Star-Studded Line-Up for Rodriguez's Machete!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
By: MrDisgusting

We just got a monster tip that comes from one of regular scoopers who enjoys remaining anonymous.

While we was dead-on with his insider info on Alien and Predators, he was off on announcing that Neil Marshall would direct Predators (although it's a known fact that he was in close negotiations).

This afternoon I got a phone call from our good pal who tells us he has the names of the first four individuals cast in Robert Rodriguez's Machete feature film! Read on for the skinny.


What we learned is the following:

Robert Rodriguez and Ethan Maniquis are teaming up to begin filming Machete on July 29th. They are co-directors.

-DANNY TREJO is returning (obviously) as "Machete", the madman bent on revenge.
-MICHELLE RODRIGUEZ is said to be playing "Luz".
-JONAH HILL, the comedian who has starred in such films as Superbad and the forthcoming Adam Sandler comedy Funny People, will play "Julio".
-Lastly, a legend of our time, ROBERT DE NIRO, will take on the role of "Senator McLaughlin".

Machete (Trejo) is a Mexican ex-Federale with a gift for wielding a blade, who hides out as a day laborer, who is double-crossed by a corrupt state senator (De Niro).

Obviously, keep this sucker filed under "rumor" until confirmed.

http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/16770

Lindsay Lohan to Star in Machete?
Saturday, August 1, 2009
By: MrDisgusting

"something was made official today!!!!!!!!!"

Lindsay Lohan screams on her Twitter page. Two hours later she posted a link to the IMDB page for Robert Rodriguez's Machete, which also features Danny Trejo, Michelle Rodriguez, Jonah Hill, Robert De Niro and even 80's action star Steven Seagal as cast.

Obviously we'll wait for some official confirmation, but it looks like Rodriguez is keeping the grindhouse appeal with the feature film version of his faux trailer.

Ethan Maniquis will co-direct the film that follows Machete, a Mexican ex-Federale with a gift for wielding a blade, who hides out as a day laborer, who is double-crossed by a corrupt state senator.

http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/16950

Official Machete Casting Gets Even More Bizarre
Thursday, August 6, 2009
By: MrDisgusting

I'll take two out of three any day.

Entertainment Weekly confirms our exclusive breaking news that Robert De Niro and Michelle Rodriguez would be topling Robert Rodriguez's Machete alongside Danny Trejo as the title character, a report some readers called "fan fiction" - welcome to reality.

The sad news is that Jonah Hill will NOT be taking on a role as we previously reported.

Although, EW confirms/adds that Lindsay Lohan, Steven Seagal, Jessica Alba, Don Johnson and Cheech Marin have all been locked into the film being helmed by Rodriguez and Ethan Maniquis.


Machete is a Mexican (Trejo) ex-Federale with a gift for wielding a blade, who hides out as a day laborer, who is double-crossed by a corrupt state senator (De Niro).

http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/16993

Official Machete Press Release Adds More Details, Cast
Thursday, August 6, 2009
By: MrDisgusting

Robert Rodriguez has cast Jessica Alba (Sin City),
Robert De Niro,
Michelle Rodriguez (Fast & Furious),
Lindsay Lohan (Mean Girls),
Cheech Marin (Once Upon a Time in Mexico),
Jeff Fahey (Lost),
Don Johnson,
Steven Seagal (Under Siege)
alongside Danny Trejo in the highly anticipated spin-off action flick, Machete.

The film is based on the "fake" trailer in Rodriguez’s 2007 GRINDHOUSE, featuring Trejo and Fahey reprising their original roles. MACHETE is being produced by Rodriguez who is the co-director with Ethan Maniquis, his long time editor. Rodriguez and Overnight Productions announced today that shooting is gearing up out of Troublemaker Studios in Austin, Texas.


MACHETE was originally a hard-edged trailer featured in GRINDHOUSE that became fanboy fodder since its first showing at the 2006 Comic-Con. "Machete had become my most requested movie and I never actually made it, so when the opportunity arose to answer the call with such an amazing cast, I jumped." said Rodriguez.

The feature version of the trailer finds Machete (Trejo) a renegade former Mexican Federale, roaming the streets of Texas after a shakedown from drug lord Torrez (Seagal). Reluctantly, Machete takes an offer from spin doctor Benz (Fahey) to assassinate McLaughlin (De Niro) a corrupt Senator. Double crossed and on the run Machete braves the odds with the help of Luz (Rodriguez), a saucy taco slinger, Padre (Marin) his “holy” brother, and April (Lohan) a socialite with a penchant for guns. All while being tracked by Sartana (Alba), a sexy ICE agent with a special interest in the blade slinger.

