September 26, 2001
The stock market may be in turmoil, but Hollywood studios are demonstrating their confidence about investing in upstart action hero Vin Diesel.

Variety reports that Diesel, who recently signed a $10 million deal for the upcoming "XXX," has landed a deal worth more than $11 million to star in a sequel to the space action movie "Pitch Black."

Diesel, whose turn in "The Fast And The Furious" helped that film earn over $140 million domestically, will star in "The Chronicles Of Riddick," reprising the character he played in "Pitch Black."

Variety said Diesel had been in negotiations with Fox to take on another high-profile project: a big-screen adaptation of Marvel Comics' "Daredevil," about a blind lawyer blessed with radar-like sensitivity and acrobatic skill.

The report said Diesel ultimately spurned the "Daredevil" deal to take on "Riddick." (More on Vin Diesel)