After the awkward coronation fail at the 2015 Miss Universe, first runner-up Ariadna Gutierrez of Colombia is finally ready to take the spotlight. The 22-year-old beauty queen will star in "xXx: The Return of Xander Cage" as Vin Diesel's love interest, sources confirmed.
According to Entertainment Tonight, "xXx 3" marks Gutierrez's feature film debut. She joins the star-studded "xXx 3" cast comprised of Nina Dobrev, Ruby Rose, Deepika Padukone, Donnie Yen, Toni Collette and Samuel L. Jackson. The movie also features newcomers Kris Wu, former member of South Korean boy band EXO, and Hermione Corfield, star of "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies."
Vin Diesel said in a lengthy Facebook post that this "might be one of the best cast ever assembled."
Ariadna Gutierrez is heading to Dominican Republic to shoot the film with the rest of the cast of "xXx 3." Sources close to the production told TMZ that Gutierrez will play a key role. She reportedly appears in six scenes and has three pages of dialogue.
In "xXx 3" Vin Diesel's Xander Cage will return from his self-imposed exile and will be pitted against a deadly mafia led by Xiang, played by Donnie Yen. The two teams will race against each other and for their lives to recover a powerful weapon known as Pandora's Box. "xXx: The Return of Xander Cage" is expected to deliver extreme action packed with mind-blowing stunts that hasn't been seen on film.
Coming Soon noted the movie is directed by D.J. Caruso, who previously directed "I Am Number Four" and "Eagle Eye" to name a few.
Ariadna Gutierrez was at the center of controversy when she was mistakenly crowned as the 2015 Miss Universe. Steve Harvey, who made the announcement, retracted his statement and hailed Miss Philippines Pia Wurtzbach as the rightful winner. Moving on from the mishap, Gutierrez made several public appearances including a guesting on Steve Harvey's talk show and a special invitation to the anniversary celebration of Plan Colombia at the White House.
"The Return of Xander Cage" is the third installment in the "xXx" movie franchise. Vin Diesel reprises his role as government operative Xander Cage.
"xXx: The Return of Xander Cage" will be released on Jan. 20, 2017.
