Picture this: it's the early 2000s. Frosted lip gloss is in, as are trucker hats and everything denim. It was also a massive time for films from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone to Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and even Shrek. Every Millennial or Gen Z kid wanted Heelys or the new Xbox and was undoubtedly obsessed with the kid-friendly espionage flick that had taken over. What film would that be? None other than Robert Rodriguez’s iconic Spy Kids.
The franchise was one of the most successful franchises with a Latin family at the forefront. But that almost wasn’t the case. Robert Rodriguez revealed to fans at a ComicCon@Home panel in 2020 that there was significant pushback when he wanted the family to be of Latin descent. He stated that “it was a big victory to have the kids in Spy Kids be [from] a Latin family.” The studio had questioned the need for the family to be anything but American, to which Rodriguez responded, “They are American, they’re based on my family.” The filmmaker was referring to the inspiration for the film, which came from his Uncle Gregorio Rodriguez, who was an FBI agent for many years.
Update September 20, 2023: In honor of the upcoming release of the latest Spy Kids film, Spy Kids: Armageddon, this article has been updated by Yosra Ben lagha.
Rodriguez has always been an advocate for introducing more Latin roles into film, and this franchise was no different- “You don’t have to be British to enjoy James Bond. By being more specific, you’re being more universal.” The franchise is getting revived with the latest film, Spy Kids: Armageddon, which will premiere on Netflix and introduce the franchise to a new generation of fans. Here is why the series is still relevant.
The Original Franchise
The killer franchise of four films blew away young minds and quickly became a cult classic. It consisted of an original trio with a fourth film, which was less warmly received. The first three films showcased the Cortez family with Daryl Sabara as Juni, Alexa PenaVega as his older sister Carmen, and their parents, Ingrid and Gregorio, played by Carla Gugino and Antonio Banderas. Sabara and PenaVega were the only original cast members who returned in the fourth film.
The first film, which debuted in 2001, grossed $147 million, making it a big success as far as kids' movies go. The first film follows the Latin siblings Juni and Carmen Cortez. They discover their parents are secret agents who have been captured by an evil mastermind who disguises himself as a kid’s television host. Together, they become kid agents and set out to save their parents with the help of some fantastic characters, including their Uncle Machete, played, of course, by Danny Trejo.
The second film, Spy Kids: The Island of Lost Dreams, follows Juni and Carmen as they navigate their fall from grace as the agency's top kid agents. They set out on a mission to prove themselves, competing against the new top-duo-sibling-agents. Juni and Carmen find themselves on an island full of mutated animals and strange locations that are almost dreamlike. With the help of the held-hostage mad scientist, played by Steve Buscemi, they succeed in the mission and save the world again. While the film earned less than the predecessor by many fans, it is considered the best in the series.
The final film of the original trilogy, Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over, showcased more of the younger Cortez as he is led into virtual reality in search of his missing sister and is joined by a band of other players. This film increases the amount of cameos and even features many returning characters in the film's final showdown although they are never in the same frame and awkwardly stitched together. Sylvester Stallone is the film's villain. Stallone is a crazed game creator who traps players in the virtual world. This film completed the Cortez family story arc in 2003 and was a box office hit, as the 3-D gimmick was enough to entice audiences.
The 2011 film Spy Kids: All the Time in the World was a stand-alone sequel to the franchise's original trio. The film was the only one in the franchise not to include Banderas or Gugino or distributed by Miramax Films. The film follows a retired agent, played by Jessica Alba, as she is called back into the field. She is forced to take her new step-children and infant for the ride. Along with her husband, played by Joel McHale, the family works together to fight against an evil time lord who is, you guessed it, trying to take over the world. The film did not do as spectacularly as its predecessors, only grossing $85 million worldwide with a budget of $27 million. From here, the franchise would remain dormant for years.
