The Chronicles of Riddick franchise all started with Pitch Black, a modest science-fiction action thriller that was never intended to inspire an entire cinematic universe. A saga that will soon span over two decades with the release of Riddick 4: Furya,The Chronicles of Riddick has become a multimedia universe spanning four full-length movies, a straight-to-DVD animated movie, several video games, comics, and novelizations. All of this bonus material helps bridge the gap in the story between The Chronicles of Riddick and Pitch Black. Perhaps a modest example of creating a cinematic universe in the age of the mega-franchise, The Chronicles of Riddick proves smart filmmaking can still have a spot at the table.

The ending of sci-fi thriller Pitch Blackis full of pulse-pounding excitement, not only due to the presence of terrifying bioraptors, but also because two survivors, Riddick (Vin Diesel) and Carolyn (Radha Mitchell), cannot entirely trust each other, inspiring a unique theory that Riddick may have secretly stabbed Carolyn just before she's taken by one of the creatures. Along with Jack (Rhiana Griffith) and Imam (Keith David), ex-con Riddick and pilot Carolyn are the only people to make it to the end of the movie after a solar eclipse turns the planet into hunting grounds for light-sensitive predators.

Cult classic sci-fi thriller Pitch Black features some unique and frightening aliens, but the original plan for the monsters Riddick fights made them even scarier. Directed and co-written by David Twohy, with a script by Ken Wheat, it follows a ragtag group of survivors, including suspected murderer Richard B. Riddick (Vin Diesel) after their ship crash lands on a barren, inhospitable world. With dwindling light from the planet's multiple suns and limited resources, they come to rely on their dangerous enger to survive, particularly when they realize that they're being stalked by the planet's only inhabitants - light-sensitive bioraptors.

Director David Twohy's The Chronicles of Riddick trilogy began in 2000, and the Riddick movies to date include Pitch Black, The Chronicles of Riddick, and Riddick. In addition to this, there is a Sci-Fi Channel special, Into Pitch Black. Now a fourth movie is coming with Riddick: Furya. Starring Vin Diesel as the eponymous Riddick, the convicted murderer/mercenary-warrior with surgically enhanced vision, the first movie was released with little fanfare in February 2000. Grossing $53 million (Box Office Mojo), it established Diesel as an up-and-coming action star. The first sequel, three years later, elevated the franchise from niche into the mainstream and was followed by the third film just under a decade later.

In one of the most intense scenes inPitch Black, Riddick (Vin Diesel) removes his iconic black goggles to reveal glowing iridescent eyes, prompting the Hunter Gratzner's pilot Carolyn Fry (Rhada Mitchell) to question why they shine so strangely. At this point in the film, the ship carrying several dozen colonists as well as Riddick as a prisoner has crash-landed on a strange world crawling with hostile creatures sensitive to light, and the only chance anyone has of surviving is trusting the perceived murderer. His unique ocular abilities, resourcefulness, and killer instinct become the only things standing between them and certain death once the planet's three suns go down.

The Fast X will add such stars as Rita Moreno and Brie Larson to the growing roster of The Fast Saga. From Vin Diesel to Michelle Rodriguez to Dwayne Johnson to Jason Statham, the cast of the Fast & Furious franchise contains some of the most beloved action movie stars in the world.

Vin Diesel is back on the big screen with the release of Thor: Love and Thunder on July 8, 2022. And although the actor won’t actually be seen, his role as Groot is beloved. Diesel has many other films in his list of credits, spanning more than two decades, and fans on Ranker have cast their votes to determine which of Vin Diesel’s movies they feel are the best.

In addition to Riddick 4 being in development, Vin Diesel has teased a possible spinoff TV show called Merc City. While Diesel may be best known now for portraying the often memed Dom Toretto in the Fast and the Furious franchise, the first character he played to really get the attention of the audience was antihero Richard B. Riddick in 2000's Pitch Black. A blend of sci-fi and horror, Pitch Black was an ensemble piece, but Riddick was the clear standout of the bunch, managing to be both intimidating and extremely charismatic.

The next entry is set to take place there, so here's Riddick's homeworld of Furya explained. Pitch Black was a modestly budgeted creature feature with a great hook that also featured a breakout performance from Vin Diesel. He played a convict named Riddick, who is one of the few survivors of a spaceship crash landing on a planet overrun with light-sensitive monsters. Riddick's "eye shine" ability - which let him see in the dark - and superhuman endurance made him the only hope of the others.