xXx 4 Should Borrow From Fast & Furious And Introduce Xander Cage's Family
If xXx 4 wants to evolve the series, it should take a page out of The Fast And The Furious playbook and bring in some of Xander Cage's family. The original xXx was custom built for Vin Diesel as a star vehicle, following the surprise success of 2001's The Fast And The Furious. Plans to turn it into a James Bond-style series came to halt when the star passed on a sequel, with Ice Cube taking over for State Of The Union in 2005. This follow-up was a box-office dud, but Diesel was later lured back for 2017's The Return Of Xander Cage.
While that appeared to right the ship, xXx 4 has been delayed due to lawsuits. Despite being one of Diesel's most well-known franchises, he's only played Cage twice over a 20-year span. Compared to his run as Dom in the Fast & Furious movies - who throughout that series has evolved from street racer to saving the world multiple times - has barely scratched the surface of Cage as a character. Outside of his fondness for tattoos and extreme sports, there's not much depth to Xander.
xXx 4 doesn't have to go to Shakespearian depths to get under Cage's skin, but he could use some fleshing out. Given the popularity of the ongoing Fast And Furious saga, the next xXx could dig into his past and explore some of his family ties. Outside of briefly mentioning an aunt in the original movie, the xXx series hasn't revealed much about Cage's clan and a sequel that sees him connect with his family could bring some emotional heft to the movies.
Given that F9 focused on Dom going head to head - and eventually somewhat reconciling - with his estranged brother Jakob (John Cena), maybe that's too familiar a beat for xXx 4. That said, a younger brother or sister he barely knows, or even a son or daughter he's never met, could be one direction to explore. Given that Xander's taste for mayhem is one of his defining traits, a xXx 4 where he has to connect with or somewhat keep a child of his own under control has potential.
xXx 4 will likely carry on from the events of The Return Of Xander Cage and see the title spy working with his fellow former agents like Cube's Darius Stone. The series is ultimately going for more over the top thrills than the more recent James Bond movies, but it wouldn't hurt to have a little bit of heart mixed in. The next sequel doesn't have to be a straight rip of the Fast And Furious formula, but a Xander Cage family member or two could give some more stakes to the saga.