Unfortunately, Rodriguez didn’t return to direct another installment until 2011’s Spy Kids: All the Time in The World, by which time the allure of seeing little kids go and save the world appeared to have run out despite featuring cameos from the OG cast and interesting set of new characters.
The latest film only pulled in $85.6 million, which is the lowest in the series, and that was pretty much it - until now. According to THR, Rodriguez is coming back to write and direct a new Spy Kids film for Netflix. The exciting news was announced specifically for the 21st anniversary of the original film’s March 30 release date. Unfortunately, the reveal didn’t include any details regarding the plot or if anyone from the cast and crew is coming back to reprise their roles if only for a cameo. What we know is that the next Spy Kids movie is going to revolve around a new family of expert spies. Rodriguez has a good working relationship with Netflix after the success of 2020’s We Can Be Heroes. The superhero film was effectively a sequel to Rodriguez’s earlier work, 2005’s The Adventures of Lavagirl and Shark Boy, featuring a cast of kids with superpowers that banded together to save the world and their parents. Rodriguez is also set to work on a sequel to We Can Be Heroes for Netflix, all but confirming that Netflix has secured the services of the Texas-born filmmaker for the foreseeable future. Hopefully, the new Spy Kids film is a sequel. If not, then it should at least bring back Danny Trejo or Alexa Vega in some capacity. Even if it is a reboot, older audiences would love to see their older heroes back in action, and in Trejo’s case, he and Rodriguez have worked on several projects between then and now. Finally, Disney+ has a slew of content that’s headed its way in the coming months like Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ms. Marvel, with Moon Knight already streaming. Although Spy Kids is just one franchise, this kind of offering, when coupled with others, should give Netflix subscribers a reason to keep on shelling out cash.