XXX (film series)
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Get ready for extreme action, because the xXx franchise is about to blow your mind! Created by Rich Wilkes, this American spy saga exploded onto screens with three blockbuster films and a chilling short. Across the globe, these adrenaline-fueled adventures have raked in a staggering $694 million.
First up, in 2002, we met Xander Cage, played by Vin Diesel. This thrill-seeking extreme sports legend, a rebellious athlete, was reluctantly recruited by the NSA for a dangerous mission. His target? Infiltrating a group of Russian terrorists in Central Europe. Directed by Rob Cohen, who also helmed Diesel's *The Fast and the Furious*, this film set the stage for pure, unadulterated action.
Then, in 2005, Ice Cube stepped into the elite Triple X program as Darius Stone. His mission? To defuse a high-stakes power struggle in Washington D.C.
And in 2017, Xander Cage made a triumphant return! Vin Diesel reprised his iconic role, emerging from a presumed death to face a deadly alpha warrior and his team. Their mission: to retrieve the sinister Pandora's Box. Xander assembled a new crew of daredevils, diving headfirst into a conspiracy that reached the highest echelons of world governments.
But the story isn't over. A fourth xXx film is in development, a joint venture with The H Collective and iQiyi, with D.J. Caruso and Vin Diesel rumored to return. Though production has faced delays, the promise of more xXx thrills remains.
Before *State of the Union*, a chilling four-minute short, "The Final Chapter: The Death of Xander Cage," offered a brutal glimpse at Xander's supposed demise. Featuring Vin Diesel's stunt double and a sinister plot orchestrated by John G. Connolly as Lt. Colonel Alabama Cobb, this short packed a punch, complete with Rammstein's "Feuer Frei" and a shocking final reveal.
The franchise's reception has been a wild ride. The first film earned mixed reviews, with Roger Ebert comparing it favorably to James Bond, while others found its screenplay choppy. The second installment was largely panned, with critics describing it as incomprehensible and aggressively stupid, though a few recognized its B-movie charm. The third film, while offering some guilty pleasure, was also met with mixed reactions, with some noting a lack of innovation compared to other action franchises.
Beyond the films, Xander Cage even made it to the Game Boy Advance in 2002, bringing his high-octane adventures to a handheld console.
The xXx franchise: a legacy of extreme sports, daring espionage, and non-stop action that continues to captivate audiences worldwide!
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XXX (stylized as xXx and pronounced Triple X) is an American action spy film series created by Rich Wilkes. It consists of three full-length feature films: XXX (2002), XXX: State of the Union (2005) and XXX: Return of Xander Cage (2017), and a short film: The Final Chapter: The Death of Xander Cage. The series has grossed $694 million worldwide.
== Films ==
=== XXX (2002) ===
The film was released on August 9, 2002, which stars 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 in Central Europe. The film also stars Asia Argento, Marton Csokas and Samuel L. Jackson. It was directed by Rob Cohen, who previously directed The Fast and the Furious (2001), in which Diesel also starred.
=== XXX: State of the Union (2005) ===
The film was released on April 29, 2005, which stars Ice Cube as Darius Stone, a new agent in the Triple X program, who is sent to Washington, D.C. to defuse a power struggle amongst national leaders.
=== XXX: Return of Xander Cage (2017) ===
The film was released on January 20, 2017, and sees the return of Diesel as Xander Cage, who comes out of self-imposed exile, thought to be long dead, and is set on a collision course with a deadly alpha warrior and his team in a race to recover a sinister and seemingly unstoppable weapon known as Pandora's Box. Recruiting an all-new group of thrill-seeking cohorts, Xander finds himself enmeshed in a deadly conspiracy that points to collusion at the highest levels of world governments.
