Looks like Vin Diesel is not about to disappear any time soon. After The Fast and the Furious made a sneak attack at the box office in June, Diesel has inked a deal to star in Revolution Studios' XXX.

The project will reunite the actor with Furious director Rob Cohen and producer Neal Moritz. The script was written by Airheads and Glory Daze scribe Rich Wilkes.

Revolution Studios exec Todd Garner described XXX as a spy thriller with extreme attitude in music and style. The project, however, is not based on the Dark Horse comic book by the same name.

The plot centers on a tough extreme sports player (Diesel), who is co-opted by the government to infiltrate a crime ring. Sounds like the perfect role for the hulking actor.

Diesel hits pay dirt

XXX, which begins shooting this fall, will earn the actor the hefty sum of $10 million. That's quite a raise from the $2.5 million Diesel earned for his role in the upcoming El Diablo and even better than the low seven figures he reportedly received for Furious. Could Diesel be on his way to joining the $20 million-and-over club like evergreen members Mel Gibson, Jim Carrey, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone?

The $10 million figure brought about some speculation as to whether Revolution Studios could even afford to have Diesel star in XXX, considering the substantial price tag attached. Along with Diesel, the studio was also considering Trainspotting actor Ewan McGregor. But concessions were apparently made to get Diesel his asking price without breaking the bank, or the film's $50 million or so budget.

When did he get so popular?

When Furious topped the box office in June, Cohen told Variety, "To say that I am surprised and stunned is a wild understatement.''

The actioner was originally slated for a spring release but stepped up to the summer schedule after extremely favorable test screenings.

Diesel's pre-Furious repertoire includes The Iron Giant, Boiler Room, Pitch Black and Saving Private Ryan. He also wrote, directed, produced and starred in the 1995 short film Multi-Facial, which caught Steven Spielberg's attention at the Cannes Film Festival. The film focuses on an actor struggling to get roles because of his race.

But with the runaway success of Furious, it seems Diesel was the one holding the trump card in the negotiations for XXX.

It's all about the sequels

Moritz has already confirmed that talks are under way for a sequel to Furious. If the project ever makes its way into production, Diesel would most likely come back to reprise his role as Dom, but at what price?

Recently, Universal Studios and director David Twohy were able to woo Diesel into making a sequel to Pitch Black called The Chronicles of Riddick. The film would follow the continuing adventures of Riddick, a prisoner (Diesel) who ends up protecting his captors from aliens on a hostile planet.

What's next?

Along with El Diablo, Diesel will also star with John Malkovich and Dennis Hopper in the long-awaited Knockaround Guys and has been mentioned for a role in the remake of M with troubled rapper DMX.

The comic book fan has denied rumors about any attachment to the big screen adaptation of Hellboy.

Diesel told SCIFIWire.com in June, "Absolutely none, except for my admiration for the project," he said in an interview. "This won't be the first time that I find out what my next project is from a team of reporters."

One thing remains certain: this juggernaut of an actor may become one of the baddest action figures in films to come.

XXX has been earmarked for a summer 2002 release.