Visit the Riddick Store!
NEWS
Current
Archive
RIDDICK 3
Info coming soon!
PITCH BLACK
Watch now!
Info/FAQ
Screen Caps
Cast/Crew/Biz
Script
Concept Art
Wheat Script FAQ
Unrated DVD FAQ
Cards
Links
T.C.O. RIDDICK
Watch now!
Info/FAQ
Screen Caps
Knives & Shivs
Stills
Characters
Cast/Crew/Biz
Script Pages
Continuity Photos
Figures
Cards
Links
BUTCHER BAY
Info/FAQ
Media
DARK ATHENA
Info/FAQ
Media
Trailer 1
DARK FURY
Info/FAQ
Interview
Media
INTO PITCH BLACK
Media
THE UNIVERSE
People
Places
Things
SITE
Messageboards
Contact Email
PBer on MySpace
|
|
THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK FAQ
|
|
The goal of this section is to give you a general idea of what is known about the movie THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK, and to try to answer any questions you might have. This should cover the most obvious stuff... anything I missed?.
One thing worth noting is that Amazon has The Chronicles of Riddick as part of their video on-demand setup, so you can either buy and download the movie to watch as many times as you'd like, or you can 'rent' it for 24 hours. Don't want to wait to pick up the DVD? Then click here and watch it right now.
The Production
When was it released?
6/11/04 in the US
How long did it take to make?
PITCH BLACK came out in February 2000, did decently, then hit DVD and took off. After that Universal signed Vin Diesel to a sequel, passed on David Twohy's pitch, and started trying to get a prequel script written. It wasn't until mid-2002 that the studio came back to Twohy and actually got the ball rolling.
How much money did it make?
About $58 million gross in the US and about $57 million overseas. First-day domestic video sales were about 1.5 million units. Time will tell how well the video performs.
How much did it cost?
Final reported production costs were $105M and marketing was $35M. Rumors placed these costs much higher but we'll probably never know for sure.
What Studio and Production company is it under?
Universal Studios, Radar, and One Race Productions (Vin Diesel and his production partner George Zakk).
What is the future of the franchise?
Twohy has pitched the idea of two more movies after THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK. The next movie would take place in the Underverse and the last would reveal how the Elementals are involved with all this, along with Riddick coming to terms with his Furyan ancestry.
The movie underperformed dramatically so video sales are going to need to be pretty huge to make the economics of a sequel attractive to the studio. The game and PITCH BLACK DVD rerelease sold very well.
Movie Stuff
What kind of movie is this?
Giant epic SF/Adventure. Gone is the small-scale horror of PITCH BLACK, replaced by guys in spaceships that wear medieval looking armor.
What is the plot?
Riddick is still an outlaw, five years after dropping Jack and Imam off in New Mecca and disappearing. When bounty hunters flush him out of his remote hiding place, he heads back to 'politely' discuss this with the only person that knew where he had gone. He arrives on the planet Helion Prime, home to a multicultural society that he soon discovers is about to get their rainbow-loving asses kicked by a giant army of something called Necromongers. The Imam, guided by an envoy from the elder race of Elementals named Aereon, had sought Riddick's capture because of a prophesy that said he would be the one to help defeat this evil army.
The Necromongers are another elder race that seek a higher level of existence, a form of death, in a place called the Underverse. They plan on taking everyone with them so they travel from planet to planet, decimating the populations in the name of their religion. They are led by the Lord Marshal, who captures Riddick and learns that the two of them share both a past and a future.
Riddick escapes from the massive Necromonger capital ship Basilica, and as he is trying to get out of the city of New Mecca is captured by a new team of bounty hunters. They bring him to one of only three triple-max security prisons, this one located in an old volcano cone on the planet of Crematoria. It is here that Riddick rediscovers Jack, now going by the name of Kyra and twisted by the things that befell her in her attempts to find Riddick.
Riddick, Kyra, the prison leader The Guv, and a few others manage to escape to the surface of Crematoria in an attempt to get to the hangar where the Merc bounty hunter ship is at. As they race the sunrise (bringing Crematoria's 700-degree daylight), they discover that a team of Necromongers has landed on the planet in an attempt to find Riddick. It is here that these Necromongers, led by one of Lord Marshal's commanders Vaako, fight the escaped convicts and the survivors of a fight between the Mercs and prison guards.
Riddick undergoes an awakening regarding his past and abilities, and returns to the Basilica to accept his fate.
Are there monsters like in PITCH BLACK?
This is not a monster movie, but rather an investigation into the mythology of Riddick's universe and past. However, huge alien hyena-dog creatures are used to control prisoners in Crematoria, and the Necromongers use these space-zombie things called Lensors as scanning devices.
