Despite getting back to his sweaty, grunting Dom Toretto form for Fast Five to hefty box office success, it would seem that Vin Diesel is also keeping his family action comedy persona on the boil, signing on to star in and produce The Machine for a newly revitalised MGM.

In the film, Diesel will play a human-like machine created in secrecy 20 years ago by the Pentagon in an attempt to craft the ultimate weapon. But the programme was decommissioned and thrust into mothballs for unknown reasons until the device is reactivated by accident by a kid who ends up becoming his Best Friend Ever. And guess what happens then? The mean ol’ government types decide they want the most dangerous piece of kit known to man back and our heroic automaton must protect his new family. But not before he’s had to adapt to domestic life with UNDOUBTABLY HILARIOUS RESULTS.

It all sounds an awful lot like those dodgy, ET-rip-off kid/robot/alien/whatever bonding films pumped out in the ‘80s, like D.A.R.Y.L., crossed with one of Diesel’s own finest moments, voicing The Iron Giant. We fear it’ll be more like the former, even though reliable comedy types Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant dreamt up the concept and are writing the script. Still, even their names are no guarantee of quality, since they worked on both Night at the Museum films and also on The Pacifier, Vin’s last attempt at the family comedy genre.

There’s no director on board yet, but MGM wants this sucker shooting before the end of the year.