"XXX" sequel to start filming

"XXX2: State of the Union" is set to begin filming in mid-July, it has emerged.

15:06 01 April 2004

"XXX2: State of the Union" is set to begin filming in mid-July, it has emerged.

FilmJerk.com has cited sources close to the production saying the film will be set in Los Angeles, Baltimore, and Washington.

Vin Diesel will not line up for the second instalment of the film series nor will director Rob Cohen.

So far Ice Cube and Samuel L Jackson have signed up for the action-flick - with Michael Roof returning to the franchise to play National Security Agency technical expert Toby Lee Shavers.

One source has said: "While the first film had Vin Diesel's Xander Cage facing thugs from around the world, the sequel will find a new XXX program agent, Darius Stone, embroiled in thwarting...a Washington power struggle."

The original film grossed more than $140 million (75 million) in the US alone. The sequel has been pencilled in for general release on May 13th next year.