The DVDs
When were they released?
The original releases were out on November 16th, 2004 and the Trilogy set was released May 30th, 2006.
How many versions are there?
First Universal released the following individual DVD packages, all single disk:
They also had a different release exclusive to Best Buy stores, with slightly different packaging and a second DVD loose inside the box with a bunch of documentaries about the creation of the movie. Nowadays the only way to get this is via Ebay.
Then Universal released a two-disk "Trilogy" DVD set that combines the widescreen unrated director's cuts of Pitch Black, The Chronicles of Riddick, and Dark Fury. Finally there are also UMD
(for the Sony Playstation Portable PSP ) and HD-DVD versions
.
Amazon has it in their Video On Demand thing, if you want to just click a link and watch it immediately.
What bonus features are there?
You can read a detailed analysis of the extras here. These are the same as in the Trilogy set.
What's different in the unrated version?
Here is an entire article about it, with screen captures and analysis.
The Book/Novelisation
Who wrote it?
Alan Dean Foster
How is it different from the movie?
It's pretty close to the director's cut other than a totally different ice planet scene and a slightly different ending. Oh, and Toombs dies.
Does it suck?
Seemed to me that Foster rushed this a bit but it's still a decent read.
Were can I get it?
Grab it here from Amazon .
Scripts
Who wrote what?
David Twohy wrote the script. Previous scripts were written by David Hayter and Akiva Goldsman but those were mostly chucked.
Wasn't this movie supposed to be a prequel to PITCH BLACK?
That was the story for a long time, but strangely enough two early scripts have been reviewed that were both sequels. One took place on the same planet but involved bigger monsters, and one took place on a different planet and involved totally different monsters.
UPDATE: I've read a Hayter/Goldsman draft set on the same planet, and yeah it's pretty dire. A decent director could have made at least a good looking and derivative good time, but if you've seen ALIENS, BLADE RUNNER, and well PITCH BLACK, then you've already seen this version.
Where can I get a copy of the final version?
It has not been made available, and Twohy indicates there won't be much chance of a release in the future, but you can read two pages of it here.
Miscellaneous
Where can I get contacts like Riddick's?
Thanks to reader John, there are two ways now. The original was to hit FXEyes, who offer mirrored contacts (bottom row of that page, all the way to the right) for $330. However, John was quick to throw out the following caution and alternate suggestion:
I noticed your info about getting the mirrored lenses, but I would not recommend going to FXeyes.com to get them. Contacts are NOT one size fits all, especially rigid lenses, which can scratch or press against the cornea of the eye. I spoke with Jack, the owner of the company, and he seems to know a great deal about soft lenses, but very little about Rigid Gas Permeable lenses (RGPs).
If people are interested in getting some mirrored lenses, I have ordered two pair through Chris Gregg, the owner of a theatrical lens company called Costumes for Your Eyes, or www.freakyeyes.com located in Minnesota. You get fitted for the lenses by your eye care physician, and then either send those lenses to Chris, or have Chris order a pair with those measurements, and he'll then coat the hard lenses with the mirroring effect. He can do it in silver, gold, red, or blue (I believe). I ordered a smaller pair of RGPs (9.5mm in diameter) last year, and they were a blast, but this year I special ordered some that were 14mm in diameter, for easier visibility and more realistic screen accuracy, since Vin's contacts covered his iris, and the 9.5mm contacts won't cover your iris, which is usually 11.5mm or so. Just figured I'd let you know what I knew so that other Riddick fanatics can enjoy the lenses. For those who have never worn contacts or rigid contacts, they are not easy! You better be prepared!
Where can I get goggles like Riddick's?
Here ya go, goggles like Riddick's for $109 from Reel World Props. Note that sometimes they take the site down when they need to build up more inventory. Just keep checking back.
What about the other goggles in the movie?
If you maybe liked not Riddick's goggles but one of the other sets used by different actors, PitcherBlacker site visitor Peter did some sleuthing and found out some info about them.
The merc pilot (Terry Chen) and the female merc (Christina Cox), were using vintage Willson (with two "L"s) welding glasses in their high speed landing. This auction spelled the brand name wrong, but the type is identical to those worn by Christina Cox. Hers had darker lenses, though.
Also, the two yellow "sulpher miners" that attack Riddick when he is lowered into the Crematoria's prison were wearing Swiss military goggles. View them here or here. Even though they're not seen very well, they're a very complex and astoundingly well made set of eyewear. Incidentally, those URLs are just for the photos. I contacted both sources and they're out of stock. The only place I've been able to find that still sells the Swiss goggles is one seller on eBay.
Where can I get replicas of some of those badass knives?
This entry in the FAQ has been broken out into a separate section. Enjoy.
|
|
