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Based on the cult classic from Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez, El Rey Network has renewed Season 3 of From Dusk Till Dawn. In an exclusive interview with MStars News, writer/director Robert Rodriguez discusses creating original programming for El Rey, the mythology behind D.J. Cotrona (Seth Gecko) and Zane Holtz (Richard Gecko), and the Season 2 finale.
As we previously mentioned, Santánico (Eiza González) and Richie (Zane Holtz) are outside of Houston, living like Bonnie and Clyde, while Seth and Kate (Madison Davenport) are scraping by south of the border. Freddie Gonzalez protects his wife and daughter from the outside world in a Houston suburb. As Carlos Madrigal (Wilmer Valderrama) and Scott (Brandon Soo Hoo) emerge from ruins of the Titty Twister. They will all come together to face off against an even bigger threat, Lord Amancio Malvado (Esai Morales).
With the renewal of From Dusk Till Dawn, the acclaimed Sin City director discusses his favorite moments from the sophomore season, the character arcs, and what's in store for El Rey's programming.
MStars News: Tell me about the challenges of adapting the movie, From Dusk Till Dawn, into a television series.
Robert Rodriguez: We found stuff that liked so well to what we're doing. And it felt like it was meant to be. Some we planned ahead of time. There's nothing the mythology, so let's just make it up. But we found a bunch of things; and that was me, the showrunner, and the writers.
MS: How much from from the original screenplay did you want to keep and change?
RR: Quentin Tarantino just set it in a bar in Mexico. It was a vampire bar. It wasn't in a temple. We had to find something so that it wouldn't be European vampires. They're Mexican vampires. they Mayan or Aztecs. I found this snake cult. I took it from there. That's why the Salma, in the original film, had the snake with her. We just made it more consistent.
MS: Eiza González plays such a different characterization of Santánico, who was originally portrayed by Salma Hayek.
RR: Originally she was called White Death. Quentin had in mind of casting Madonna as White Death. She came in and killed everybody. She got killed right away. I said, "We should really do something. It's set in Mexico.She should be Mexican. I just worked with this girl in Desperado." We rewrote it for Salma and called it Santánico. I added the snake dance. The movie didn't have room for mythology, like the series does.
MS: Santánico has a much developed mythology this second season. Did you have her backstory in mind during the making of the movie?
RR: Even though it was written she got stabbed, I told her to just go ahead and smile as she disappears; so you wouldn't really think she was dead. Salma gives this knowing smile as she disappears. In my mind, that's not how she's going to die.
MS: Besides From Dusk Till Dawn, what other original programs from El Rey are you interested in continuing?
RR: Have you seen the Director's Chair?
MS: Yes! That's the one where you speak with John Carpenter (They Live), Guillermo Del Toro (Devil's Backbone), and Michael Mann (Heat).
RR: It's a fun show! The best one's coming up! It's the one I do with Sylvester Stallone! It's frigging awesome! He's so inspirational! People are really going to like that one! It's really surprising.
MS: What's next for El Rey Network?
RR: We actually have ideas for some future shows. They're more original ideas, not based on movies. But they're strong enough to be movies. We could do a movie while doing a television series. You could do a Machete, Desperado, and Sin City as a TV series. You have a guy with a guitar case going from town to town. But currently, I'm not thinking that. I have some original ideas that are really exciting!
[From this point on, we discuss the season finale, which ended on a major cliffhanger.]
In our recent recap, Santánico, Freddie, Richie, Scott and Seth worked together to stop Carlos' reign of terror. As the group said their farewells, Richie and Scott have decided to bury their sibling rivalry and take over Malvado's operation together. Unfortunately, their victory also came with a casualty as Kate lied dead by the oil rig. The Santa Sangre dipped deep into her wounds and awoke Kate from the dead. But is Kate in possession of her own soul?
MS: In the season finale of From Dusk Till Dawn, Freddie Gonzalez is given hints that the next Big Bad is another Lord, who's also referred to as "She." The first person that came to my mind was Salma Hayek.
RR: I have some ideas for her. I would love to get her for From Dusk Till Dawn. But I would have to write it first. She would be great if she came back to that role. She's terrific! I saw her in something recently. She's producing stuff. She's fantastic!
MS: You've played around with the endings of Kate and Scott Fuller. What's next for these two siblings?
RR: This is a very religious family that goes to Hell. What happens when they came out of Hell? We play with that a lot. Without giving anything away, [Laughs] we're very excited for a third season!
MS: How much of the third season of From Dusk Till Dawn is already planned? Or do you have to start from scratch?
RR: It's great that we have so many characters. You would think that would a goal of ours since we started the TV show. I already had a lot of characters in the very first season. We added two. It's a lot to work with. We are in a really good place! We have plenty to fill up a 10 episode season with!
Don't forget to check out our MStars series of interviews with the cast of From Dusk Till Dawn, including Zane Holtz, D.J. Cotrona, Jesse Garcia, Jeff Fahey, Madison Davenport, Brandon Soo Hoo, and Eiza González.
The Director's Chair featuring Sylvester Stallone (Creed) airs Sunday, November 15.
From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series continues for Season 3 on El Rey Network.
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