Here's who almost played Riddick in Pitch Black, before Vin Diesel was cast. While The Fast And The Furious is the movie that made Vin Diesel a star, his first leading role of note was Richard B. Riddick in 2000's Pitch Black. This cult sci-fi horror saw Diesel's convict stranded alongside a group of civilians on a desolate planet when their ship crashes. Adding to their stresses is the fact the planet is home to vicious, flesh-eating monsters who live in the dark - and a total eclipse is imminent.
David Twohy's Pitch Black is a highly enjoyable b-movie that manages to milk a lot of tension out of a silly premise. Diesel's charisma brought a lot of the movie, and it was already clear he was destined for bigger things. While the movie would receive two bigger budget sequels, Pitch Black remains Riddick's best outing and has become a cult favorite over 20 years after its original release.
Vin Diesel was a relative unknown when he was cast in Pitch Black and was best known for a small role in Saving Private Ryan. When discussing Pitch Black in 2020 with Arrow Video, director Twohy revealed that investors for the movie were very eager to secure some star power and that one day during pre-production they revealed a then major star had read the script and wanted to do it. Despite the bankability this actor would have brought to the project, Twohy stated he "was known to be a major d***" and he refused to work with him, with the director stating he'd rather not make the movie at all when he was pressed by producers.
In a later chat with Yahoo! Twohy revealed the actor in question was Steven Seagal, who at the time was coming off the back of box-office duds like Fire Down Below. Seagal isn't known for playing anti-heroes or appearing in sci-fi or horror, so Pitch Black could have been a major change of pace. His bad reputation turned Twohy off the idea, and the helmer was later given the option to cast the best actor who read for Riddick instead, which was Vin Diesel.
Given how instrumental Diesel's turn as Riddick is to Pitch Black, the movie may not have been as popular if he was played by Seagal. Vin Diesel and David Twohy also formed a creative partnership over the character, with both returning for 2004's The Chronicles Of Riddick and 2013's Riddick. While the project has yet to start filming a fourth entry dubbed Furya is also in development.