Lee Tamahori (2) D. J. Caruso (3–4) Rich Wilkes (1) Simon Kinberg (2) F. Scott Frazier (3) Neal H. Moritz (1–2) Arne Schmidt (2) Jeff Kirschenbaum (3) Samantha Vincent (3) Dean Semler (1) David Tattersall (2) Russell Carpenter (3) Stephen F.Windon (4) Marc Spicer (4) Chris Lebenzon (1) Joel Negron (1) Paul Rubell (1) Mark Goldblatt (2) Todd E. Miller (2) Steven Rosenblum (2) Christian Wagner (4) Dylan Highsmith (4) Leigh Folsom Boyd (4) Christopher Rouse (4) Vince Filippone (3–4) Randy Edelman (1) Marco Beltrami (2) Brian Tyler (3) Robert Lydecker (3) Columbia Pictures (1–2) Revolution Studios (1–4) Original Film (1–2, 4) One Race Films (3–4) Roth/Kirschenbaum Films (3–4) Sony Pictures Releasing (1–2) Paramount Pictures (3–4) August 9, 2002 ( 2002-08-09 ) (1) April 29, 2005 ( 2005-04-29 ) (2) January 20, 2017 ( 2017-01-20 ) (3) XXX (stylized as xXx and pronounced Triple X ) is an American action spy film series created by Rich Wilkes . It consists of three full-length feature films: XXX (2002), XXX: State of the Union (2005) and XXX: Return of Xander Cage (2017), and a short film: The Final Chapter: The Death of Xander Cage . The series has grossed $694 million worldwide. The film was released on August 9, 2002, which stars Vin Diesel as Xander Cage, a thrill seeking extreme sports enthusiast, stuntman and rebellious athlete-turned-reluctant spy for the National Security Agency who is sent on a dangerous mission to infiltrate a group of potential Russian terrorists in Central Europe . The film also stars Asia Argento , Marton Csokas and Samuel L. Jackson . It was directed by Rob Cohen , who previously directed The Fast and the Furious (2001), in which Diesel also starred. XXX: State of the Union (2005) The film was released on April 29, 2005, which stars Ice Cube as Darius Stone, a new agent in the Triple X program, who is sent to Washington, D.C. to defuse a power struggle amongst national leaders. XXX: Return of Xander Cage (2017) The film was released on January 20, 2017, and sees the return of Diesel as Xander Cage, who comes out of self-imposed exile, thought to be long dead, and is set on a collision course with a deadly alpha warrior and his team in a race to recover a sinister and seemingly unstoppable weapon known as Pandora's Box. Recruiting an all-new group of thrill-seeking cohorts, Xander finds himself enmeshed in a deadly conspiracy that points to collusion at the highest levels of world governments. [ 4 ] Untitled fourth XXX film (TBA) In September 2018, it was announced that a fourth film is in development. The project will be a joint-venture production, with The H Collective and iQiyi after the former acquired franchise rights from Revolution Studios . D. J. Caruso was believed to return as director, while Vin Diesel would reprise his role as Xander Cage. Production was scheduled to begin in early-2019. [ 5 ] In November 2018, Jay Chou and Zoe Zhang joined the cast. [ 6 ] Japanese rock star and musician Yoshiki was set to serve as the film's composer. [ 7 ] [ 8 ] In September 2023, it was reiterated that a fourth film was still in development, though production would not be able to start until Diesel completed his work on the upcoming eleventh Fast & Furious film. [ 9 ] In 2024, an article by Deadline has stated that the film has been stalled due to The H Collective's financial problems and litigation with the xXx franchise film rights. [ 10 ] The Final Chapter: The Death of Xander Cage (2005) Included with the 2005 Director's Cut DVD of the first film is a four-minute short titled The Final Chapter: The Death of Xander Cage , that serves as a prequel to XXX: State of the Union by detailing the alleged death of Xander Cage before the events of that film. In the short film, Xander is played by Vin Diesel's stunt double Khristian Lupo (who never shows his face or speaks) while reusing some archival lines spoken by Diesel. It also features Leila Arcieri as Jordan King from the first film and John G. Connolly as Lt. Colonel Alabama "Bama" Cobb, one of the villains from xXx: State of the Union who is Deckert's right-hand man, as the man behind the attack on Xander. The sequence opens with Xander driving in a car with Jordan King. He stops next to his apartment building. King makes sexual overtures to him and they get intimate. Suddenly they hear a noise and Xander goes to check it out. Cobb's men show up and abduct King. They plant a bomb in