The next Chronicles of Riddick movie was supposed to begin filming this summer and it looks like that’s close to happening. Vin Diesel is back as Riddick, of course, but they’ve begun casting other roles in the film.

The guys at Moviehole have gotten their hands on casting sides for Rddick 3 and say the film is currently bringing in actors to test for roles in the sci-fi thriller. In particular, right now they’re looking for people to play these characters: Boss Johns, Santana, Dahl (a sexy female merc), and Krone (a smug commander).

The MH gang has also read the script which they say delivers on the promise to bring the franchise back to its roots, a promise made writer/director David Twohy and star/producer Vin Diesel. That means making another stripped down thriller set in one location like the first movie Pitch Black, instead of a galaxy-spanning multi-planet hopping epic like the second movie. Actually it sounds kind of like it’s the same movie.

Word is that the script has Riddick stranded on yet another barren planet surrounded by monsters and mercenaries who want him dead. This is almost exactly the plot of Pitch Black. They’ve also turned him back into a kick-ass, bloodthirsty badass… which is good. The kinder, gentler Riddick of Chronicles never really fit.

Apparently this is a direct sequel to Pitch Black, with ties to all the fun of that film, though it clearly takes place after the second movie Chronicles of Riddick. Here’s a description of the opening moments of the screenplay:

We meet LORD MARSHAL Riddick. Nobody much likes that Riddick’s royalty now (he loves it; he gets to screw hot chicks) – as evident by the assassins that try and take him out at any and every opportunity – especially the necromancers, who are dead against the anointment of a furyan as a leader. In exchange for the title, Riddick’s reluctant right-hand man and necro Vaako (Karl Urban’s character from the previous film; Urban will likely do it since the character is only in it for a short while) agrees to drop Riddick off at his home, Furya. One thing leads to another and, much like the first film, Riddick finds himself stranded on a monster-infested planet. Instead of it leading to a rescue mission, his distress beacon catches the attention of a couple of merc teams (it would seem Vaako had dispatched them to kill Riddick while he’s isolated; not entirely true) who go after him with ill intentions. One of the teams is lead by someone connected to an old enemy… someone from ”Pitch Black”.

Click over to Moviehole to read more.