Invincible director set to helm XXX: The Return of Xander Cage

Ericson Core (Invincible) is set to direct XXX: The Return of Xander Cage, Columbia Picture’s third installment in the action franchise, with Neal Moritz and Joe Roth attached to produce, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Vin Diesel will return to the titular role of the rogue extreme sports athlete-turned-government agent, which he originated in the 2002 Rob Cohen film. Diesel and Cohen skipped the 2005 sequel, XXX: State of the Union, which Ice Cube top-lined and Once Were Warriors director Lee Tamahori helmed.

Cohen had originally agreed to return for the sequel, but in June signed on to direct the film Medieval for Regency.

Terminator Salvation writers John Brancato and Michael Ferris penned the script for the new film, which involves Cage’s return to the National Security Agency after an eight-year absence. Richard Wilkes, who wrote the original movie, did a recent polish on the script as well, according to the report.

Columbia is looking to roll cameras early next year.