Fuel For Thought

Curiously, the teaser trailer for June's blockbuster hopeful ''The Chronicles of Riddick'' relegates star Vin Diesel to the shadows. Literally. Could that have something to do with the box office tumble the ''XXX'' man's taken (with stinkers ''Knockaround Guys'' in 2002 and 2003's ''A Man Apart'') since he signed on to do the ''Pitch Black'' sequel for a reported $12.5 mil back in 2001? ''People are going to the movies for great stories first,'' says Adam Fogelson, Universal's marketing president, about the fast-paced clip, which features close-ups of costars Judi Dench and Thandie Newton, as well as an army of life-destroying Necromongres. ''Superstars do not guarantee giant numbers,'' he says. As for Diesel, ''Vin believes as strongly as we do.''

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