Way back in July of last year, Robert Rodriguez made mention of a couple sequels during his panel at the San Diego Comic-Con.  The endlessly-discussed Sin City 2 came up, of course, but the man behind Troublemaker Studios also said that we'll soon be seeing a sequel to 2010's Machete, and it will be the second in a planned trilogy that culminates with Danny Trejo's one-man army venturing into space.  Now, it looks like Machete Kills is coming together, with an April production start tentatively planned.

2005's Sin City set a new precedent for faithful comic book adaptations, with co-directors Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller essentially using Miller's hyper-noir black and white books as storyboards for the outrageously violent interconnecting tales from Basin City.  Of the many strange characters populating Miller's world, perhaps the most over-the-top and popular is Marv, an unstoppable simpleton played by Mickey Rourke in the segment titled "The Hard Goodbye."  Though Marv met his end in that story, the fractured chronology of the first film would allow Marv to have another adventure in Sin City 2, the sequel that Rodriguez and Miller have been promising for the last six years.  Rourke, a notoriously eccentric and forthright actor, isn't so sure he'll back, however.

In 2005, Sin City brought the hyper-noir comic books written and illustrated by Frank Miller, whose artistic contribution to the medium has been incalculable, to the screen as easily the most faithful comic book movie made before or since.  As co-directed by Miller and El Mariachi helmer Robert Rodriguez, the black-and-white world of Basin City came to screamingly ludicrous life, complete with over-the-top violence, hard-boiled dialogue, and dangerous, dizzy dames aplenty. 

Two such dames were played by Jaime King, the lovely and talented model-turned actress who stars alongside Rachel Bilson in the upcoming television series Heart of Dixie.  In Sin City, she played the doomed Goldie, as well as her determined twin sister Wendy.  IAR's managing editor Jami Philbrick had the chance to chat with King last night at a party in Hollywood celebrating X-Men: First Class, which was released on Blu-ray and DVD today. The talented actress provided an update on the perpetually-in-development sequel Sin City 2 and confirmed that she'll have a role in the next installment, if and when it actually becomes a reality.

In the six years since Sin City first cartoonishly brought the black and white ultraviolence and hyper-noir tough guys of Frank Miller's comics to cinemas everywhere, the hope for a sequel has persisted.  Every few months, either Miller of co-director Robert Rodriguez will provide a usually positive update indicating that Sin City 2 could very well be right around the corner, but for six years, the project hasn't come together.  Following another round of hopeful talk from Rodriguez in July, Oscar-winning screenwriter William Monahan has come aboard Sin City 2 to polish the script.

Robert Rodriguez has been talking up a potential sequel to Sin City since very shortly after the first film debuted in 2005.  For the last half-decade, he and co-director Frank Miller will offer a hopeful update on Sin City 2 seemingly ever few months, and the would-be movie is almost always tantalizingly close to production, according to the independently-minded director and medium-redefining comic book writer/artist.  It should come as no surprise, then, that at his Comic-Con panel today, Rodriguez made some optimistic statements about Sin City 2.  What might be a bit more surprising, however, is that he also announced two Machete sequels, Machete Kills and Machete Kills Again.  There's more, though: Rodriguez is now behind the latest attempt at a new version of Heavy Metal.

Next week, Comic-Con International comes to San Diego, and genre enthusiasts from the world over will make the pilgrimage to Southern California like the faithful making the Hajj to Mecca.  Rather than pray before the Ka'Bah, though, comic book, film, and video game fans of every stripe will have access to the creators of their favorite properties, while also basking in the commercial possibilities of Con floor and, of course, marveling at some of the world's most intense and outlandish cosplay.  The biggest attractions at San Diego Comic-Con, though, are the abundant panel events, with comics luminaries and filmmaking professionals on hand to discuss their work.  While IAR will be reporting from all over the Con, we won't be able to cover every panel, so we're providing selected schedules for each day, showcasing those panels that would be of particular interest. 

Remember Spy Kids, the trilogy written and directed by Robert Rodriguez featuring kids who are also spies?  The last entry was 2003's Spy Kids 3D: Game Over, and almost a decade later, the duo of Alexa Vega and Daryl Sabara are no longer kids, but Rodriguez has resuscitated the series with a new pair of child secret agents, this time played by Rowan Blanchard and Mason Cook.  The first poster showed up online today, and it features the next generation of Spy Kids, along with Jessica Alba and Joel McHale as their parents, the be-goggled head of Jeremy Piven, and a robot dog with a detachable head.

Opening in U.S. theaters on May 6th, is the new exploitation film Hobo with a Shotgun directed by Jason Eisner. The movie is based on a fake trailer that Eisner made for an international contest to promote the release of Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez's double feature Grindhouse. The film stars veteran actor Rutger Hauer (Blade Runner, Ladyhawke, Sin City, Batman Begins), as well as Gregory Smith (The Patriot), Molly Dunsworth (Deeply),  Brian Downey (Lexx), and Robb Wells (Boondock Saints 2). We recently had a chance to sit down and speak with director Jason Eisner about his new film; its over-the-top violence, entering the Grindhouse trailer contest, working with his childhood hero Rutger Hauer, and a possible sequel.

SYNOPSIS:

A train pulls into the station ... it’s the end of the line. A Hobo (Rutger Hauer) jumps from a freight car, hoping for a fresh start in a new city. Instead, he finds himself trapped in an urban hell. This is a world where criminals rule the streets and Drake (Brian Downey), the city’s crime boss, reigns supreme alongside his sadistic murderous sons, Slick & Ivan (Gregory Smith and Nick Bateman) . Amidst the chaos, the Hobo comes across a pawn shop window displaying a second hand lawn mower. He dreams of making the city a beautiful place and starting a new life for himself. But as the brutality continues to rage around him, he notices a shotgun hanging above the lawn mower. Quickly, he realizes the only way to make a difference in this town is with that gun in his hand and two shells in its chamber.

To watch our exclusive interview with Jason Eisner about Hobo with a Shotgun, please click on the video player above.

Hobo with a Shotgun opens in U.S. theaters on May 6th.

So apparently Robert Rodriguez gave in to overwhelming public demand for another installment of his family franchise, finally writing and directing Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World.  In the sequel, Jessica Alba plays and ex-spy stepmother attempting to raise her new baby and connect with her twin stepkids, played by Rowan Blanchard and Mason Cook.  When Jeremy Piven's villainous Timekeeper gets up to no good, the whole family, including Joel McHale as Spy Dad, are swept up into, you know, juvenile espionage.  As if to confirm that this is indeed a real thing, Dimension has released the first image from Spy Kids 4.

As you may have heard, 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros, Sony, and Universal have all signed on to participate in a premium Video on Demand service that will allow cable and satellite subscribers to view certain films in their homes just 60 days after the theatrical release, starting with Just Go With It, starring Adam Sandler.  Naturally, the National Association of Theater Owners vociferously opposes this new idea, and now America's foremost popcorn-peddlers have support from a formidable group of 23 filmmakers, including James Cameron, Guillermo del Toro, Kathryn Bigelow, Peter Jackson, Gale Anne Hurd, Robert Rodriguez, Michael Bay, Gore Verbinski, Michael Mann, Robert Zemeckis, and Todd Phillips.  Check out the none-too-happy open letter that these nearly two dozen directors and producers have addressed to those studios.