When I met Danny Trejo in 2010, he was out promoting the original Machete. I was surprised at his height (he’s really, really small), but I was even more surprised by his kindness and infectious joy. Machete may not text, but Machete has big heart. Unlike many other professional actors he’s actually fulfilled by his work, loving every day on every set he’s on. Back then, no one including me expected Machete to ever become a fricking franchise, but he did. With a big grin on his face he told me that Machete Kills would be made, no matter what, and that his pal Rodriguez had already mapped out a third, even crazier chapter. Which he was sure would happen. Again, no matter what.
I’m telling you this because he just claimed that Machete Kills… In Space will start production this year. Talking to Halloween Daily News at Mad Monster Party Horror Convention, Trejo confirmed that he and Robert Rodriguez are going to finish the trilogy. He didn’t go into details, but I sure can understand believing him and reporting this as actual news. Trejo has more than two hundred acting credits on IMDb, eleven credits just for 2014. The seventy-year-old has no reason to bullshit us, and we should believe him.
Still, this is a huge surprise. Machete Kills bombed. Hard. No producer in his right mind would finance another one. Even a bigger cast with lots of famous names couldn’t save Machete’s sequel, and going to space doesn’t exactly seem like a more commercial idea. Robert Rodridguez? He’s a great guy, but it’s undeniable Sin City: A Dame to Kill For tanked. Spy Kids: All the Time in the World was another hit in that specific franchise, but better don’t look up Shorts, Planet Terror and The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl on Box Office Mojo. I guess he’s doing well with his El Rey TV channel, so why dare another Machete movie? Why not do a Machete TV series, or let the character join his From Dusk till Dawn series? I’d even suggest to develop shows for El Mariachi or Spy Kids instead. Doing that Machete / Moonraker movie for real is either an incredibly bold or insanely stupid idea.
What do you think? And what did you think of Machete Kills? I guess I liked it, although it did lack much of the original’s clumsy charme.
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