Jay Chou to co-star with Vin Diesel in xXx 4

Last year, xXx: The Return Of Xander Cage earned almost half its worldwide total of US$346 million (S$475 million) at the Chinese box office.

That jackpot has now propelled the producers to further beef up the Asian appeal, roping in Mandopop goliath Jay Chou to co-star alongside action heavyweight Vin Diesel and Bollywood superstar Deepika Padukone in the follow-up xXx 4 movie.

Chinese actors Zoe Zhang and Roy Wang are also part of the new project directed by D.J. Caruso.

He also helmed the previous edition that did well in China because of Diesel's connection to the high-octane The Fast And The Furious movie franchise.

​Another action hero Jackie Chan is also involved in xXx 4, with his production company joining other Chinese backers in investing in the movie which will start shooting next year.

Chou, 39, previously made his Hollywood forays in adventure flick The Green Hornet (2011) and action-comedy Now You See Me 2 (2016).

For xXx 4, expect the producers to persuade him to contribute songs to the soundtrack too, to further crank up its box-office appeal.

Chou did help out in his previous Hollywood outings, with his songs joining others by big names like Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie and Pharrell Williams.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.