Texas-based independent filmmaker Robert Rodriguez (naturally) showed up at the South by Southwest (SXSW) 2012 Film Festival, where - in addition to performing a handful of tunes from the original soundtracks for his films like Desperado, From Dusk Till Dawn, and Machete - he revealed that he is launching a new animation company called Quickdraw Animation, which will specialize in CG-animated fare, ranging from family-friendly flicks to a long-planned Heavy Metal movie.

However, the "big" news (as far as many Rodriguez fans are concerned) that the filmmaker had to offer is that he intends to begin shooting the long-delayed Sin City 2 later this year, after completing production on the sequel, Machete Kills.

When word got out earlier this year that Rodriguez' next directorial effort is going to be a Machete sequel, many a Sin City fan was left grumbling - understandably so, seeing how (back in late Summer 2011) those same people started once again getting excited about a return trip to Basin City, thanks to the news that Oscar-winner William Monahan (The Departed) is lending a helping hand to Rodriguez and Frank Miller on the Sin City 2 screenplay.

Miller previously indicated that the Sin City sequel - which he's said will feature some original content but will otherwise largely be based on his graphic novel "A Dame to Kill For"- was on schedule to begin production in Spring 2012. When word got out that Machete Kills will begin filming at that time, it seemed to indicate that a new Sin City flick was being set on the back-burner.

According to Risk Business' report on Rodriguez' SXSW appearance, that isn't entirely the case, after all. Machete Kills is still going to start production this April, but Rodriguez intends to turn his attention towards beginning principal photography on Sin City 2 (pretty much) immediately thereafter.

Sin City set - Robert Rodriguez and Frank Millar

The Machete sequel should be much more of a down n' dirty filming experience, seeing how the movie (like its predecessor) will aim to recreate the unvarnished, low-budget look and feel of old-fashioned grindhouse fare. By comparison, Sin City 2 (like its predecessor) will be shot entirely on sound stages and require lots of post-production work in order to replicate the stylized black-and-white Noir aesthetic of Miller's original comic book(s).

That's all to say: Rodriguez' production plans seem feasible enough, seeing how the new Machete and Sin City franchise installments will be very different beasts to make. After all, Peter Jackson is already set for a similar shooting schedule this year, seeing how he'll finish production on The Hobbit early this summer, before moving onto a "performance-capture shoot" for the Adventures of Tintin sequel right afterwards - and Rodriguez is arguably just as efficient a moviemaker as Jackson (if not more so).

As to whether both Machete Kills and Sin City 2 will ultimately benefit from Rodriguez striking while the iron is hot (so to speak) and making them in quick succession - or end up feeling rushed and rough around the edges for it - that remains to be seen. But, hey, at least Rodriguez isn't making another Spy Kids movie, right?

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Source: THR