Pitch Black 2 Strikes Gold

Low-budget hit Pitch Black caused quite a stir when it popped out of nowhere in 2000. Featuring a largely unknown cast, the film proved one of the best sci-fi films in years, scaring the hell out of audiences and making a star of the gravel-toned ex-doorman, Vin Diesel. But, while the first film skated by on sheer style, the sequel-makers are leaving nothing to chance the second time around and have enlisted Oscar-winning screenwriter Akiva Goldsman to drum up the script. Walking away with his very own Academy Award for A Beautiful Mind, Goldsman's past sins (Batman and Robin, Lost in Space) were summarily forgiven and, with Diesel's hulking anti-hero returning for a second round, the pair may ensure that The Chronicles of Riddick doesn't fall into the usual paint-by-numbers sequel trap. Picking up the trail of Richard B Riddick, escaped convict and murderer, the sequel doesn't sound too far removed from its predecessor. "It's not scary, but it's like a creature movie," says Diesel. "We're on another planet and it's crazy. These creatures come out only in the dark, and we can only see in the dark." Filming on The Chronicles of Riddick is scheduled to begin in August.