New Chronicles of Riddick Movie: Riddick Furya Production Updates

The Long-Awaited Sequel

After seven years in the making, the fourth installment of The Chronicles of Riddick franchise, Riddick: Furya, is nearly ready to begin filming in 2024. Leading star Vin Diesel will reunite with director and screenwriter David Twohy, who have worked together on the space Western sci-fi franchise since Pitch Black in 2000.

vin diesel shirtless in the desert

The idea of another sequel first caught wind when Diesel took to Facebook live on December 15, 2015, with a surprise appearance by Twohy to announce they were working on the idea of Riddick's origin story, confirming it would be rated R. Diesel shared in an Instagram video on July 21, 2019, that he was sent the completed script, fit with the subtitle 'Everyone wants to be a beast..until it's time to do what real beasts do.' Then in September 2021, Diesel teased that Furya would be closer than fans think, coming to Instagram in 2022 with a first look at storyboarding for the film, and again in early 2023 with concept art.

According to insider Daniel Richtman, Riddick 4 will have a budget of around $70 million. Diesel's company, One Race Films, will produce the new installment alongside Samantha Vincent. While an exact release date is still unknown, they are eyeing to sell the film at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, which takes place from February 15-25. When the movie was officially announced earlier this year on February 10, Twohy told Deadline they were ready to meet fans' demands, saying 'This new big-screen event will see a return to Riddick's homeworld, where we finally get to explore Riddick's genesis.'

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The Plot Unveiled

As for the official synopsis, a homecoming for Riddick is in-store as he goes to his birthplace of Furya, a place largely unknown to him that he fears may be left in ruins by the Necromongers following a genocide by their leader Zhylaw (who is later Lord Marshal, the main antagonist of 2004's The Chronicles of Riddick). Instead, he'll find other Furyans fighting a new enemy for their existence, which are more like him than he thought possible. Besides the anti-hero himself, the cast still hasn't been announced.

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Expanding the Riddick Universe

The Riddick series may not have as much commercial success compared to Diesel's $7 billion dollar Fast & Furious franchise and Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, but a cult following trails behind the films, with Diesel's passion with the decade-long project clearly showing through his numerous hints. Back in March, he noted how grateful he was for the Furyan community after the trilogy had reached the top 10 on Netflix as enthusiasm in the fanbase spread. With all the production delays, from plans to shoot in 2020 halted because of the pandemic to Diesel's other filming commitments and 2023's strikes, eagerness is about to reach its boiling point.

In the meantime, fans can stay busy with other mediums of the film universe. Dark Fury (2004) is an animated made-for-DVD short film that bridges the gap between Pitch Black and its sequel. There are also three video games based on the series --- Escape from Butcher's Bay (2004) for Xbox and PC, Assault on Dark Athena (2009) for all platforms, and the mobile game The Merc Files (2013) --- that takes the player into the action themselves. And finally, two novels have been put out for the scripts of Pitch Black and The Chronicles of Riddick that enhance the films and character backstories. The three live-action The Chronicles of Riddick movies are available to stream on Peacock with a premium subscription.