Fast and Furious 7 just made Universal over $1.5 billion and when you make people that much money, you can pretty much do whatever you want for your next project. Vin Diesel, the star of and producer of the Fast franchise, has that kind of clout now and has decided to use that clout to make…xXx 3?

Diesel announced the news, as he often does, on social media telling his 10 million Instagram followers, “While I was filming XXX, guys on set called me Air Diesel… The time to return has come. Filming starts December in the Philippines.”

But, has the time to return really come? Should there ever be a time to return?

For those that forget, xXx was the movie Diesel made after deciding not to return for 2 Fast 2 Furious. Sony Pictures was so bullish on the movie, they took out a billboard in Hollywood announcing the project before the script was even written!

It was mostly a completely ludicrous premise. Just listen to this description of the movie:

Vin Diesel as Xander Cage, a thrill seeking extreme sports enthusiast, stuntman and rebellious athlete-turned-reluctant spy for the National Security Agency who is sent on a dangerous mission to infiltrate a group of potential Russian terrorists.

I mean, c’mon. That was pretty ridiculous back in 2002 and sounds even more ridiculous now in 2015.

Listen, we all indulged Diesel the opportunity to jumpstart the moribund Riddick franchise, because he earned it with the success of the Fast and Furious movies. But, this might be going too far. At what point do we tell Vin Diesel enough is enough? Before or after he announces a sequel to Bablyon A.D.?

It’s all part of the continuing struggle for Diesel who has tried, and largely failed, to find success outside of the Fast and Furious universe. It must be weird to be so massively, stupidely successful in one series of films, but to be unable to find any real gain anywhere outside of those films. The Fast and Furious fans have been insanely faithful to that franchise, yet they have not followed Diesel elsewhere. To wit, Furious 7 grossed $25 million more in one day than Riddick did in its entire run. Movies where Vin Diesel is the lead that aren’t Fast and Furious films have grossed $35.6 million compared to an average of $219 million for the Fast franchise. Does that mean that Diesel can’t lead a successful film when he’s not Dominic Toretto? Of course not, it just means he might be making some poor choices…including making another xXx movie.

Diesel certainly should be using his newfound power to make projects he’s passionate about, but the returns on Riddick should prove to Diesel that he should be looking forward (The Last Witch Hunter is at least an original step in the right direction) instead of scanning back through his old IMDb profile.

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