Robert Rodriguez's 'Machete Kills' Lands at Open Road

Open Road Films, which just released the hit Jake Gyllenhaal thriller End of Watch, has picked up all U.S. distribution rights to Machete Kills, Robert Rodriguez’s sequel to his grindhouse hit Machete. A release in 2013 is being planned.

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20th Century Fox distributed the 2010 original, which grossed $44 million worldwide while being made on a budget of $10.5 million.  

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The new movie sees Danny Trejo reprising his role as ex-Federale agent Machete and adds Michelle Rodriguez, Sofia Vergara, Amber Heard, Charlie Sheen, Lady Gaga, Antonio Banderas, Jessica Alba, Demian Bichir, Alexa Vega, Vanessa Hudgens, Cuba Gooding Jr., William Sadler, Marko Zaror and Mel Gibson.

The Machete movies are intended to be a trilogy. The first garnered much attention and criticism from far-right groups for its stance on immigration issues. Sources tells Heat Vision that the second movie is not nearly as political.

The film is produced by Rodriguez, along with Aaron Kaufman and Iliana Nikolic through their QuickDraw Productions banner, as well as Sergei Bespalov of Aldamisa Films, Alexander Rodnyansky of AR Films and Rick Schwartz of Overnight Films.  

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According to Open Road, Machete Kills sees Machete “recruited by the president of the United States for a mission which would be impossible for any mortal man: He must take down a madman revolutionary and an eccentric billionaire arms dealer who has hatched a plan to spread war and anarchy across the planet.”