by: S. Scott Stanikmas

Welcome back to the Xander Xone!

Vin Diesel has resurrected his long dead XXX franchise and announced that we’ll get a third installment, which begins filming this holiday season. He made the announcement via Instagram:

While I was filming XXX, guys on set called me Air Diesel… The time to return has come. Filming starts December in the Philippines. #ILiveForThisShit

The actor recently did the same thing back in 2013 when he took his Fast and Furious clout and brought the world Riddick, the third installment in the Pitch Black / Chronicles of Riddick series. That film, while not a critical success, must have been enough of a moneymaker (along with the recent smash hit Furious 7) for the studios to take a chance and bring back extreme sports enthusiast Xander Cage for one more go round.

The original XXX which came out back in 2002, was a mild success and a decent popcorn action flick. The 2005 sequel, XXX: State Of The Union, left Vin Diesel in the cold for new star Ice Cube. Not only did it leave its former star, it also left the audience behind, as State Of The Union pretty much killed the franchise.

But time heals most wounds and Diesel gets a lot of leeway in Hollywood, mostly because the fans keep flocking to his movies in droves. And the XXX franchise should include everything his fans love from the Fast and Furious films – fast cars, wild chases and hot girls wearing next to nothing.

If nothing else, the world will get another summer popcorn flick that provides an adequate two hour distraction.