Rodriguez who also penned the script will serve triple duty as Producer with Elizabeth Avellán of Troublemaker Studios, and Rick Schwartz, Aaron Kaufman, and Iliana Nikolic of Overnight Productions, who will also provide the film's financing.

http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/17003

Lindsay Lohan on the set of Machete.

The Crazy Babysitter Twins Become Sexy Nurses in Machete!
Friday, September 25, 2009
By: MrDisgusting

Bloody Disgusting learned exclusively that Elise and Electra Avellan aka "The Crazy Babysitter Twins" from Grindhouse have been added to the ever growing cast of Robert Rodriguez's Machete.

This time they will be known as "The Sexy Nurses" - perhaps the idea was inspired by their Maxim shoot where they were dressed up as sexy nurses?

The twins will be appearing at Spooky Empire in Orlando Florida with "Machete" co-star Danny Trejo on October 9-11, 2009. There will be a special midnight screening on Saturday night of the twin's new film The Black Waters of Echo's Pond at the event. Get your tickets now!



The twins star alongside Danny Trejo, Michelle Rodriguez, Robert De Niro, Robert De Niro, Jessica Alba, Steven Seagal, Cheech Marin, Don Johnson, Jeff Fahey in the Robert Rodriguez and Ethan Maniquis co-directed film.

Machete is a Mexican ex-Federale with a gift for wielding a blade, who hides out as a day laborer, who is double-crossed by a corrupt state senator.

http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/17502

First Look as a Badass Tom Savini in Machete
Friday, October 9, 2009
By: MrDisgusting

A reader just sent us in an early look at Tom Savini in Robert Rodriguez and Ethan Maniquis' Machete, which feature the FX artist/actor with a giant gun and confirmation that he does in fact have a role.

He stars alongside Danny Trejo, Michelle Rodriguez, Robert De Niro, Jessica Alba, Steven Seagal, Cheech Marin, Don Johnson, Jeff Fahey, Elise Avellan and Electra Avellan in the feature-lenth version of Rodriguez's faux trailer made for Grindhouse.

Machete (Trejo) is a Mexican ex-Federale with a gift for wielding a blade, who hides out as a day laborer, who is double-crossed by a corrupt state senator.


"The feature version of the trailer finds Machete (Trejo) a renegade former Mexican Federale, roaming the streets of Texas after a shakedown from drug lord Torrez (Seagal).

Reluctantly, Machete takes an offer from spin doctor Benz (Fahey) to assassinate McLaughlin (De Niro) a corrupt Senator. Double crossed and on the run Machete braves the odds with the help of Luz (Rodriguez), a saucy taco slinger, Padre (Marin) his “holy” brother, and April (Lohan) a socialite with a penchant for guns.

All while being tracked by Sartana (Alba), a sexy ICE agent with a special interest in the blade slinger."

http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/17648

Pretty cool I'm a Savini fan.

Pretty cool I'm a Savini fan.

Yes. To me this movie looks great.

AFM '09: Promo One Sheet for Machete
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
By: MrDisgusting

On display at this week's AFM were a slew of character posters for Robert Rodriguez's Machete. While they were all under lock and key, we were able to snap a shot of Jessica Alba in the film, which can be viewed beyond the break.

Ethan Maniquis co-directed the film starring Danny Trejo, Michelle Rodriguez, Robert De Niro, Steven Seagal, Cheech Marin, Don Johnson, Jeff Fahey, Elise Avellan, Electra Avellan and Tom Savini.

Machete is a Mexican ex-Federale with a gift for wielding a blade, who hides out as a day laborer, who is double-crossed by a corrupt state senator.



"The feature version of the trailer finds Machete (Trejo) a renegade former Mexican Federale, roaming the streets of Texas after a shakedown from drug lord Torrez (Seagal). Reluctantly, Machete takes an offer from spin doctor Benz (Fahey) to assassinate McLaughlin (De Niro) a corrupt Senator.

Double crossed and on the run Machete braves the odds with the help of Luz (Rodriguez), a saucy taco slinger, Padre (Marin) his “holy” brother, and April (Lohan) a socialite with a penchant for guns. All while being tracked by Sartana (Alba), a sexy ICE agent with a special interest in the blade slinger."

http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/17965

Robert Rodriguez, Danny Trejo on Machete, and Potential Sequels!
Monday, December 21, 2009
By: Chris Eggertsen

During a set visit to the new film Predators directed by Nimrod Antal and currently filming at Troublemaker Studios in Austin, Texas, Bloody-Disgusting had the chance to catch up with Robert Rodriguez (who is producing the film) and Danny Trejo (one of the stars) to ask them about their upcoming film Machete, which is being released next April.



