The Untold Truth Of Vin Diesel's xXx

Vin Diesel might have become a global superstar due to his role as Dom Toretto in the "Fast and Furious" films, but he more than proved his action mettle in 2002's "xXx." Directed by Rob Cohen, the film introduced the world to a reluctant new superspy named Xander Cage: a rugged extreme sports junkie who is the polar opposite of the suave and sophisticated James Bond. While the movie didn't exactly tickle the fancies of critics, receiving a 48% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it found success among action fans who appreciated the brash and unabashed daredevil spectacle it was.

After the success of "xXx," the expectation was that Diesel would turn up as Xander on a regular basis — much like how he had as Dom in the "Fast and Furious" movies. However, there was a 15-year gap between his performances in the 2002 original film and 2017's "xXx: Return of Xander Cage." The reasons for this delay vary — from Diesel hating the sequel's script to Universal Pictures not wanting him to play Xander Cage again. With so much juicy drama to uncover, let's dive deeper into the untold truth of Vin Diesel's "xXx."

Machismo? Check. Cool one-liners delivered in a deep voice? Check. A whole lot of crazy stunts and next-level action sequences? Check. The role of Xander Cage looks like it was written with Vin Diesel in mind. In fact, it isn't too difficult to imagine Xander being a not-too-distant relative of Dom Toretto, especially with their constant need for speed and unequivocal loyalty to family. However, the franchise could have looked entirely different had it not been for a series of events that played out beforehand.

According to The Age, Eric Bana was initially eyed for the role of Xander Cage. The Australian actor reportedly turned down the part before choosing to portray Bruce Banner in 2003's "Hulk." With Bana out of the "xXx" picture, the path was clear for Diesel to strut onto the project. It also likely helped his case that he had worked with "xXx" director Rob Cohen on another little film called "The Fast and the Furious." The proposition of Bana as Xander is fascinating to ponder, though, since he also established himself as more than capable of portraying action characters. However, it's likely that Xander would have turned out much differently on screen than what the audience experienced in the end.

The turn of the millennium proved to be pivotal to the career trajectory of Vin Diesel. While he played a memorable part in Steven Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan" and his voice became instantly recognizable in "The Iron Giant," it was his star-making roles in "Pitch Black," "The Fast and the Furious," and "xXx" that announced his arrival to the world. At the same time, "xXx" was an equally important movie for Asia Argento, the daughter of legendary horror filmmaker Dario Argento. While she had built up a formidable and recognizable acting career in her native Italy, this was her first big Hollywood blockbuster.

Diesel may have rubbed some co-stars, such as Dwayne Johnson, the wrong way over the years, but Argento only had kind words about him at the time. Discussing her work with Diesel, she told the BBC, "Vin's a generous actor, very intuitive, very smart." Argento also revealed that she had signed up for the sequel when she agreed to do "xXx," but she never reprised her role as Yelena in future films. Unfortunately, this is likely due to the accusations she leveled against "xXx" director Rob Cohen, over actions which reportedly took place during the filming of the movie (via Variety).

In showbiz, it takes a village to make a movie. No person is an island and there are multiple people involved in bringing feature films to life. In the case of Vin Diesel, he has his own production company called One Race Films that works on each of his movies. However, this company found itself embroiled in a lawsuit in 2016 after the news broke that "xXx: Return of Xander Cage" was going into development.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Diesel's former One Race Films partner George Zakk sued the actor for an alleged oral agreement where he would receive a fee and producer credit for films he assisted in developing. Even though Zakk had left the company in 2007, he claimed to be entitled to benefits of the "xXx" sequel. The case was initially dismissed, but revived after an appeal (via The Hollywood Reporter). "xXx: Return of Xander Cage" was released in 2017, but it did not feature a producer credit for Zakk.

If a film's director is the navigator of the ship, then the script is the map. It paints a clear picture of where everyone should be heading towards and how to get there. However, there are instances when filmmakers look at the script and decide to change course halfway through the journey. Sometimes, it's out of necessity and budget constraints. Other times, it's because the film is developing into something drastically dissimilar from what's on the page.

