Far more than just a franchise, Robert Rodriguez confirmed more than a decade ago that Spy Kids is actually part of a multiverse that tangentially connects to not just The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl and its spiritual successor We Can Be Heroes, but Danny Trejo’s Machete duology, too.
While that might understandably lead to direct comparisons between the never-ending saga and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Rodriguez has instead somewhat terrifyingly opted to compare his resurgent IP with James Bond in an interview with Yahoo, which has been going strong for over 60 years by way of constant reinvention.
“Right now I just know a lot of families, a lot of parents who were kids when [the films] came out originally, now they have their own kids. So it’s a real legacy moment for them to watch this together with their kids, and I was really looking forward to that. And it’s based on my family, my five kids, my 10 brothers and sisters. So it’s evergreen in that way. It’s empowering to children. Like the James Bond series, you can just keep bringing it back because it’s a story ultimately about family. The mission always makes the family stronger, but then the spy element makes it super exciting.”
Netflix’s Armageddon is a soft reboot of a property that was already softly rebooted with All the Time in the World a dozen years ago, and there’s still tentative plans for a direct follow-up to We Can Be Heroes. The filmmaker’s multiverse is already technically nine installments deep, but you wouldn’t bet against there being even more to come, regardless of whether it takes years or even decades as Rodriguez alluded to.