Source:Overnight Productions

August 7, 2009

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 and Steven Seagal (Under Siege) alongside Danny Trejo in the 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.