LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: 'Fast & Furious' star Vin Diesel has reportedly achieved big ever since the newest installment of the successful franchise 'Fast X' debuted in theaters on May 19, 2023. The hugely popular movie is currently in its fourth week of release and has made more than $650 million at the global box office and is said to be the fourth-highest-grossing film of this year. But Diesel once revealed how a movie cost him 'everything in his life'.
The popularity of the 55-year-old filmmaker's previous works, such as 'XXX' and 'The Pacifier', is well known. But he got his breakthrough leading role as anti-hero Riddick in the science-fiction film 'Pitch Black'. While 'Fast & Furious' brought in enormous sums of money, 'The Chronicles of Riddick' franchise nearly cost him his home.
How did 'Riddick' almost cost Diesel his home?
'The Chronicles of Riddick' franchise has continued to grow, but it should be noted that it has never really been an instant critically acclaimed hit. When the franchise's third entry came out in 2013, Diesel disclosed that he nearly lost his home during the film. Since no big studio provided finance for 'Riddick', the film's production faced numerous challenges. Diesel claimed that one of the main driving forces behind finishing the movie was his house.
'I would have lost my house'
There were rumors at the time that if the 'Riddick' series hadn't been a hit, the icon might have had to stop acting. The actor admitted in an interview that he had placed such a high value on the success of the film that he had borrowed against his home in order to finance it. "If it didn't work out, I would have lost my house," Diesel stated as per MSNBC'S TheGrio. "Everything I had in my life was leveraged to make this movie. The producer role - the stakes were higher than any producer I know because the skin in the game was real, and I was so committed to answering this growing request from the social media fans to continue this character. The only way I could have pulled it off was by leveraging everything."
'It’s not like any film I’ve done'
In order to address the budget concerns, the crew was compelled to complete the film in 47 days, according to writer and director David Twohy, The Hollywood Reporter reported. Also, Diesel was committed to making the movie happen no matter the cost because it was his dream project. "Something about that comment made me think, bless their heart, and if I can do anything with this newfound success, if I could do anything at all, I could deliver on that wish. It’s a strange and unique sense of gratification, and it’s not like any film I’ve done in the last 10 years." However, 'Riddick' did not contribute significantly to Vin Diesel's career in terms of earnings, coming in at $98.3 million overall.