The Upcoming Film
Netflix announced that Robert Rodriguez would indeed be writing and directing a new film of the popular kids' franchise. This will be his second family feature in partnership with Netflix, the first being We Can Be Heroes, which was a follow-up to his 2005 film Sharkboy and Lavagirl. Spyglass Media, who owns the Spy Kids franchise, will remain on board for the reboot. Producers Elizabeth Avellan and Racer Max will join them. The studio's Gary Barber and Peter Oillataguerre will executive produce the film.
The official film synopsis for Spy Kids: Armageddon was recently released, revealing that the film will be different since it relies on a new potential generation of fans:
"The children of the world's greatest secret agents unwittingly help a powerful game developer unleash a computer virus that gives him control of all technology, leading them to become spies themselves to save their parents and the world."
The casting directors, Catherine Stroud and Mary Vernieu revealed that a group of extraordinarily talented actors would be the leading stars of Spy Kids: Armageddon, including but not limited to Billy Magnussen (No Time to Die, Zachary Levi (Shazam!: Fury of the Gods), D.J. Cotrona (Shazam!), Gina Rodriguez (Jane the Virgin), and Fabiola Andújar (Love & Death). Everly Carganilla will play Patty Tango and Connor Esterson will be her brother, Tony. The cast will bring a new generation of spy heroes and new ways in which a family of spies relates to one another.
The trailer offers a similar concept to both the first and fourth films, as parents go missing and kids take over. The villain is briefly profiled as a top hacker who released a virus unleashing violent video game characters to destroy the world. Fans don't have to wait much longer as Spy Kids: Armageddon is expected to be released on Netflix on September 22, 2023.
The Spy Kids Franchise Accurately Represents Minorities
When it was time for Hollywood to give a proper Hispanic representation, Rodriguez's Spy Kids heeded the call. He created a film trilogy that became a cult classic around a Hispanic family without letting things slip into their usual stereotypical ways. The Cortez family, especially the parents, Georgio and Ingrid, played by Antonio Banderas and Clara Gugino, are well-respected, hardworking agents of the OSS, an American-based espionage organization. This certainly counters the stereotype that Mexicans are, as described by a character in Desperate Housewives, "like those people who sell oranges on the side of the road.", Finally, Rodriguez graces the screen with Hispanic characters that are not cast in roles relating to crime or poverty.
The cast is almost exclusively made of actors of Latino/Spanish descent. Through their extraordinary talent and familiarity with the typical Hispanic family dynamics, the cast created an accurate representation of an actual Hispanic family living in the United States. The three movies put the value of family in the forefront, reflecting in this way a cultural heritage that prioritizes family above all else. Director Rodriguez himself claimed during one of his interviews that he drew inspiration from his own childhood and home life, even naming some of the characters after his own relatives (Juni). Regarding the new movie, he also revealed: "And this time, because I thought the little girl should be honest, she’s based on my sister, Patricia.”
With a very poor Hispanic representation in Hollywood today (only 3.1% of lead television actors and 5.2% of lead film actors are Latin or Hispanic), a reboot of Spy Kids is definitely needed to help pump those numbers up and bring the minorities back into the spotlight.
Spy Kids Is Primed For a Legacy Sequel
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It is hard to believe, but it has been 22 years since the first Spy Kids, and now 20 years since the release of Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over. The original Spy Kids are now all grown up; with star Alexa PenaVega now being 35 and Daryl Sabara being 31, they are old enough to play parents themselves. Both are actually older than Carla Gugino was when she played their mother in the first Spy Kids movie.
Having one of the two Cortez siblings as parents, or even both being parents to their own group of kids who have to work together as an extended family, seems like the best way to extend the franchise. It will bring back fans nostalgic for the first film trilogy while also allowing an entry point for new kids to learn about the world of Spy Kids. The issue with both the fourth film and the upcoming Netflix series is they are focusing on making kids' movies but not looking to make entertainment that can appeal to kids and adults like the previous films did.
A legacy sequel, with the original cast, could be the next big box office smash hit. Reuniting not only the Cortez kids but actors like Antonio Banderas, Carla Gugino, Cheech Marin, Danny Trejo, Emily Osmond, and even George Clooney would be an epic film years in the making.