Robert Rodriguez’ Shorts & Sin City 2 – Updated

Screen Rant usually likes to mull over movie news so that what we publish is accurate (or close to it).

Well we once again discovered the benefits of patience.

Yesterday IESB ran a story stating that the cash strapped Weinstein Company had let the rights to a Sin City sequel lapse and that the film would be produced by Robert Rodriguez’ Trouble Maker studios -- but financed by a private equity group. However, someone at the Weinstein Company got wind of the story and said “Hold on a minute -- that’s not true!” Weinstein Lawyer Bert Fields issued a statement to Entertainment Weekly saying:

“TWC’s rights to produce sequels to Sin City remain intact as they always have been. Any suggestion to the contrary is complete hogwash.”

So who is right? The fist-shaking laywer or the movie site’s source? Your guess is as good as ours. [UPDATE: It turns out our friends at IESB were right and the lawyer was just doing what lawyers do: lie.]

Fans of the Frank Miller comic book (and film) are clamoring for the sequel that has been mooted even before the release of the first film. Sin City which was released in 2005 grossed $158 million at the worldwide box office and helped lead to the release of Zach Snyder’s 300 as well as the Frank Miller directed The Spirit (although the less said about that the better).

However, I wouldn’t hold your breath for a sequel to Sin City just yet. Robert Rodriguez is a very busy man -- following Sin City he directed the Planet Terror segment of Grindhouse, the forthcoming Shorts as well as producing a slew of projects including Red Sonja. A source close to Rodriguez says:

“(The rumor that TWC is not involved with Sin City 2 is )not true. That’s a rumor that’s been going around for a while. It’s really just a matter of timing, and he hopes to do it with them in the near future.”

Rodriguez’s next film is reported to be the futuristic crime thriller Nerverackers.

Now fans of Rodriguez will be interested in his next release: Shorts -- a children’s film in the same vein as The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl and his Spy Kids films.

Like a mini-George Lucas, Rodriguez has been pushing the boundaries of technology in film and Shorts does not appear to be any different.

Check out the video below to see how the From Dusk Till Dawn helmer is using computers to bring visually interesting films to the big screen on a limited budget and time frame.

Now have a look at the trailer for Shorts:

While it may not be to everyone’s taste it’s looks kind of cute and is sure to keep the kids interested for 90 minutes.

More on Shorts and Sin City 2 when we get it.

Sources: IESB, EW and Joblo