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When Pitch Black came out in 2002 starring an unknown Vin Diesel as escaped convict with the ability to see in the dark, it became a surprise hit, reaping around $40 million on a budget of just $23 million. Still Universal execs did not regard the film to be a blockbuster and talk of doing sequels was shelved, even though director David Twohy was keen on building a franchise. However, the film's stature as a sci-fi favorite coupled with the rise of Vin Diesel to superstardom re-ignited interest in doing at least one sequel, with two more in the works if the first one meets commercial success.
The Chronicles of Riddick portrays Riddick (Vin Diesel) in the 26th century as being caught up in a galactic war featuring Lord Marshal (Colm Feore), the leader of a sect waging the so-called 10th Crusade. Aiding Riddick is an Ambassador of the "Elemental" race named Aereon (Judi Dench), who helps Riddick to learn the secrets of his origin. Compared to Pitch Black, the sequel focuses much more on Riddick (Vin Diesel) and follows him through multiple worlds as he meets multiple adversaries in an epic mythology style of film. According to Twohy, "There's a lot of theology in it. Even though I'm not a religious guy, I am very interested in religion and why people turn to it." Also, while many regarded Pitch Black to be a horror film, Chronicles of Riddick will be an action/adventure saga, although with a darker flavor than past sagas such as Star Wars. Riddick, portrayed as an unsavory but ultimately heroic character in Pitch Black, is retooled as someone audiences can root for as he challenges the forces of darkness. Rapper Ja Rule has a part in the film as one of the other convicts equipped with night vision. The change in genre and scope explains why the sequel is being called Chronicles of Riddick rather than Pitch Black 2.
Drafts of the screenplay for the sequel were penned by David Hayter and Akiva Goldsman, but Twohy substantially rewrote their material. The next two sequels, nicknamed C-2 and C-3, were plotted as the first sequel was being pre-produced. Assuming the sequel becomes a hit, then Twohy will shoot the second and third films back-to-back. The production companies include Radar Pictures (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre), Primal Foe Productions, and Vin Diesel's production company, One Race Productions. In October 2002, Chronicles of Riddick was in pre-production, with the script completed and a production designer working on it. After being pushed back several times, production began on June 9, 2003 in Vancouver and was slated to wrap in October, 2003.
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