the building and drop her coat on the steps to trick Xander to his death. After confronting a homeless man, Xander returns to the building. He takes the bait left by Cobb and his henchmen and is apparently blown apart by a huge explosion. His trademark coat survives the blast. Cobb shows up and picks up a piece of burnt skin from Xander's neck which has the Triple X tattoo on it. He remarks "Poor Xander, you never had very much between the ears." His men pick him up and drive off in their car. Cobb's motives for killing Xander are obvious; he doesn't want him to interfere in Deckert's plans. " Feuer Frei " by Rammstein plays in the background during the sequence. Box office performance Critical and public response The first film received mixed reviews from critics. Roger Ebert called it "as good as a James Bond movie". [ 23 ] Adam Smith of Empire magazine called the movie, "Sporadically entertaining, but seriously hampered by a very choppy screenplay", and rating it three out of five stars. [ 24 ] The film was nominated for a Razzie Award for Most Flatulent Teen-Targeted Movie, but lost to Jackass: The Movie . The second film in the series was panned by critics, Boo Allen of the Denton Record Chronicle called it "a chubby, surly, incomprehensible action hero". [ 25 ] Brian Orndorf of FilmJerk.com compared watching the film to running "headfirst at top speed into a brick wall". [ 26 ] David Hiltbrand of the Philadelphia Inquirer said "the plot swings between pathetically implausible and aggressively stupid". [ 27 ] Some critics liked the film. Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly called it "that rare B movie that's rooted in gut-level stirrings of power and retaliation". [ 28 ] Paul Arendt of the BBC said, "Viewed on its own trashy terms, it succeeds brilliantly". [ 29 ] The third film received mixed reviews from critics. Dan Jolin of Empire magazine said, "We've seen all these stunts pulled before, and seen them done better, but there's some pleasure to be had here — even if it's of the extremely guilty kind.", rating it three out of five stars. [ 30 ] Andrew Lapin of Uproxx gave the film a negative review, saying: "There is an intellectual argument to be made in favor of the Fast & Furious franchise , which features diverse casts, operatic plotlines, and cartoon setpieces that often look like a child assembled them out of Hot Wheels sets. xXx is aiming for a much lower bar, striving only to be marketable, not inventive. The series is no longer interested in aping James Bond, lacking as it does a decent gadget or supervillain and often highlighting the sidekicks at the expense of Xander himself." [ 31 ] A video game featuring Xander Cage was produced for Game Boy Advance , released in North America and Europe in 2002. [ 32 ] The Game Boy Advance game received a rating of E in North America and 3+ rating in Europe unlike the film's PG-13 rating. In 2004, a XXX game was in development for the Xbox by Warthog Games , but it was cancelled. [ citation needed ] ↑ " XXX (2002)" . British Board of Film Classification . August 9, 2002. Archived from the original on April 2, 2016 . Retrieved July 21, 2016 . ↑ " XXX: State of the Union (2005)" . British Board of Film Classification . April 29, 2005. Archived from the original on April 2, 2016 . Retrieved July 21, 2016 . 1 2 "xXx Movies at the Box Office" . Box Office Mojo . Retrieved May 8, 2019 . ↑ " 'xXx: The Return of Xander Cage' Synopsis Sounds Exciting if You've Never Seen a 'xXx' Movie" . Collider . February 11, 2016. ↑ Frater, Patrick (September 6, 2018). " 'xXx 4' Expands H Collective and iQIYI's Hollywood-China Funding Pact (Exclusive)" . Variety . Retrieved October 25, 2018 . ↑ Amanda N'Duka (November 20, 2018). "Vin Diesel-Led 'xXx 4' Adds 'The Green Hornet's Jay Chou" . Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved November 20, 2018 . ↑ "Yoshiki composes music for the films xXx 4 and Spycies, as X Japan finish up first album in more than 22 years" . Consequence of Sound . 2019-01-23 . Retrieved 2019-08-05 . ↑ Blabbermouth (2019-01-22). "X JAPAN's YOSHIKI To Create Theme Song for New 'xXx 4' Film Starring VIN DIESEL" . BLABBERMOUTH.NET . Retrieved 2019-08-05 . ↑ "XXX 4 with Vin Diesel is Still in Early Development" . September 13, 2023. [ permanent dead link ] ↑ Kanter, Jake (2024-04-29). "Investigation: How An Extravagant Chinese Financier Charmed Hollywood's Elite Before Vanishing, Owing People Millions" . Deadline . Retrieved 2024-04-30 . ↑ "The H Collective Films" . TheHCollectiveFilms . Retrieved 2021-11-15 . ↑ "Japanese Composer and Rock Star Yoshiki to Score xXx 4" . ComingSoon . 