It’s official: The Spy Kids are back! This week Netflix announced that they have partnered with Skydance Media, Spyglass Media Group, and legendary filmmaker Robert Rodriguez to reboot and refresh the Spy Kids franchise with an all-new original film that is being developed for the streaming service.
Rodriquez, who created the family-friendly spy series, is going to be writing, directing, and producing this new feature-length installment of the franchise. The film will be available sometime in the not-too-distant future on the Netflix streaming service.
Spy Kids Unclassified
The Spy Kids series first launched way back in 2001. The story revolved around a couple of spies that fell in love (Antonia Bandera and Carla Gugino) and bowed out of their trade to raise a family, only to find themselves constantly pulled back in again. The pair find themselves kidnapped by a fiendish new villain (Alan Cumming). Their children (Alexa PenaVega and Daryl Sabara) now have to work together to become spies themselves if they want to save their family!
The film was a smash hit and spawned two direct sequels, Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams (2002) and Spy Kids 3D: Game Over (2003), as well as a reboot film featuring an almost entirely new cast with Spy Kids 4: All The Time In The World (2011). In total, the franchise has grossed more than $550 million globally, so most of the surprise here is less about them making a new film and more about it having taken so long to happen.
The Next Mission
Information as to the story of the new film is scarce. It is likely that the new film will be focusing on an all-new group of characters, effectively reimagining the Spy Kids brand for a new generation of kids to enjoy. But it’s possible that some of the original series cast may return too. Many of them have gone on to become frequent collaborators with Rodgriuez in the years since the film series first began. So far, every other Spy Kids film has been jam-packed with cameos from familiar faces from previous films.
The new film was announced on Wednesday, March 30th, 2022, exactly twenty-one years to the day since the original film was released in theaters back in 2001. It will also mark a return to Netflix for Robert Rodriguez, who previously wrote and directed the family superhero film We Can Be Heroes (2020) for the streaming giant (which has a sequel in development!).
Most recently, Robert Rodriguez wrote and directed The Book Of Boba Fett (2021), which is the latest Star Wars streaming series for one of Netflix’ biggest rivals Disney+.
Are you excited to see the return of the Spy Kids film series? Or do you worry that the move to Netflix may not be the boost this formerly dead franchise needs? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below and be sure to stick around Geek Anything for more updates!