=== Untitled fourth XXX film (TBA) ===
In September 2018, it was announced that a fourth film is in development. The project will be a joint-venture production, with The H Collective and iQiyi after the former acquired franchise rights from Revolution Studios. D. J. Caruso was believed to return as director, while Vin Diesel would reprise his role as Xander Cage. Production was scheduled to begin in early-2019. In November 2018, Jay Chou and Zoe Zhang joined the cast. Japanese rock star and musician Yoshiki was set to serve as the film's composer. In September 2023, it was reiterated that a fourth film was still in development, though production would not be able to start until Diesel completed his work on the upcoming eleventh Fast & Furious film. In 2024, an article by Deadline has stated that the film has been stalled due to The H Collective's financial problems and litigation with the xXx franchise film rights.
== Short film ==
=== The Final Chapter: The Death of Xander Cage (2005) ===
Included with the 2005 Director's Cut DVD of the first film is a four-minute short titled The Final Chapter: The Death of Xander Cage, that serves as a prequel to XXX: State of the Union by detailing the alleged death of Xander Cage before the events of that film.
In the short film, Xander is played by Vin Diesel's stunt double Khristian Lupo (who never shows his face or speaks) while reusing some archival lines spoken by Diesel. It also features Leila Arcieri as Jordan King from the first film and John G. Connolly as Lt. Colonel Alabama "Bama" Cobb, one of the villains from xXx: State of the Union who is Deckert's right-hand man, as the man behind the attack on Xander.
The sequence opens with Xander driving in a car with Jordan King. He stops next to his apartment building. King makes sexual overtures to him and they get intimate. Suddenly they hear a noise and Xander goes to check it out. Cobb's men show up and abduct King. They plant a bomb in the building and drop her coat on the steps to trick Xander to his death. After confronting a homeless man, Xander returns to the building. He takes the bait left by Cobb and his henchmen and is apparently blown apart by a huge explosion. His trademark coat survives the blast. Cobb shows up and picks up a piece of burnt skin from Xander's neck which has the Triple X tattoo on it. He remarks "Poor Xander, you never had very much between the ears." His men pick him up and drive off in their car. Cobb's motives for killing Xander are obvious; he doesn't want him to interfere in Deckert's plans. "Feuer Frei" by Rammstein plays in the background during the sequence.
== Cast and crew ==
=== Cast ===
=== Crew ===
== Reception ==
=== Box office performance ===
=== Critical and public response ===
The first film received mixed reviews from critics. Roger Ebert called it "as good as a James Bond movie". Adam Smith of Empire magazine called the movie, "Sporadically entertaining, but seriously hampered by a very choppy screenplay", and rating it three out of five stars. The film was nominated for a Razzie Award for Most Flatulent Teen-Targeted Movie, but lost to Jackass: The Movie.
The second film in the series was panned by critics, Boo Allen of the Denton Record Chronicle called it "a chubby, surly, incomprehensible action hero".
Brian Orndorf of FilmJerk.com compared watching the film to running "headfirst at top speed into a brick wall".
David Hiltbrand of the Philadelphia Inquirer said "the plot swings between pathetically implausible and aggressively stupid".
Some critics liked the film. Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly called it "that rare B movie that's rooted in gut-level stirrings of power and retaliation". Paul Arendt of the BBC said, "Viewed on its own trashy terms, it succeeds brilliantly".
The third film received mixed reviews from critics. Dan Jolin of Empire magazine said, "We've seen all these stunts pulled before, and seen them done better, but there's some pleasure to be had here — even if it's of the extremely guilty kind.", rating it three out of five stars. Andrew Lapin of Uproxx gave the film a negative review, saying: "There is an intellectual argument to be made in favor of the Fast & Furious franchise, which features diverse casts, operatic plotlines, and cartoon setpieces that often look like a child assembled them out of Hot Wheels sets. xXx is aiming for a much lower bar, striving only to be marketable, not inventive. The series is no longer interested in aping James Bond, lacking as it does a decent gadget or supervillain and often highlighting the sidekicks at the expense of Xander himself."
== Video games ==
A video game featuring Xander Cage was produced for Game Boy Advance, released in North America and Europe in 2002. The GameBoy Advance game received a rating of E in North America and 3+ rating in Europe unlike the film's PG-13 rating. In 2004, a XXX game was in development for the Xbox by Warthog Games, but it was cancelled; a prototype was leaked onto the Hidden Palace website in February 2022.
== References ==
== External links ==
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