Director Robert Rodriguez has been laying low in the two years since Grindhouse. I imagine there are a few reasons for this retreat from the spotlight, one of which involves cranking out a reliably lucrative family film, and Shorts now stands completed and ready for an August release. As to those other reasons, I must first refer to a (somewhat dated) description of Rodriguez at the God Among Directors site:

He could be referred to as the King of the ultra-low budget film. From his award winning short film Bedhead [video link] to the $7,000 feature film, El Mariachi, to the $6 million Desperado, Robert Rodriguez has brought his amazing talents to Hollywood. This 25 year old filmmaker is one of the brighest [sic] stars in the film industry. He works cheap, fast, and makes amazing films. He’s an editor, a director, a writer, a D.P, a cameraman, and a steadicam operator. He was the one man crew on El Mariachi.

This generally focused and incredibly driven film director has, since Grindhouse, been the subject of endless speculation, much of which has been fueled by a series of Rodriguez’s own announcements that have seemed to go nowhere. Now, there are yet more announcements, for, on the heels of Eli Roth’s declaration of a two-film project, Rodriguez has stated his own dual-film intentions. This summer, he will co-direct Machete, starring Danny Trejo (second cousin to Rodriguez) as the antihero betrayed by the U.S. Government, which quickly finds that “They fucked with the wrong Mexican”:

Machete is a Mexican ex-Federale with a gift for wielding a blade, who hides out as a day laborer, who is double-crossed by a corrupt state senator. Rodriguez wrote the script and will direct the film with Ethan Maniquis, his longtime editor. The film is being produced by Rodriguez, Rick Schwartz of Overnight Productions and Aaron Kaufman.

The faux-trailer for Machete (watch it here) played before Planet Terror in the theatrical double-feature release of Grindhouse and has since remained a subject of cinematic speculation. Two years ago, Danny Trejo confirmed his involvement with an eventual feature length film and, at that time, revealed that Rodriguez had already gathered up 30 minutes’ edited footage. If this project really happens, it’s gonna kick some ass.

Robbie Rod’s second announced project involves a script, written by Rodriguez, for Predators, which will supposedly reboot the franchise that originated with 1987′s Arnold Schwarzenegger blockbuster, Predator. It’s unclear whether Rodriguez will be producing or directing this project, but he has been confirmed as writer and director for a futuristic action-thriller, Nerveracker, for a 2010 release. With these three projects alone, Rodriguez is gonna be one busy dude.

Meanwhile, several planned projects have either been abandoned or postponed. Of these, the most prominent recurring question is whether Rodriguez will actually direct Sin City 2, despite the fact that his name remains listed to co-direct and produce. Just last week, Angelina Jolie had supposedly entered into “serious talks” for the role of Ava Lord, and it looked like this long-awaited second installment of Frank Miller’s graphic novel series would finally move into production. Now, rumours have resurfaced involving a possible lapse for the sequel’s option on rights on the part of Weinstein Co/Dimension, who have issued a denial but cannot do much about the rumour that Frank Miller’s estate is shopping sequel rights to various Hollywood producers. So, Sin City fans, don’t get your hopes up.

Lately, Rodriguez hasn’t followed through on much other than his committment to fiancé Rose McGowan, whose occupation in the titular role of the Barbarella remake also seems to have fallen by the wayside. This also leaves me wondering what the hell happened to the Red Sonja remake, which generated a discussion panel at Comic-Con 2008 announcing McGowan in the lead role and Rodriguez as producer. Hell, they’d even debuted these posters with a 2009 release date that, obviously, ain’t gonna happen. I am sensing some obvious discomfort here, and I’m not the only one, for Rope of Silicon lists even more projects that have, apparently, been announced and seemingly dropped by Rodriguez over the past few years. Whatever happened to the Rebel without a Crew?