When Robert Rodriguez‘s “El Mariachi” burst onto the scene, it announced the voice of a filmmaker who had no lack of entrepreneurial spirit, and one who wasn’t going to follow any traditional career playbook. And certainly, Rodriguez has stuck his to own guns, forging a career that has seen him largely follow his own instincts and interests despite where Hollywood trends may be going. And he’s become even more prolific. This year alone has seen him tackle two movies, the upcoming “Machete Kills” and the 2014 slated “Sin City: A Dame To Kill For,” while also developing a number of other projects, including the fan assisted short, “Two Scoops.” And one medium he’s been turning toward recently is television.
Earlier this year, it was revealed he was putting together two projects over at Univision—a TV show version of “From Dusk ‘Til Dawn,” and an untitled action series from producers Alex Kurtzman and Robert Orci—and now another one of this movies is getting serialized. Although it doesn’t look like he will be involved… Sony is gearing up a one hour drama based on “El Mariachi” for their Latin American market, Rodriguez’s name isn’t anywhere on the announcement, except as the guy who directed the original. Why wouldn’t you involve the guy you touted as a major discovery when you first released his film? Anyway, Sony plans to go out guns blazing, producing 70 episodes off the bat, with location shooting a priority.
“Staying true to the story, we are producing the series in Mexico shooting in magnificent locations and utilizing some of the country’s best talent,” said Sony’s SVP and managing director, production, Latin America and U.S. Hispanic, Angélica Guerra. The story will basically stick to what we know from the movies—a lone wolf musician who squares off against drug cartels. Iván Arana will take the lead role, with Marta Higareda as Celeste Sandoval and Julio Bracho as Fernando Sandoval, also on board.
So until we see the results, you can watch “El Mariachi” in full, for free right here. Check out the trailer below.