2019-01-23 . Retrieved 2021-11-15 . ↑ "XXX (2002))" . Box Office Mojo . Retrieved August 21, 2016 . ↑ "XXX: State of the Union (2005)" . Box Office Mojo . Retrieved August 21, 2016 . ↑ "XXX: Return of Xander Cage (2017)" . Box Office Mojo . Retrieved February 19, 2017 . ↑ "XXX" . Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved July 21, 2016 . ↑ "XXX: reviews" . Metacritic . Retrieved July 21, 2016 . 1 2 3 "CinemaScore" . Archived from the original on December 20, 2018 . Retrieved May 21, 2019 . ↑ "XXX: State of the Union" . Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved March 2, 2020 . ↑ "XXX: State of the Union: Reviews" . Metacritic . Retrieved July 21, 2016 . ↑ "xXx: Return of Xander Cage (2017)" . Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved March 2, 2020 . ↑ "XXX: Return of Xander Cage reviews" . Metacritic . Retrieved January 19, 2017 . ↑ "XXX" . rogerebert.com . Retrieved July 21, 2016 . ↑ Adam Smith. "XXX (2002) review" . Empire (film magazine) . Retrieved July 24, 2016 . ↑ "ROTTEN TOMATOES: Just what we need, a chubby, surly, incomprehensible action hero" . Rotten Tomatoes . Archived from the original on December 11, 2008. ↑ Havens, Cassandra. "FilmJerk.com - Reviews - XXX: State of the Union" . Archived from the original on October 20, 2006 . Retrieved July 20, 2016 . ↑ David Hiltbrand. "David Hiltbrand Movie Reviews" . Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved April 4, 2019 .

↑ "Movie Review: XXX: State of the Union" . Entertainment Weekly . May 4, 2005. Archived from the original on March 26, 2007. ↑ Paul Arendt (April 28, 2005). "BBC - Movies - review - XXX: The Next Level" . BBC . ↑ Dan Jolin (18 January 2017). "xXx: Return Of Xander Cage Review" . empireonline.com . Retrieved April 4, 2019 . ↑ Lapin, Andrew (January 20, 2017). "Vin Diesel Aims His Skateboard Low With 'xXx: Return Of Xander Cage' " . Uproxx . Retrieved January 20, 2017 . ↑ "XXX Prices GameBoy Advance - Compare Loose, CIB & New Prices" . PriceCharting . United States portal XXX: State of the Union (2005) XXX: Return of Xander Cage (2017) XXX: State of the Union 30 Days of Night Are We There Yet? The Blue Lagoon Charlie's Angels Cruel Intentions Dragon Tattoo Stories ! Five Little Peppers I Know What You Did Last Summer Jumanji Zathura Paul Blart: Mall Cop The Pink Panther ! Pippi Longstocking Single White Female Spider-Man Sam Raimi The Amazing Spider-Man Marvel Cinematic Universe # Spider-Man Universe The Amazing Spider-Man Marvel Cinematic Universe # Spider-Man Universe The Three Stooges The Trouble with Angels When a Stranger Calls Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Hotel Transylvania KPop Demon Hunters ◈ Days of Our Lives Harold and the Purple Crayon So You Think You Can Dance Wheel of Fortune Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? The Young and the Restless Look Who's Talking Starship Troopers Universal Soldier Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Puella Magi Madoka Magica Sword Art Online Ascendance of a Bookworm My Hero Academia Rent-A-Girlfriend Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out! Zombie Land Saga Between the Sky and Sea Doko Demo Issyo Everybody's Golf LittleBigPlanet Marvel's Spider-Man # PaRappa the Rapper Ratchet & Clank SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs This Is Football # Shared with Marvel Comics / Marvel Studios ◈ Co-owned by Netflix, Inc. ! Shared with Amazon MGM Studios / MGM XXX (film series) Film series introduced in 2002 Action film series Thriller film series Spy film series American spy films American action adventure films Columbia Pictures franchises Paramount Pictures franchises Revolution Studios films Sony Pictures franchises Wikipedia indefinitely semi-protected pages Articles with short description Short description is different from Wikidata Template film date with 3 release dates All articles with dead external links Articles with dead external links from July 2025 Articles with permanently dead external links All articles with failed verification Articles with failed verification from May 2019 All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from February 2026 Commons category link from Wikidata