It’s been quite some time since Robert Rodriguez first announced his plan to make a new Heavy Metal movie under the Quickdraw Animation banner at San Diego Comic Con in 2011, but there hasn't been much movement on the project since. However, with the formation of his very own television network, El Rey, Rodriguez is considering switching gears and bringing it to TV. 

The 1981 original is an anthology of sci-fi and fantasy animated stories that were plucked right out of Heavy Metal magazine, so the choice to use the television series format does make sense, especially considering the material is in line with the network’s rather graphic, violent content.

While promoting El Rey’s new series, From Dusk till Dawn, at SXSW 2014, Rodriguez offered a brief update on the state of the project. When asked how the endeavor is progressing he noted:

“Well, now that I’ve got a television network, potentially we could go into television as well.” 

As for how that content will be presented, Rodriguez is planning to go with some hand drawn animation like the original, but he’s also hoping to make use of other techniques depending on what best suits the narratives and their creators.

“It would be a variation of different types of animation … Classic, some hand drawn, some digital, some mixed media. That was always great about ‘Heavy Metal’ is everybody did a different thing, story dependent.”

Heavy Metal

In true Robert Rodriguez fashion, Heavy Metal, El Rey, and the release of Sin City: A Dame to Kill For aren’t the only projects on his plate; he’s also making preparations for Sin City 3 so that if he does decide to continue the series, he’s ready to roll as he pleases.

“This one comes out August 22nd and then we’ve already been talking about a third so we could go as soon as we want to.”

Whether or not he wants to will likely be dependent on how A Dame to Kill performs when it hits theaters in August. Should it manage to match the first film’s $29.1 million opening weekend haul, Rodriguez could certainly pull the trigger and make Sin City 3 a real thing. Hopefully, if that's the case, it comes much sooner.

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Follow Perri on Twitter @PNemiroff.