"Machete Kills" is joined by Mel Gibson

Director Robert Rodriguez pulled no punches when he said he wanted star power, in the form of Michelle Williams and Mel Gibson, for his sequel, Machete Kills.  It looks like half of that wish is about to come true.  Gibson is reportedly in serious negotiations to join the Machete sequel in a supporting role.  The original starred Danny Trejo in the title role as a former Mexican Federale, but it also featured a number of co-stars that diluted Trejo’s presence on screen, notably Robert De Niro, Jessica Alba, Michelle Rodriguez, Steven Seagal and Lindsay Lohan. This time around, the cast may be smaller since Rodriguez is juggling director duty between Machete Kills and Sin City 2: A Dame to Kill For. Hit the jump for more, including commentary from Rodriguez regarding his schedule and where his directing loyalties lie.



Deadline reports that Gibson will take the role in Machete Kills as he prepares to release his film, Get the Gringo initially on DirecTV before it is available VOD and on DVD later this year.  While Gibson is set, Rodriguez’s status was up in the air, as far as his time spent directing Machete Kills was concerned.  In an interview with Heat Vision, Rodriguez said the following:

“Currently I am directing it, but we’re checking to see if there’s going to be the need for another director if I have to go off and do Sin City. I wasn’t sure what the timing on Sin City was or if I would have to step off to do Sin City at a certain point, depending on when Machete went. But Machete looks like it’s going to go pretty quickly so it’s possible that I will direct the whole thing. There’s so much of it that I want to direct I’ll probably end up directing the whole thing. But if I have to step off, I’m going to try and shoot all of the actors and all of the main sequences. But it’s such a fun movie, and it just came out even more fun than I could have imagined. I feel like I really need to do it. It’s so subjective I feel like I really need to get in there and do it. It’s just a lot of fun; it’s a really cool concept, and I think it takes it to another level in a way that’s compelling for me to go and do it myself.”

The sequel, Machete Kills, features the return of Trejo as the title character, who is recruited by the U.S. Government and tasked with tracking an arms dealer through Mexico before he can launch a rocket attack.

SOURCE: Collider