Miss Colombia to play Vin Diesel's love interest in 'xXx' sequel

Los Angeles, March 2 (IANS) Miss Columbia Ariadna Gutirrez, the first runner-up in the Miss Universe contest last year, has been cast as Vin Diesel's love interest in xXx: The Return of Xander Cage.

Gutierrez, who was Miss Colombia 2014, gained massive international recognition at the Miss Universe pageant when host Steve Harvey announced her as the winner by mistake when it was actually Miss Philippines, Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach, who won.

The movie, the shooting of which is underway in Toronto and the Dominican Republic, will mark her feature film debut, reports tmz.com.

Indian actress Deepika Padukone has a key role with Diesel, joining actresses Ruby Rose, Nina Dobrev, Donnie Yen and Samuel L. Jackson.

Production house Paramount last week announced January 20, 2017 as release date.

The film, produced by Revolution Studios, Roth Kirschenbaum Films and Diesel's One Race Film, is being directed by D.J. Caruso (I Am Number Four) from a script by Chad St. John, with current revisions by F. Scott Frazier.

Diesel starred in the original 2002 'XXX,' directed by Rob Cohen, as underground sports star Xander Cage, who was blackmailed by the U.S. government to take down a gang of international terrorists.

The third film follows Diesel's character as he comes out of self-imposed exile to recover a sinister and seemingly unstoppable weapon known as Pandora's Box.