Movies - TV
Why Vin Diesel Didn't Return For The First XXX Sequel
By ANDREW KORPAN
In 2002, Vin Diesel teamed up with Rob Cohen and Neal H. Moritz, who directed and produced the action film called "xXx." This film was a huge success at the box office grossing over $277 million worldwide, but Diesel decided not to return to the franchise for the sequel, “xXx: State of the Union," for one specific reason.
During a 2014 interview, Diesel explained his decision by stating, "The script wasn't right. They changed writers. It wasn't 'xXx' to me. Two scripts were done, one by Rich Wilkes (who did the original 'xXx') and then another by someone else. I wanted the Wilkes one. That was the one I was excited about."
Sixteen years after the first "xXx'' film, Diesel would make his triumphant return to the series, breathing life back into the franchise after the sequel that didn't feature him only made $71 million worldwide. The third installment grossed $346 million — a franchise record, and while Diesel said he was approached about a fourth installment in 2017, there has been little to no traction on its progress.