Rodriguez Embraces Film Reboots from 'Predators' to 'Spy Kids 4'

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Robert RodriguezOn the first Saturday morning of SXSW 2010, I got up at a time that would be reasonable for a weekday, but for a weekend during a film festival is best described as "Oh My [Expletive] God AM." I found out that at 8:30 on a Saturday morning, free downtown parking near Alamo Ritz abounds. This is great advice for earlybirds, but you'd have to be insane to be that kind of earlybird during SXSW Film.

I was headed to a press screening/conference for Predators, the latest movie co-produced and co-written by Austin filmmaker Robert Rodriguez. The film was shot on location in Hawaii as well as here in Austin at Troublemaker Studios. The night before the press event, people had waited in line for hours on end to see the footage I was about to watch. You can read Rod Paddock's account of the "First Look" event for more details.

The press screening was just for the Predators footage shown at the public event -- we didn't get the conceptual artwork or a visit from special-effects/make-up master Greg Nicotero. Here's what we saw:

  • A trailer for Predators, which tells us that a bunch of people who don't know one another and are very dangerous folks have all been transported to the Predators planet. Looks like Adrien Brody's character takes the lead. I particularly liked Laurence Fishburne and Alice Braga, even though she appears to be a permutation of Jenette Goldstein in Aliens (or Michelle Rodriguez in Avatar).
  • An extended version of the same trailer, which included a couple of shots of Danny Trejo. From the lack of Trejo in other scenes and the previous trailer, I suspect he's probably one of the first victims in the film, sadly. I hope I'm wrong (but he's all over Machete, which will be out soon enough, so why complain?).
  • A scene from Predators that introduces Fishburne's character. It's an excellent scene for his first appearance, with some very good moments of suspense. If the whole film is timed like that, it will be well worth seeing.

The total time for this footage was about 10 minutes. I was pleased to hear later from Rod that the "First Look" event the night before had so many other features, like the artwork and the discussions with director Nimrod Antal, Nicotero and Rodriguez, or I would have felt a bit sorry for all those people standing in line.

After watching the footage, we walked over to the Four Seasons for a press conference with Rodriguez, Antal and actor Adrien Brody, who stars in the film. I walked into the hotel at the same time as Brody, which made me feel a bit like celebrity-by-proxy, but then I always feel kind of rockstar-ish going to the Four Seasons. (Yeah, I know. I'm such a prole.)

Predators press conference

Brody told us a little more about his role in the film, Royce, whom he described as "a flawed tragic hero, and not this typical physically imposing character." He prepared for the role by isolating himself and staying at night on the property in Hawaii where many of the exterior scenes were filmed, poring over survival manuals.

"When Predator came out in '88 I was a freshman in high school," Brody noted. "I was sneaking in, sitting in the front row and smoking cigarettes, and gawking. So this is a dream come true for me because when I was a scrawny little 14-year-old, there's no way I could have ever envisioned being passed the gauntlet to play a character of this caliber in this visceral action movie."

Rodriguez said the studio did not interfere with the movie he and Antal wanted to make. "They said, we want you to protect this movie from us. Stay within the budget, you do anything you want. Make it a Troublemaker Studios movie, don't make it a Fox movie. Their only thing was, make it as good as you can."

Antal was asked whether Predators will be a straightforward "gritty" action movie, or if it'll have a lot of campy one-liners and comedy. "I think we hit a balance," he said. "Clearly we wanted to concentrate on what the original film had brought and given, and I think that was the direction we were thinking of. That said, there were some hilarious moments in the film, really funny stuff. There's about three or four beats in the film where you'll be laughing."

Near the end of the press conference, Rodriguez told us what he would be working on next: Spy Kids 4. It will be a "reboot" of his own series. "It's a new version with new kids, and it's actually pretty cool. That's my most loyal audience -- more than the geek crowd, are the kids. I thought, let's revitalize it with an amazing cast and new kids. When you read the script -- it's not like we're going back to the well for the fourth time, it actually feels completely new."

He wants to use more "practical" effects like he did in the first Spy Kids movie, as opposed to green screens. "It's the Casino Royale to For Your Eyes Only." (I assume he meant the Daniel Craig one, not the David Niven.)

Predators is scheduled to hit U.S. theaters on July 7, 2010. The extended trailer we saw is now available on IGN, and I've embedded it below.

That man makes me drool...

not Brody, but Nicotero. I have a geek crush on him and his extensive talent -- had the pleasure of sitting next to him when "The Mist" screened at the Alamo Drafthouse in 2007 as a special AICN screening.