Robert Rodriguez has a new film starring Ben Affleck, titled Hypnotic, screening at this year’s SXSW film festival; amidst promoting his new movie to the press the acclaimed writer-director had time to share his thoughts on the future of one of his beloved cult franchises – Machete. Speaking to Deadline, Rodriguez told of a potential Machete In Space film in the near future. At the moment, the movie is nothing but the wish of existing franchise fans, but Rodriguez seems keen on bringing the project to life.

The 2010 film Machete starred Latin cult hero Danny Trejo in the titular role as a bike-riding, blade-brandishing ladies’ man wreaking havoc and violence on his path toward revenge—surrounded by a stellar supporting cast that included the likes of Robert DeNiro, Jessica Alba, Michelle Rodriguez, and Don Johnson. The film itself started life as a trailer segment within Rodriguez‘s Grindhouse collaboration with Quentin Tarantino. Rodriguez referenced the rise of Machete from a fictional trailer to a fully-fledged feature film, speaking of a five-year span between the two where fans would constantly ask when the film would be made. Machete in Space looks to be on a similar trajectory to Machete—as it currently exists in the guise of a two-minute trailer for a film—dubbed Machete Kills Again… In Space —that played ahead of Machete Kills, the second and, as it stands, final installment in the franchise.

The first film in the Machete saga was a critical and commercial success. Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a positive 75% critics’ score and the film grossed approximately $46 million worldwide in theaters, grossing over three and a half times the amount of the alleged budget. When it comes to Machete Kills, things don’t fare as well. The 2013 sequel was widely panned by critics and failed to break even at the box office during its run in theaters. Despite this, Rodriguez‘s comments at SXSW noted that every time Trejo is in front of an audience, he calls Rodriguez to show the fans demanding a fully-fledged Machete In Space feature film, just as they called for Machete to be made following its Grindhouse trailer debut.

Will Machete in Space See the Light of Day?

The poor returns for Machete Kills a decade ago could mean that Machete in Space remains nothing but the collective dream of a vocal fan base. However, Rodriguez‘s open admissions of “you can’t give them [audiences] enough” and “we have to do one” signifies that he is taking the call to action from fans seriously and that a third Machete film isn’t as crazy a possibility as it might seem, but rest assured, the prospect of Machete in Space is crazy enough to satisfy even the most die-hard members of the Machete fandom.

via Collider