Nina Dobrev and “Orange is the New Black” actress Ruby Rose are in talks to join “XXX: The Return of Xander Cage” starring Vin Diesel, sources confirm to Variety.
Samuel L. Jackson is on board to return to the series with D.J. Caruso directing. F. Scott Frazier is penning the script.
While financing is in place, a distributor is still trying to be worked out. The first two in the series were released by Sony Pictures.
Joe Roth is producing the movie with his new partner Jeff Kirschenbaum as well as Diesel and his producing partner, Samantha Vincent, who is also his sister.
The original pic starred Diesel as an extreme sports athlete recruited to be a spy and use his unique skill set to stop a global terrorist. The movie grossed $142 million domestically. A sequel followed in 2005, but it was made without Diesel and underwhelmed at the box office.
Diesel has since warmed to the idea of returning to the franchise with production set to start later in January. Plot details on the pic are unknown.
Dobrev recently appeared in “The Final Girls” and she also completed production on “Crash Pad” with Domhnall Gleeson and Christina Applegate.
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She is repped by CAA and Brillstein Entertainment.
Rose is wrapping up shooting the sequel to Keanu Reeves’ action movie “John Wick.” She is repped by Special Artists Agency, art2perform and Ziffren Brittenham.
The news was first reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
