Riddick, has still been in development. And just last week Vin Diesel said that it looked like there was a real chance to make the movie this summer, though he'd have to take a pay cut to do it. (And be willing to go into "that dark place...called Riddick," which was rather funny.)

Now David Twohy is chiming in, essentially supporting what Vin Diesel said last week, and offering a small extra morsel of encouragement.

David Twohy just updated his own site with a post that opens like so:

The hurdles seem to be dropping.  The final turn is being rounded.  The finish line (actually a starting line) seems closer than ever. Of course, there are no guarantees in this mad endeavor called "filmmaking," a pursuit that is a pricey shotgun marriage between business and art.  But we've reached a critical mass of enthusiasm and resource needed to launch a movie.  If we go now, we can make it now.  If we don't, we may never.  And trust me, we're all keenly aware of that.

The basic gist of the post seems to be "hey fans, keep demanding the movie!" He also posted the piece of concept art above, saying,

Above is a piece of art I did for Vin to help him see some of the visuals I carry around in my head night and day.  Titled "Fifth Horseman," it's a tableau from the next movie.

Perhaps a devoted fan of the films can say what the art above indiates; I can't glean much from the film beyond the idea of Riddick as a destructive, vengeful force. But that would be appropriate given the synopsis we've seen for Riddick in the past:

Betrayed by his own kind and left for dead on a desolate planet, Riddick (Diesel) fights for survival against alien predators and becomes more powerful and dangerous than ever before. Soon bounty hunters from throughout the galaxy descend on Riddick only to find themselves pawns in his greater scheme for revenge. With his enemies right where he wants them, Riddick unleashes a vicious attack of vengeance before returning to his home planet of Furya to save it from destruction.

[via Rope of Silicon]