Trejo gave us a little more background on the project, which actually was an idea Rodriguez had back in the early days of their collaboration.

"Everybody thinks that 'Machete' came out of a trailer, but it didn’t," said Trejo.

"Robert told me that he wanted to do this movie called 'Machete' when we were doing 'Desperado'."


The actor also hinted that the film might possibly have a few similarities to Rodriguez's From Dusk 'Til Dawn, although whether that means we'll see anything more horror-related in Machete remains to be seen.

"It is a culmination of 'Desperado', 'Once Upon a Time in Mexico'…there’s even a little bit of 'From Dusk ‘Til Dawn' in there," he hinted. "I think it’s gonna be one of his best...I think everybody’s gonna walk away from that movie with some opinion. It’s a battle for our border, you know?

People are really serious about what’s going on with the border, and it shows the negative side of both sides. Not just, you know, we want everybody to cross, or we don’t want anybody to cross. It shows the negative side of both sides. Everybody’s gonna be pissed off."




In the film, Trejo stars as Machete, a Mexican ex-Federale with a gift for wielding a blade, hides out as a day laborer, and is double-crossed by a corrupt state senator.


As for sequel possibilities, Trejo threw out some possible titles he and Rodriguez have discussed.

"We want 'Machete', 'Machete Kills', and 'Machete Kills Again'," said Trejo.



For his part, Rodriguez said he's currently editing the film, and also writing the score for it.

He also confirmed that the Mariachi trilogy will be released on Blu-ray next year, and that there will be something new included on the discs.

"There’s something we’re working on," said Rodriguez.

"I can’t say what it is...I know its no fun when you don’t say anything but I just can’t."



For those that loved the faux-'70s look of Grindhouse and its trailers, you can also can look forward to more of the same in the feature version of Machete.

The "print" will indeed utilize the same raw, scratchy "grindhouse" aesthetic.


As for those sequels, Rodriguez had his own title to offer after being asked whether they would indeed be calling the next two 'Kills' and 'Kills Again'.

"We always talked about making him a franchise character...they're fun titles," he said. "I do like 'Machete in Space' though."

http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/18458

FOX Wins Studio War For Robert Rodriguez' Machete; Now His New Filmmaking Home
By Nikki Finke | Sunday January 24, 2010


EXCLUSIVE: The auction ended late Friday night and I've been putting together what happened ever since.

Certainly you'll recall the big cool quotient around Machete, that famously fake trailer by Robert Rodriguez from Grindhouse. It was considered the single best thing about that Weinstein Co double-feature flop that also included Quentin Tarantino's pic.

Rodriguez' fake trailer hinted at a good story (Mexican day laborer is set up, double-crossed, and left for dead -- then starts everyone's worst nightmare) and carried an even better catchphrase ("They just f*cked with the wrong Mexican.")

Machete's YouTube video alone has 1.4 million views, which wasn't lost on Hollywood. The result was 6 studios all very interested in domestic distribution rights to Rodriguez' latest -- Sony, Lionsgate, Warner Bros, Fox, Paramount, and The Weinstein Co.




Rodriguez had made the fake trailer into a real movie outside the studio system. With help from Rick Schwartz's Overnight Productions, Rodriquez indie financed Machete with $20 million from selling international rights to Sony and making some other global sales and another $5 million he borrowed.

Rodriguez not only wrote and produced the pic but he also co-directed it with Ethan Maniquis. It stars an eclectic cast to put it mildly of Robert De Niro, Lost's Michelle Rodriguez, Jessica Alba, Lindsay Lohan, and Danny Trejo.

With the picture now in the editing room, Rodriguez and his longtime agent WME's Robert Newman (who's been there from the start of the writer-director's career) decided to look for domestic distribution.




All six interested studios screened about 15 to 30 minutes of footage. Newman's proposal was for $9 million upfront, no P&A commitment but the guarantee of a wide release, and a big backend gross participation for Rodriguez. (I'm told in the 10%-12% neighborhood.)

Both FOX and Paramount said yes, and then, in an unusual move, Newman went back to the two studios and asked for more gross percentage and an overall production deal for Rodriguez.

Paramount balked, so did FOX. But FOX reminded everyone that it was already very much in the Robert Rodriguez business making Predators, and Tom Rothman really wanted him to have a home there, and Rodriguez and Rothman get along well, so a deal was clinched.




Which leads me to one of the most interesting aspects of this behind-the-scenes. Since The Weinstein Co had first-look on Machete, why didn't it do the deal? After all, when Harvey and Bob started their successor company to Miramax, they did it on the back of their longtime relationships with Tarantino and Rodriguez.

