Other than the fact that they’re both popular TV stars, Nina Dobrev and Ruby Rose share almost nothing in common.
Of course, that’s about to change soon. In a report by The Hollywood Reporter, Dobrev and Rose are said to be in various stages of negotiations to join the cast of the 3rd “xXx” movie, “xXx: The Return of Xander Cage“.
The original “xXx” (pronounced “Triple X”) movie, which was released in 2002, was helmed by Rob Cohen. It stars Vin Diesel as Xander “XXX” Cage, a former extreme sports athlete and a stuntman who turned into a reluctant spy for the National Security Agency. He is sent on a dangerous mission to infiltrate a group of potential Russian terrorists in Central Europe.
The action film was a box office success, grossing USD142 million in the US. A sequel was also released in 2005, but Diesel did not star in it as he was filming “The Pacific” at the time. The sequel was a box office failure and received negative responses from critics.
The threequel will see Diesel returning to reprise his role as Cage. Samuel L. Jackson (of “The Avengers” and “Pulp Fiction” fame), who played NSA Agent Gibbons in the first film, will also return to reprise his role while UFC star Conor McGregor is joining the cast for an unspecified role.
Martial arts superstars Jet Li and Tony Jaa have been eyed to star in it as well, but details about their roles are kept under wraps. The plot will once again focus on Cage and “a core team of sexy badasses and comic relief players”.
Dobrev’s character is described as “a witty and sarcastic techie” while Rose will play a sniper. Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone is set to play a huntress who happens to be Cage’s former lover.
Best known for her role in “The Vampire Diaries“, Dobrev recently appeared in 2014’s horror comedy “The Final Girls“. She is set to star in “Crash Pad” alongside “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” star Domhnall Gleeson and Christina Applegate. She will also be seen opposite Asa Butterfield and Maisie Williams in an upcoming indie comedy, “Arrivals”.
As for Rose, she will be seen next in the sequel to Keanu Reeves‘ action movie “John Wick” and the upcoming “Resident Evil 6“.
Rose herself has confirmed the casting on her Instagram account:
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I am so excited to be joining the XXX family. Start shooting ( excuse the pun ) next feb in Toronto.
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The project, which has been in the works for years, is spearheaded by Diesel and Joe Roth.
D.J. Caruso is attached to direct it based on a script written by F. Scott Frazier. The “Fast and Furious” series mastermind Neal H. Moritz will produce it alongside Diesel and his producing partner, Samantha Vincent, as well as Roth and his new partner Jeff Kirschenbaum. The project is still searching for a distributor, but several sources told THR that Paramount will be the home of the franchise.
The project is heading toward a production start later this month and will shoot in Toronto and the Philippines.
Source: THR / Image sources: Drishti Magazine, Business Insider, The TV Addict.