Actor Martin Csokas, who played Yorgi in "xXx," revealed to Whoosh that the film morphed into a different beast from the first script he received. "That script was very different when we began," he said. "It was a lot more, without wanting to offend anyone, a lot more interesting to begin with than what ended up on the screen. At the beginning, it had a certain degree of ... The politics of anarchy were at the center of that film and they just sort of went away." Unfortunately, this isn't uncommon in many action films, as subplots and themes tend to get watered down in favor of more thrills and spills. That said, it would be interesting to read the original "xXx" script and find out how much of it diverged from the final cut.

It's very likely that whenever Vin Diesel visits the Universal Pictures offices, the red carpet, confetti, and best catering available are all brought out for him. After all, the "Fast and Furious" franchise has made over $6.6 billion for the studio (via The Numbers), and he has been integral to its phenomenal success. So it's only natural the Universal execs would love him more than their own mothers and treat him like gold.

But in a conversation with The Aquarian about the delay in getting "xXx: Return of Xander Cage" made, Diesel revealed that Universal wasn't too keen on letting him do the film for rival company Paramount Pictures. "These other studios can get very Mafia," he said. "Universal never wanted me to make this movie. They would just love to keep the golden goose at Universal, and just keep turning out their billion-dollar franchise, from my being the brainchild of it, to then going on set and producing and acting in it." Diesel added that he didn't get the credit he deserved from Universal, saying he was "their George Lucas" and the person responsible for the creation of the "Fast and Furious" franchise — although he ultimately acknowledged that this is what Hollywood is like in general.

For the sake of decorum and public relations sensibilities, many actors are trained on how to answer the media's poking and prodding about their movies and personal lives. They often err on the side of caution, trying to not say something that could be turned into a major headline or attract too much controversy. That's why it's refreshing when an outspoken actor such as Samuel L. Jackson says exactly what's on his mind, rather than toe the political line and give a bland exec-approved answer.

The release of "xXx: State of the Union" generated a lot of initial debate due to the fact that Vin Diesel's Xander Cage was replaced by Ice Cube's Darius Stone in the movie. Speaking to ComingSoon.net about the change-up in personnel, Jackson was brutally honest regarding his thoughts. "It never occurred to me and I didn't care," he said. "I was a lot more worried about my character coming back." When pressed about whom he'd like to see replace Stone as the next xXx, Jackson responded in a similarly hilarious fashion, saying he only cared if he returned for the next film — which he did in "xXx: Return of Xander Cage."

"xXx" blends extreme sports and action-packed sequences into two hours of heart-stopping spectacle. Despite all the over-the-top and unbelievable moments, the filmmakers preferred to utilize practical stunts instead of relying too heavily on CGI. Vin Diesel wanted to do his best Tom Cruise impression as well, choosing to do a lot of his own stunt work no matter how dangerous it was. However, director Rob Cohen received the fright of his life during one sequence, fearing the worst after a stunt went wrong.

While filming the avalanche scene where Xander Cage pulls off outrageous snowboarding feats, the actor fell awkwardly and had everyone concerned. "There were times in Austria, in the snowboarding, that he wanted to do higher and higher jumps," Cohen said in a promotional interview. "And he took one big jump for the rail slide on the halfway house with the avalanche chasing him, and he came off the other side and planted his head, like, vertically into the snow. And he was, like, not moving." Fortunately, although Cohen was worried that his star had either broken his neck or disfigured his face, Diesel wasn't injured and managed to escape unscathed.

Despite Vin Diesel's Xander Cage being terminated offscreen to explain away his absence in "xXx: State of the Union," there was always the belief he could return in some way in the future. After all, does anyone really stay gone in Hollywood? In 2010, Deadline reported that Diesel was set to return for a third film, along with Rob Cohen as the director. The only stumbling block was figuring out which studio would handle the franchise moving forward, after Columbia Pictures decided against a third entry in the series.

