Strange to think that a little trailer gag could launch an entire movie, but if you were to spawn a new project from the fake previews in “Grindhouse,” Robert Rodriguez’s “Machete,” would be the one (note to Eli Roth, don’t bother with “Thanksgiving,” thanks).
The self-contained “story” shown in the Rodriguez/Quentin Tarantino double feature wasn’t rocket science, but it set up the basics of a revenge premise that anyone could swallow. Directors promise these kinds of spin-offs all the time and they rarely happen, but surprisingly enough “Machete,” starring longtime Rodriguez mainstay Danny Trejo is just a few short weeks away from starting production in Austin (free of studio interference, naturally, and before the end of July).
And casting discussions have begun to leak. Bloody Disgusting is reporting that Robert DeNiro, Jonah Hill and Michelle Rodriguez have been cast in the picture in various roles which is not entirely true. No deals are formalized yet and actors are in discussions, but you never really know with these things until the dotted line is signed. Though Hill is said to be playing a young, Cholo, lol. A few other well-known actors are in talks too (some from the “Spy Kids” movies), but there’s no real point in discussing them here until something concrete happens. But it appears Rodriguez has one-upped Stallone a little bit: Steven Seagal is essentially set-up to appear in this as well (and we hear that if one of these names doesn’t turn up, it’s probably DeNiro).
*Update*: Lindsay Lohan involved in “Machete” too? EW talked to reps who denied all the “rumors” so far and say the film is still in development, but that’s laughable, trust us. Also? We heard that Lohan news too, but couldn’t discuss it, but now that the cats out of the bag… Yeah, she’s also in discussions (and EW’s source has also heard the Seagal news too, cue Nikkie Finke? nah…)
Casting news early can end up with yolk on your face, see the people who reported that Chris Pine, Anton Yelchin and Ryan Gosling to appear as “Green Lantern” when none of these actors even made the final four — don’t forget Jared Leto got far in the casting process too. But these discussions at the very least, are not off-point.
“Machete” is being co-directed by himself and his longtime editor Ethan Maniquis. Early on it seemed as if the “Sin City” filmmaker was going to fully hand the reigns off to his collaborator, but now it seems that he’s just as involved. What does that mean for projects scheduled for 2010? Don’t be surprised if some of them are pushed way back.
Here’s that original “Machete” trailer. According to BD, the plot of the film sees Machete (Trejo) as an blade-wielding ex-Federale who hides out as a day laborer, but is double-crossed by a corrupt state senator (De Niro). We assume a release date sometime in 2010.
After the fact update: Yes, Jonah Hill eventually dropped out of his role and it was filled by Daryl Sabara of “Spy Kids”