While it seemed like MACHETE was destined to go directly to DVD when we first heard it would be expanded from faux trailer to feature length, nothing could be further from the truth.
Now that Robert Rodriguez and Fox are tight thanks to PREDATORS, the studio is giving his vengeful Mexican a prime position, releasing it wide theatrically on September 3rd and giving it an extra day to chop wallets thanks to the Labor Day weekend.
Officially: MACHETE stars 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 highly anticipated spin-off action flick. 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.
MACHETE was originally a hard-edged trailer featured in GRINDHOUSE that became fanboy fodder since its first showing at the 2006 Comic-Con. The feature version 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.