While Cohen didn't return to the director's chair as expected, the biggest talking point was the proposed script for the film, which turned out to be slightly different from what the audience ended up experiencing in "xXx: Return of Xander Cage." The story suggested that it would pick up after Xander had been left for the vultures, and that he would need to carry out a different type of task for Agent Gibbons. Ultimately, that isn't quite what happened in the final film, as it centered more on establishing Team xXx and expanding the universe.

Imagine a movie — any movie. Then look at the cast in the various roles. Now, consider for a moment that most of them are there because other actors turned down the parts. That's usually how it unfolds in Hollywood, as scheduling conflicts or the lack of desire for roles results in different actors securing the gigs. "xXx" wasn't exempt from this phenomena either, as a big-name star reportedly turned down the chance to appear as the main villain, Yorgi.

According to IGN, Ewan McGregor was allegedly considered for the role of Yorgi, which went to Martin Csokas in the end. If it's true that McGregor was offered the part and didn't accept it, it's easy to see the reasons why. Around the turn of the millennium, the Scottish actor was incredibly busy playing Obi-Wan Kenobi in the "Star Wars" prequels. While he had already appeared in "The Phantom Menace" before casting for "xXx" had begun, it's likely that he would have been in between the productions of "Attack of the Clones" and "Revenge of the Sith" — something that might have played a factor in him deciding not to pursue the part of Yorgi.

In 2013, Paul Walker tragically passed away in a fiery car crash (via CNN) in Valencia, California. It was an event that rocked the entertainment industry and impacted many people, including his longtime "Fast and Furious" co-star and friend, Vin Diesel. The actors were in the middle of production for "Furious 7" when Walker passed, and Diesel admitted to The National that it was a tough period in his life, as he not only had to contend with the loss of a friend but also trying to complete the film they had worked on together.

After the production wrapped, Diesel knew he needed to do something different, something lighter, to help him deal with everything that had happened. So he turned his attention to Xander Cage. "If it wasn't for a darker period of my life or the experience of finishing 'Furious 7,' I might not have fought so hard to play a character so fun," he said. "I needed to play Xander now more than ever in my life ... It was something truly therapeutic and something I really needed to do."

Much like "xXx" was a celebration of alternative culture, its soundtrack featured a collection of rock and heavy metal bands that added to the film's distinctive flavor. Acts like Hatebreed, Gavin Rossdale, Mushroomhead, and Drowning Pool appeared on the official soundtrack, while German industrial rockers Rammstein actually opened up the film with a scorching performance of their fiery track "Feuer frei!"

Rammstein had been known in their native Germany and electrified European audiences for many years. However, it was their appearance in the film and the success of the resultant music video, which used footage from "xXx," that took the eccentric band to the next level, as per Kerrang! magazine. The group had been told they had no future outside of Germany due to their songs being in German, yet their appearance in this blockbuster proved that good music is good music, regardless of which language it is sung in.

When "xXx" arrived in 2002, it caught everyone by surprise. There had been good expectations for the film, but no one expected it to make $277.4 million at the global box office against a $70 million budget (via Box Office Mojo). Considering that this was a brand-new franchise that had hauled in so much green, the studio must have been licking its lips to fast-track the sequel — and that's exactly what happened.

However, Columbia Pictures struggled to convince its star, Vin Diesel, to return, despite sweetening the deal and offering $20 million and profits for each of the planned sequels. Discussing his decision to turn down this mammoth offer with USA Today, Diesel was frank about his reasons. 

"The script wasn't right," he said. "They changed writers. It wasn't 'xXx' to me. Two scripts were done, one by Rich Wilkes [who wrote the first 'xXx' film] and then another by someone else [Simon Kinberg]. I wanted the Wilkes one. That was the one I was excited about." The loss of Diesel certainly impacted the box office returns of "xXx: State of the Union": It flopped, only making roughly $70 million worldwide against a $113 million budget (via The Wrap).