JOE ROTH - ROTH 'BURNED' BY XXX SEQUEL

Hollywood movie mogul JOE ROTH has ditched the XXX franchise because he thinks the ICE CUBE-starring sequel was a flop.

The big-name producer broke his own "cardinal rule" when he signed rapper Ice Cube to replace VIN DIESEL in XXX: STATE OF THE UNION - and he has regretted the decision ever since.

He explains, "I believed in the franchise more than I believed in the actor of the franchise and I just didn't want to pay the price for Vin Diesel.

"I broke my own cardinal rule, which is, 'If you're going to do a sequel, keep all the original elements together.'

"I just felt it was going to be way too expensive with Vin and explode into something that was gonna be a nightmare. I chose a different way with Ice Cube and it didn't work. When you get burned like that on a picture it takes a lot to get back to it."