One day, it seems, every Robert Rodriguez film will eventually become a TV series. WhileEl Mariachi: The Series is proceeding without his involvement, Rodriguez is very much a part of bringing From Dusk Till Dawn to the box via his El Rey network in the US.
The show is planned as a 10-episode serialized drama (at least to begin with), and is firmly based on the movie, albeit without George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino in the lead roles. We’re promised a supernatural crime saga focused on bank robber, Seth Gecko (D.J. Cotrona) and his violent, unpredictable brother, Richard “Richie” Gecko (Zane Holtz), who are wanted by Sheriff Earl McGraw (Don Johnson, taking over the part from Michael Parks) and a new character, Texas Ranger Freddie Gonzalez (Jesse Garcia) after a bank heist left several people dead.
While on an escape route to Mexico, Seth and Richie encounter former minister Jacob Fuller and his family who they take hostage. Using the family RV to make a run for the Mexican border, chaos ensues when the group detours to a strip club that is unknowingly populated by vampires, and forces them to fight until dawn in order to get out alive. The series deepens the tone of the film, adds new characters and backstories and expands the Mesoamerican mythology behind the vampires.
"If the movie’s the short story, the series is the novel,” says Rodriguez. "We have assembled an amazing cast and crew, and viewers can expect to be part of a wild ride when the series premieres on El Rey Network.” He’s helping to kick the series off by directing the first two episodes, but Carlos Coto is serving as the show’s executive producer. Miramax will be distributing the series outside the States, though not in the UK, where there’s no channel on board just yet.