What Will Robert Do Next?

There was one big question at last weekend's Fangoria Weekend of Horrors: would guest of honor Robert Rodriguez spill the beans on his next project?

Rodriguez, who received a Half a Lifetime Achievement Award, disappointed anyone expecting Barbarella or Sin City 2 to be next on the slate. Both projects are go, but the Writers Guild of America strike puts both on hiatus. What seems likely to get to the screens first is Shorts, which he called "Pulp Fiction for kids." That's the structure, not the body count: he compared it to Little Rascals, a series of short, interlocking stories that he's been working on for a while.

He's thinking about collaborating with another director (and no, it's not Quentin Tarantino.) Apparently he and James Cameron are keen to work together, but "he's swamped with his stuff, and I'm swamped with my stuff."

He also confirmed a few rumors: Yes, he's interested in new versions of The Jetsons and Clash of the Titans, and was excited about the rights to Conan being back on the market. The idea of "Mexploitation" flicks still appeals, and he let slip that the Machete script actually pre-dates not just Grindhouse, but parts of it even ended up in Desperado.

On the DVD front, Grindhouse, in all its three-hour, double-feature-with-trailers glory will see a DVD release this year. He also confirmed that Planet Terror will get a Blu-Ray release (with both the scruffed-up and clean versions on the disc.) However, in great news for vintage Rodriguez fans, his partially forgotten homage to 50s movies, Road Racers, will get a long-overdue DVD release this year.