Vin Diesel's development studio, One Race, and Universal Television made a deal for a joint effort in creating a Riddick TV Series, Merc City, possibly on the SyFy Channel. In addition, a new movie, currently Furia, is being planned.
It's been a couple of years since Riddick came out, and fans are eagerly awaiting more from the series. Fortunately, we're in luck, as it has been confirmed that Vin Diesel and Universal Television are working towards creating a companion TV show based in the Riddick universe.
And that's a really good thing. In addition to being better able to explore the universe, it will allow for better character development, as there's only so much you can do in 90-120 minutes, especially when a lot of that is expected to showcase the movie's world. If we're already familiar to a degree with what's going on scenery-wise, it might make it easier on the new planned Riddick movie to focus less on the universe and more on the story. (The movie is currently called Furia, no release date yet).
One sign that there really is action going on for the TV series' development is that according to Variety, "Fox Broadcasting Co. exec VP of event series Shana C. Waterman has been brought on as head of TV. She will oversee development and production under the deal."
And while no doubt fans are looking forward to this, Universal and Diesel are as well. Not only does Diesel put out quality work (mostly), but it's also quite profitable. As Screen Rant notes, "Of course, Diesel has made a lot of money for Universal Pictures this year alone with the success of Furious 7. The film grossed more than $1 billion worldwide with fans and general audiences hungry for more. Universal is in the Vin Diesel business, so making a deal with his production company to develop a new TV series can only be a good thing for everyone involved, especially fans."
So if it makes a good bit of money, we might get even more. Fans, take note. If you like the Riddick world, don't let this go the way of Firefly. Tune in, watch and get your friends to do the same. What's more, it's quite possible that the TV series could tie in to the planned Riddick 4 movie.
What do you think of the upcoming Riddick TV series? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below!
