'Predator' reboot is among workaholic Robert Rodriguez' many upcoming projects

Posted Monday, April 27, 2009 at 12:13 PM Central

by Tim Briscoe

Filmmaker Robert Rodriguez is busy, busy man. At a press conference last week at his Troublemaker Studios, he discussed his upcoming slate of movies.

Among the nuggets he tossed out was his participation in a reboot of the 1987 action/sci-fi flick Predator starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. The new movie has already scheduled by Fox for a July 7, 2010 release.

Here is what Double R had to say in Austin, Texas:

I'm going to be able to shoot my upcoming Machete here, a sci-fi action film called Nervewrackers, a re-boot of the Predator series called Predators, and a couple of smaller movies called Sin City 2 and The Jetsons.

Sleep much, Robert?

Rumors of a Predator re-do had been rumbling for some time but this was the official word of its existence. No word on how this new version will be different. Since the title is plural, perhaps there will be more than one ugly mofo.

People mistakenly took this announcement as Robert directing Predators. It turns out now that he's just producing the flick. Which is a good thing if you're an overextended Robert Rodriguez. Let's look at his other projects.

Machete is an action flick adapted from the popular faux trailer shown in theaters as part of Rodiguez and Quentin Tarantino's Grindhouse double feature. Danny Trejo stars.

Nerverackers (also known as simply 'Nerveracker') is scheduled for an Apr. 16, 2010 release. The movie is set in the year 2085 where an elite unit are sent in to stop a crime wave in a futuristic utopia.

Of course Rodriguez jokingly belittled his final two mentions. Sin City 2 is the follow-up to the 2005 hit Frank Miller graphic novel adaptation. It's a project that has been stuck in limbo in some time -- perhaps that's just due to my anticipation. It's good to see the movie is still on Robert's slate.

And The Jetsons brings up the reason way I really admire Rodriguez. He can deftly move from R-rated fare to kid-friendly films like the Spy Kids series.

This will be a live-action version of the '60s animated TV series. I'm a little leery of this project because I hold the original in such high esteem but I think Rodriguez is the perfect candidate.

That is, unless he's too exhausted.