Robert Rodriguez Is Working On A Spy Kids Reimagining For Netflix
The larger-than-life Spy Kids adventure was a staple for kids growing up in the early 2000s. It was director Robert Rodriguez’s first family friendly film, but even then he realized the power that identity and authenticity had on telling a compelling story, especially for kids. “[When] you’re writing a script, you’re going to write what you know,” Rodriguez told me during an interview for Netflix’s We Can Be Heroes. “I grew up in a Latin family [so] that’s the first thing you write.”
Now to celebrate the 21st anniversary of Spy Kids, Netflix has revealed that Rodriguez will write, direct, and produce a reimagining of the beloved franchise and introduce the world to a new family of spies.
This announcement comes almost two years after the release of We Can Be Heroes, a superhero adventure film by Rodriguez that serves as a standalone sequel to The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl. It centers around the kids of superheroes, specifically a young Latina without powers who brings a team of super-powered kids together to save their parents and the world.
“It’s important to show people that diversity on screen. I’ve been doing it now for 30 years and I always got such great feedback from people when they felt themselves being shown on the screen as not criminals, not cartel members, not the same maids and gardeners as they usually did, but as superheroes, as spies,” Rodriguez said in our interview. “Imaging is so important. It changes your mind of what your potential is.”
Crossing my fingers this is the start of a Robert Rodriguez cinematic universe! In the meantime, enjoy all of the references to Sharkboy and Lavagirl that I could find in We Can Be Heroes, below:
