“IF IT CAN’T KILL YOU IT AIN’T A SPORT.” The return of Xander Cage to the silver screen in 2017 after a 15-year absence posed an interesting challenge for Paramount Pictures, which had just taken over distribution rights for the franchise from Columbia Pictures. Where had the thrill-seeking bad-ass played by Vin Diesel been all these years? What had he been doing? Further complicating matters was the 2005 Diesel-less sequel, xXx: State of the Union, which indicated Cage had died as well as a short film set between the first and second entries of the franchise which featured the fairly unambiguous title, The Final Chapter: The Death of Xander Cage.

Paramount needed a roadmap. xXx: Return of Xander Cage might not give away all the secrets of the extreme athlete’s story leading up to the sequel, but a plethora of film marketing and franchise positioning depended on a strong narrative foundation that bridged the in-world time gap. By developing a narrative framework, distilling character traits, and drawing out key questions, Vizir’s Ian Klein helped turn the mysteries of the franchise into a jumping off point for brand extensions, fan-generated content, PR stunts, and campaigns.