For a bad movie decision, “XXX2” marks the spot

And so word comes that Ice Cube is going to replace Vin Diesel in the sequel to “XXX.” The obvious question is, who thought up this brilliant strategy? Was it Diesel, who made the jump to the cusp of superstardom in the 2002, Rob Cohen-directed original? Was it Cohen, who along with Diesel owns executive-producer credits to the sequel, but who is now busy producing “Stealth”? Was it both of them, who teamed up originally in the 2001 feature “The Fast and the Furious”? Was it Revolution Studios, which is producing what is tentatively called “XXX2” (due out in 2005)? Was it Cohen’s replacement as director, Lee Tamahori (“Die Another Day”)? Was it, I don’t know, the Hollywood Fairy of Big Egos?

Whatever the reason, there is little reason now to want to see “XXX2.” Ice Cube has a decent screen presence, and I’ll be the first in line to see “Barbershop 2” (due out in 2004). But he’s no replacement for Diesel, whose portrayal of Xander Cage made the very idea of James Bond irrelevant and obsolete, and three words tells you why: “Ghost of Mars.” As that lame 2001 John Carpenter film demonstrated, Ice Cube is simply out of his depth as an action star. A set of free movie passes says that the first week’s grosses of “The Chronicles of Riddick,” Diesel’s sequel to his 2000 sci-fi hit “Pitch Black,” surpass those of “XXX2.”