And they're making Spy Kids 4 with Robert. "I really don't know why. That's for Harvey to answer," one insider tells me. Rival studios are speculating TWC couldnt come up with the $9M.

Yet a Weinstein Co insider claims it could have scooped up the pic for just $3.5M but didn't because "we saw the footage and it's not very good at all." Sounds like sour grapes amid the indie studio's layoffs, pic pushbacks, money woes. (Weinstein Co Gets "New Lease On Life"?)




Well, that certainly makes it clear now more than ever that the Weinsteins wont be Rodriguez' filmmaking base anymore. And that his new home of FOX just f*cked with the right Mexican.

http://www.deadline.com/hollywood/fox-wins-studio-war-for-robert-rodriguez-machete-and-will-be-his-new-filmmaking-home/

I'm dying to see this movie even though Lohan is in it.

I'm dying to see this movie even though Lohan is in it.

I can't wait for it either.

20th Century Fox Shred With Machete This September
Friday, April 16, 2010
By: MrDisgusting


With 20th Century Fox releasing Predators this July, it only makes sense that they use that release to push out Robert Rodriguez's Machete, his feature-length version of his faux Grindhouse trailer co-directed by Ethan Maniquis.

Fox has locked down a September 3rd date for the bloody action-thriller starring Danny Trejo.

http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/19861

Star-Heavy Trailer Debut for Robert Rodriguez's Machete
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
By: MrDisgusting


This is the year Robert Rodriguez gives back to the fans.

With Predators opening in July, 20th Century Fox will use the sequel to push Rodriguez and Ethan Maniquis' Machete for its September 3 release.


The flick stars Danny Trejo as the title character, a Mexican ex-Federale with a gift for wielding a blade, who hides out as a day laborer, who is double-crossed by a corrupt state senator.

The first trailer available at AICN features a first look at co-stars Michelle Rodriguez, Robert De Niro, Jessica Alba, Cheech Marin, Jeff Fahey and even Lindsay Lohan.

The coolest part? How about a custom machete with all the fixins? Think Ash's chainsaw, only holy ****in' sh*t. Oh damn, did I mention a fight scene with Steven Seagal?!

http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/20089

A New Machete Poster Arrives
June 17, 2010


Here’s a kick butt new poster for the upcoming “Grindhouse” faux trailer turned film “Machete”.

http://www.shockya.com/news/2010/06/16/a-new-machete-poster-arrives/

Get Your Grindhouse Fix With a New Poster from Robert Rodriguez's Machete
Thursday, July 8, 2010
By: killRobot


Joblo scored some new art from Robert Rodriguez's Machete in the form of a new lobby card, and a new character poster which features Michelle Rodriguez as the "saucy taco slinger" Shé.


The official trailer will be attached to Predators this Friday, and Machete hits theaters Sept 3rd.

http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/20844

Official Trailer Debut for Grindhouse Feature Machete!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
By: MrDisgusting


Twentieth Century Fox unleashed an onslaught of first images/lobby cards from Robert Rodriguez and Ethan Maniquis' co-directed Machete, their feature film version of the faux trailer included in Grindhouse back in 2007, while this afternoon the first trailer was blasted online.

Get ready for guns, sex and uber violence.

Machete hits theaters September 3.

http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/20848

EXCLUSIVE:

Seagal and Johnson Rock Two New Machete Character Posters!
Friday, July 9, 2010
By: MrDisgusting


The Machete madness keeps pouring in as Bloody Disgusting scored two exclusive character banners from the Robert Rodriguez and Ethan Maniquis co-directed feature film version of the faux trailer included in Grindhouse back in 2007.

The first features Don Johnson as "Lt. Stillman" with the second displaying badass 80's action star Steven Seagal as "Torrez"!

http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/20852

Lindsay Lohan's Machete Poster: Licking A Gun As A Nun
Updated: 07-13-10


The promo poster for Machete is out and it features Lindsay Lohan dressed in a nun's habit and licking a gun.

In the Robert Rodriguez film, out September 3, Lohan plays a gun-toting avenger called 'The Sister.' She reportedly goes topless while swimming in a waterfall with Alicia Rachel Marek, 34, the actress who plays her mother.



Lohan was removed from the film's latest teaser trailer, which premiered July 9, after she was sentenced to 90 days in jail.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/13/lindsay-lohans-machete-po_n_644806.html

Go to http://www.vivamachete.com/ for tons of inside looks at Machete.

You Don't Have to Say a Prayer for Lindsey Lohan, New Machete Image
Monday, July 19, 2010
By: MrDisgusting


All of the ridiculous rumors and speculation can finally be put to rest as a brand new image from Machete has surfaced that features Lindsey Lohan as a Nun with a ginormous gun.

http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/20947

I'll pass on this one.