Machete film cast to include Robert De Niro, Don Johnson and Steven Seagal

Writer/Director Robert Rodriguez gave reporters an update on Machete, which expands on the fake trailer of the same name he created for Grindhouse, this weekend in Los Angeles while promoting the family-friendly Shorts. That’s according to a post on Sci-Fi Wire.

Rodriguez said he’s making great progress, thanks in part to an aggressive shooting schedule.

“It was amazing,” Rodriguez said of the first week’s dailies. “It’s going really good. That’s the shortest film schedule since El Mariachi. Mariachi was a 14-day shoot, Desperado was a 35-day shoot, and this is about half of the time we had on Shorts, which was a really short shoot—around 42 days. So you have to make quick decisions, and it comes out better. The energy is much better.”

Danny Trejo returns as the vengeance-seeking former Mexican Federale and day laborer in Machete, along with Jeff Fahey as a crooked Congressman. They’ll be joined by the likes of Robert De Niro, Michelle Rodriguez, Lindsay Lohan, Don Johnson, Steven Seagal and Jessica Alba, according to the report.

Rodriguez was reluctant to divulge many details about the plot, but indicated that if you enjoyed the original trailer, you’ll love the full movie.