On the heels of this year’s global success story that was Fast & Furious 6, and what might also be a global hit in the upcoming Riddick next month, Vin Diesel has sold another sci-fi thriller – this one to Universal – titled Soldiers of the Sun, which Diesel will star in, and produce with Samantha Vincent via their One Race Films production banner, along with veteran producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, says THR.

Sun is set in a post-apocalyptic future and focuses on a squad of soldiers that searches for a fabled city of gold while on a tour of duty in Mexico liberating it from an alien race known as Orcs.

J. R. R. Tolkien had a few things to say about “Orcs” in his writings, didn’t he?

Expectations for Soldiers Of The Sun are that it becomes yet another franchise series for Diesel, who already leads 2 successful franchises in the Fast and Furious and Riddick series.

I suppose this is an example of Hollywood studio thinking these days – projects that have franchise potential are more attractive than those that don’t, so that they can produce sequel, after sequel, after sequel, in addition to spin-offs, prequels, etc.

Arash Amel, who penned the upcoming Grace Kelly biopic Grace of Monaco (which stars Nicole Kidman) will do the same for Soldiers Of The Sun.

In addition to shooting the next installment of the Fast & Furious franchise  (#7), the super-busy Diesel is set to begin production on The Last Witch Hunter for Summit, which will see Diesel star as the last remaining witch hunter who battles against an uprising of witches in modern day New York.

He is also in talks to do voicework in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy.