Vin Diesel is discussing with the French press the possibility of a sequel to “The Chronicles of Riddick.”  Notice that the interview was recorded two years ago, which gives you an idea how long it takes to get a project, even an established one, off the ground

I am a fan of “Pitch Black,” and while the film is an ensemble piece, Vin Diesel’s performance as Riddick stood out amongst those of some very talented actors, such as David Keith and Wings Hauser.  The sequel, “The Chronicles of Riddick” had a significantly different look and played on a scale several times larger than the first film, which perhaps had something to do with its box office fall-off.

“Pitch Black” was a surprise hit, and established Diesel as a star.  Its total box office draw was $53 million dollars, though production costs were only $23 million.  “The Chronicles of Riddick” had production costs of $105 million dollars, and earned worldwide slightly over $115 million.

I don’t know what advertising costs were for the film, though I think that it’s safe to assume that they were greater than $10 million dollars.

“The Chronicles of Riddick” probably finished its run in the red; and films that aren’t profitable–sometimes by a large margin–don’t get sequels.

‘Riddick’ appears to be an exception.  Currently Vin Diesel and David Twohy, the director of the first two films, are working on it.

Though, one problem is that whether or not to make the film ‘PG’ (Parental Guidance suggested) or ‘R’ (Restricted).  There are problems with both approaches.  ‘R’ rated films tend to make less at the box office than ‘PG’ rated films, because the audience is restricted to people above 17, unless accompanied by a parent.

Another involves how much Vin Diesel is paid.  For the film to be ‘R’ rated, Diesel must work for scale, which is essentially minimum wage set by the actors’ union.

So the question is: Does Vin Diesel accept a larger payday, and we end up with a “PG” rated sequel, or does he work for scale (essentially, taking a pay cut) and make the film an ‘R.’.