Filming is Underway on Riddick with Vin Diesel

We've been hearing about this film for years, and now it is absolutely, positively in production in Montreal. Universal Pictures and One Race Films announced the start of production on Riddick, a passion project of Vin Diesel's that he's been keeping his fans up-to-date about on Facebook. His most recent post included a new set photo [pictured] and an acknowledgment of the lengthy process of getting Riddick underway:

"First time I posted about Riddick was back in 2009, Facebook was fresh... They were asking me to come to the headquarters to talk about this new concept of communicating with fans. I was proud to lead that wave, yet all I was doing, was opening up about my passion - film.

So this picture of Our 2012 production of Riddick, is a cool victory for all of us... it shows that studios can be influenced by your voice."

Riddick continues the sci-fi saga that started with 2000's Pitch Black and was followed in 2004 by The Chronicles of Riddick. Writer/director David Twohy returns to helm the project with Diesel reprising his role as the lead character. Also returning is Karl Urban as Vaako. New characters introduced in this third film include Jordi Molla as Santana, "the arrogant captain of the mercenary ship, Matt Nable as Boss Johns, "a man looking for answers," Katee Sackhoff as the Nordic mercenary Dahl, and Bokeem Woodbine as bounty hunter Moss. Dave Bautista, Conrad Pla, Raoul Trujillo, Nolan Funk and Keri Hilson have supporting roles.

The official synopsis: "The infamous Riddick has been left for dead on a sun-scorched planet that appears to be lifeless. Soon, however, he finds himself fighting for survival against alien predators more lethal than any human he's encountered. The only way off is for Riddick to activate an emergency beacon and alert mercenaries who rapidly descend to the planet in search of their bounty.

The first ship to arrive carries a new breed of merc, more lethal and violent, while the second is captained by a man whose pursuit of Riddick is more personal. With time running out and a storm on the horizon that no one could survive, his hunters won't leave the planet without Riddick's head as their trophy."