image via Everett
The issue of diversity has been a hot topic this week in movie news, inspiring vigorous discussions about the limited opportunities faced by women and people of color, among others. Not to make light of that very important issue, but Vin Diesel's xXx: The Return of Xander Cage appears to be setting a great example in its casting.
The sequel has reached out around the world for talented people from a large variety of backgrounds. The cast is led by Vin Diesel, who has described himself as a person of color, and also includes Toni Collette, Donnie Yen, Deepika Padukone, Tony Jaa, Ruby Rose, Nina Dobrev, Kris Wu and Samuel L. Jackson. That's a refreshing and diverse cast of characters for what sounds like an action-oriented thriller, drawing on a pool of actors from Australia, China, India, Thailand and other lands.
But that's not all! Cast members are still being added and the latest to join is Ariadna Gutiérrez-Arévalo, per TMZ (via The Wrap). She gained fame recently as a contestant in the Miss Universe pageant (above), representing Colombia, when she was mistakenly announced as the winner. (She was actually the runner-up in the pageant.) Reportedly, she will portray Vin Diesel's love interest in the movie, which has begun production.
As is his wont, Diesel continues to be very active on social media. He shared a photo of himself with Nina Dobrev last week, commenting: "Having more fun filming The Return of Xander than I could have expected."
He also shared of photo of himself with Kris Wu, stating: "Kris Wu helping me with my Mandarin for a scene in The New xXx: The Return of Xander Cage!"
In another casual photo from the set, he and costar Ruby Rose shared a moment.
Diesel also provided an official still from the upcoming movie.
xXx: The Return of Xander Cage is set to open in theaters on January 20, 2017.
