Info on 1st Grindhouse spin-off Machete, and Sin City 2 and 3

Apparently, Danny Trejo will be making a return appearance as Machete in a feature film due in 2008. Planet Terror director Robert Rodriguez, will direct the film, which revolves around an Mexican immigrant/government spy/assassin/machete knife master, who’s out for revenge. Rodriguez has said in interviews that the deal on the spin-off is done.

Sin City 2 and 3 are currently in pre-production, and both films are tentatively scheduled to be released in 2008. Sin City 2 follows multiple storylines. One is based on A Dame to Kill, starring Dwight (Clive Owen) and his former love Ava Lord (Rachel Weisz), who ended their relationship for a wealthier man. When Ava returns years later claiming her marriage is abusive, she insists that Dwight help her, but betrays him, and frames him for the murder of her husband. With the help of Marv (Mickey Rourke), Dwight tries to clear his name. This storyline is a prequel to The Big Fat Kill from Sin City.

Another storyline in part 2 follows Nancy (Jessica Alba) as she grieves over the loss of Detective Hartigan (Bruce Willis), the cop she grew to love after he rescued her from Yellow Bastard.

Sin City 2 will also feature the return of Rosario Dawson, Michael Clarke Duncan, Devon Aoki, Michael Madsen, Powers Boothe, Brittany Murphy, and Jaime King, along with new castmates Johnny Depp and Antonio Banderas (both are unconfirmed).

Right now, all I know about Sin City 3 is that one of the storylines revolves around an ex-Navy SEAL named Wallace, who is out to rescue a young woman named Esther that he saved from commiting suicide. That story was originally called Hell and Back (A Sin City Love Story) in the graphic novel series. Michael Clarke Duncan will surely be in Sin City 3 because in the graphic novel, Wallace faces off against Manute in hand-to-hand combat, and Duncan played Manute in the first film.

Frank Miller will co-direct both films again, with Robert Rodriguez.