The box office numbers for Chronicles of Riddick were disappointing to both Universal and the film's creator and star. With Riddick, which Diesel and Twohy view as a stand-alone feature, they hope to get the franchise back on track. Said Twohy, "At its core [Riddick] is a survival story about one man, and his only way to get off this planet is to call in the mercenaries for a ride. That said, we don’t turn our backs on the mythology that we planted in the last movie, and we are actually bringing Karl [Urban] back for a few days of filming
to advance it and lay the groundwork for movie four. We’re concerned with paying off the loyal fans and think that if somebody doesn’t understand something the solution is to look at the other two movies and get up to speed. It does play in a gratifying way as a standalone movie, but there are threads that we continue to sew that we started in previous movies and will continue in future movies."
In terms of where the franchise heads next, Vin Diesel adds, "You’ve got to go to the Underverse. It’s expected, it’s something I firmly believe. You’ll have to go through the Underverse to get to Furya. So, those are the two further stories that are mapped out. The Underverse is a much more costly venture. We went this direction, trying to do an R-rated movie, which is cool and even more interesting because it’s so unexpected. But yes, you will be at the Underverse and you will be at Furya sooner or later." Riddick will arrive in US theaters on September 6.