Vin Diesel has seemingly been so focused on the “Fast & Furious” franchise that I actually forgot that this was also coming. It looks like it’s “xXx” and “Fast & Furious” movies for Diesel for the next few years.

Titled “xXx: Return of Xander Cage”, Diesel of course returns in the title role, and Samuel L. Jackson is back as well, reprising his role as Agent Augustus Eugene Gibbons.

This 3rd film in the franchise is directed by D.J. Caruso. Recall Ice Cube took over for the second film – “xXx: State of the Union” – playing Darius Stone/xXx.

As for the plot for the upcoming threequel: Extreme athlete turned government operative Xander Cage (Vin Diesel) comes out of self-imposed exile, thought to be long dead, and is set on a collision course with deadly alpha warrior Xiang (Donnie Yen) 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.

The film, which was filmed and will be released in 3D, promises to take more chances in terms of the action sequences, to fully exploit the technology.

Currently in post-production, the film has a January 20, 2017 release date in the USA planned, via Paramount Pictures.

A new trailer for “xXx: Return of Xander Cage” has premiered today and is embedded below: