Robert Rodriguez has no problem blending sex with violence.  He replaced one of Rose McGowan‘s legs with a gun in Planet Terror, and now he’s strapped a pair of firearms to the breasts of Sofia Vergara in Machete Kills.  The flick is the second in a planned trilogy (the third film supposedly takes place in space), and centers on Machete’s (Danny Trejo) quest to stop an eccentric billionaire arms dealer who has plans to spread war and anarchy across the planet.  Hopefully, Rodriguez won’t make the mistake of the first film by relegating Machete into a supporting role in his own movie, but judging by the number of stars, it looks like that’s exactly what will happen.

Hit the jump to check out the titillating poster, and click here for what Vergara recently had to say about her role.  The film also stars Michelle Rodriguez, Amber Heard, Charlie Sheen, Lady Gaga, Antonio Banderas, Jessica Alba, Demian Bichir, Alex Vega, Vanessa Hudgens, Cuba Gooding Jr., William Sadler, Marko Zaror, and Mel Gibson.  Machete Kills opens September 13th.

A double-barrel of good news on the Machete Kills front, as the Robert Rodriguez-directed and Danny Trejo-starring sequel has been picked up for North American distribution in 2013 by Open Road Films and has released its first official image!  The second installment in a planned trilogy features Trejo as the former Mexican federale out to stop a madman and a billionaire arms dealer from unleashing war across the globe.

The crazy cast which crowds Trejo out of his screen time features Michelle Rodriguez, Sofia Vergara, Amber Heard, Charlie Sheen, Lady Gaga, Antonio Banderas, Jessica Alba, Demian Bichir, Alexa Vega, Vanessa Hudgens, Cuba Gooding, Jr., William Sadler, Marko Zaror and Mel Gibson.  Hit the jump to check out the first image of Machete Kills.  Mr. Machete, what are you doing to Miss San Antonio?

Filming is currently underway on Robert Rodriguez‘ Machete Kills, and the TV show Extra got to visit the set.  They sat down with the director, and one of the film’s many stars, Mel Gibson.  Gibson plays the movie’s villain, a dangerous arms dealer who is threatening the U.S. with nuclear attacks.   In the fluff-piece interview with Extra, Gibson said he only spent a week filming his entire role, and his character is “an evil genius, kind of like a Bond villain, but also a gourmet chef.”

The large cast also added yet another actor with the talented William Sadler (The Shawshank Redemption) tweeting an image of the poster for his character, Sheriff Doakes.  Hit the jump to check out the set video and poster.  The film also stars Danny Trejo, Jessica Alba, Edward James Olmos, Sofia Vergara, Amber Heard, Demian Bichir, Michelle Rodriguez, Lady Gaga, Alexa Vega, and Charlie Sheen.

It’s an all-ladies casting call today.  Here’s what you need to know:

• The Avellan Twins (Electra and Elise) are set to reprise their roles from Machete in the sequel, Machete Kills. Their uncle, Robert Rodriguez, directs star Danny Trejo in the follow-up.
• Cloris Leachman (Young Frankenstein) will join the Raging Bull prequel/sequel, Raging Bull 2, written and directed by Martin Guigui (Cattle Call).
• JoAnna Garcia (Reba) has joined Shawn Levy’s Interns/The Internship, starring Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson.

Hit the jump for more on each project.

Yesterday, we reported that Charlie Sheen would be playing the President in Robert Rodriguez‘ Machete Kills (it’s funny because Charlie Sheen is sleazy).  We also showed you a couple set photos, and now some more have found their way online courtesy of Jessica Alba‘s twitter feed.  There’s nothing revelatory about these set photos, but it looks like everyone is having a good time on set and I’m curious to see how those dancers and musicians factor into the plot.  I’m also curious to see if Machete (Danny Trejo) will be the star of his own film this time.

Hit the jump to check out the set photos.  Machete Kills also stars Edward James Olmos, Sofia Vergara, Amber Heard, Demian Bichir, Michelle Rodriguez, and Mel Gibson.

Who needs elections when you can just appoint Charlie Sheen to play the President of the United States of America in your movie?  That’s what director Robert Rodriguez did recently for Machete Kills, the sequel to the cult hit, Machete. The sequel finds the titular star, an ex-Federale played by Danny Trejo, receiving a request from the President himself to take down a dangerous drug lord who is threatening the U.S. with nuclear attacks.  I cannot wait to see the criminally insane Sheen take on the Presidential role (will he channel Martin Sheen’s The West Wing character? Highly doubtful.) We’ve also got a first look of Machete Kills star Sofia Vergara on set.  Hit the jump to check it out.

Now that we’ve told you what’s filming where, instead of just watching the action from behind the police barricades, perhaps you’d like to be in front of the cameras.

If that sounds like something you might be interested in pursuing, let us point you in the right direction towards the people who are hiring this key element to any movie.  They’re referred to in different ways: background artists, atmosphere and the most common sobriquet—extras. Pretty much every film needs them, and some more than others.  If Iron Man is saving the population of entire cities, they can’t all be in the other room.  Audiences need to see hundreds of people running and screaming in the midst of the controlled chaos.  When Jackie Robinson makes history by taking the field, it would be a pretty hollow effort if no one is in the stands to cheer him on.  You get the idea.  So are you ready for your close-up?  Hit the jump for more on Iron Man 3, Machete Kills, CBGB, Grown Ups 2, The Smurfs 2, The Walking Dead, and more.

Here are some recent casting additions at a glance:

• Edward James Olmos (Battlestar Galactica) has been confirmed as a cast member in Machete Kills, starring Danny Trejo.
• Rosie Huntington-Whiteley(Transformers: Dark of the Moon) is set to join the cast of Mad Max: Fury Road.
• Jason Mantzoukas (The Dictator) joins the David Wain-directed comedy, They Came Together, with Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler.

Hit the jump for more.

Though it’s tough to take director Robert Rodriguez at his word given how many times we’ve been promised that Sin City 2 is “right around the corner” over the past few years, he’s finally making good on two follow-ups this summer: Machete Kills and Sin City: A Dame to Kill For.  With production looming closer on both films, the first promo posters have now gone online.  Rodriguez will first shoot the Machete sequel Machete Kills this month, which finds Danny Trejo returning as the murderous Mexican.  Other returning actors include Michelle Rodriguez and Jessica Alba, who will be joined by newcomers Mel Gibson, Demian Bichir, Amber Heard, and recent addition Sofia Vergara.  Then, Rodriguez will finally shoot the Sin City follow-up, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For.  Hit the jump for more.

Director Robert Rodriguez pulled no punches when he said he wanted star power, in the form of Michelle Williams and Mel Gibson, for his sequel, Machete Kills.  It looks like half of that wish is about to come true.  Gibson is reportedly in serious negotiations to join the Machete sequel in a supporting role.  The original starred Danny Trejo in the title role as a former Mexican Federale, but it also featured a number of co-stars that diluted Trejo’s presence on screen, notably Robert De Niro, Jessica Alba, Michelle Rodriguez, Steven Seagal and Lindsay Lohan. This time around, the cast may be smaller since Rodriguez is juggling director duty between Machete Kills and Sin City 2: A Dame to Kill For. Hit the jump for more, including commentary from Rodriguez regarding his schedule and where his directing loyalties lie.

Yesterday, we reported that directors Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller had finally secured financing for Sin City 2 (officially titled Sin City: A Dame to Kill For), and filming was scheduled to begin this summer.  As you may recall, Rodriguez also has another sequel in the works: Machete Kills.  Back in February, we reported that the plot had Machete (Danny Trejo) “taking down a madman cartel leader and an eccentric billionaire arms dealer who has hatched a plan to spread war across the planet with a weapon in space.”

Hit the jump for more on Machete Kills.

Given that the festival takes place in his home city, it’s no surprise that filmmaker Robert Rodriguez took part in the 2012 SXSW Film Festival. Rodriguez took the opportunity to provide another update on his production company Quickdraw Productions and the many projects he currently has in development. In addition to touting the launch of Quickdraw Animation (two animated feature films, Heavy Metal and a family film, are already in development), Rodriguez gave a status report on the long-promised Sin City 2 and the Machete follow-up Machete Kills, saying both projects are poised to go into production this year. Hit the jump for more.

A promo poster for Robert Rodriguez‘ Machete sequel, Machete Kills, has popped up online.  Unfortunately, Machete was a massive disappointment and I’m wary of a sequel, which is part two in a planned trilogy; the finale will be Machete Kills Again.  Machete misunderstood what a gritty B-movie was supposed to be, gussied it up with movie stars, used a bloated storyline to accommodate all of them, and its biggest crime was making Machete (Danny Trejo) a supporting character in his own movie.  Hopefully, Machete Kills will be leaner and trust Trejo to carry the flick.  The plot has Machete tasked to “take down a madman cartel leader and an eccentric billionaire arms dealer who has hatched a plan to spread war across the planet with a weapon in space.”  So…space weapons and global war…that’s leaner, right?

Hit the jump to check out the promo poster.  Filming on Machete Kills is set to begin filming in April.

While director Robert Rodriguez has been touting 2010’s Machete as the first in a planned trilogy for quite some time now, I wasn’t exactly holding my breath for the franchise to come to fruition. This past August, Rodriguez said he was waiting on scripts for both Sin City 2 and Machete 2, and now it looks like the latter is geared up and ready to go. Rodriguez is readying Machete Kills with producer Alexander Rodnyansky, and star Danny Trejo is currently in talks to wield his machete once again. Hit the jump for more, including the storyline for Machete Kills.

We have arrived at the official end of summer: Labor Day weekend.  Never a blockbuster in terms of grosses, this year’s late summer crop of movies – two horror titles and a thriller – appears weaker than usual.  In fact, it looks like it will take four days for the newcomers to earn what last year’s Labor Day releases made in only three.