I’ll get this out of the way: the xXx franchise isn’t exactly one that’s ripe for mythology. It’s a silly series that revolves around a ridiculous mix of spy movies and extreme sports. Yet somehow here we are, getting ready to throwdown some xXx backstory.

As was explained in an earlier piece on the site, xXx was a franchise created to push Vin Diesel as an action star. However, the star never returned for the sequel, for one reason or another. Instead, audiences were treated to a weird short film that saw Xander Cage getting killed off, paving the way for another xXx agent in the form of Ice Cube.

With xXx: Return of Xander Cage on the horizon, it’s very clear that rumors about Xander’s death were greatly exaggerated, and that the agent is alive and well. So what would the situation here be? Do they plan on ignoring that the train wreck of an Ice Cube flick didn’t even happen. That certainly seemed like a possibility…but then Paramount just went and dropped a new 30-second spot, which features Ice Cube saving Xander’s skin. 

Check it out below!

Interestingly enough, this whole approach with Ice Cube making a return to the series backs up the speculation from our own Mario-Francisco Robles stating that Diesel and Paramount are working hard to make xXx the next Fast & Furious franchise. Now, I’m not necessarily saying Dom’s going to bite the dust in the upcoming Fate of the Furious film, but there are some interesting parallels to be made between the two franchises in light of this new clip.

READ: XXX TO BECOME THE NEXT FAST & FURIOUS. WILL FOURTH FLICK FILM IN MAY?

Let’s take a look at the original Fast and the Furious film, which was a street racing flick revolving around Paul Walker and Vin Diesel’s relationship. From there, the franchise took a bit of a turn when only Walker returned to its sequel, 2 Fast 2 Furious, and brought in Tyrese Gibson as a secondary lead. Then the franchise took another left turn with The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, which seemed to have no connection to anything…until Diesel’s character’s appearance at the end. The next few movies serve as a long flashback, but from there on, it served to sort of mash a few disparate narratives in the franchise into a cohesive story.

Are we witnessing something similar with xXx: Return of Xander Cage? In light of Variety’s recent report surrounding hopes to have a fourth film, we may very well be.

I apologize for breaking down xXx as much as I did. No one should be subjected to that ever again.

xXx: Return of Xander Cage hits theaters on January 20, 2017!

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SOURCE: Paramount