:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/67102981/the_adventures_of_shark_boy_and_lava_girl_1527874014.0.jpeg)
Robert Rodriguez is constantly bouncing between hyper-violent action movies and kid-themed adventures, with Alita: Battle Angel hanging out somewhere in-between. His latest film We Can Be Heroes, which is heading to Netflix sometime in the near future, falls more on the kids side and it’s going to include an Easter egg for his longtime fans: the return of Sharkboy and Lavagirl.
Sharkboy and Lavagirl were the stars of Rodriguez’s 2005 kids movie, The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3D. The film was met with poor reception when it first came out, but has since gained a sort of cult following among the kids who grew up watching it. But like those kids, the characters of Sharkboy and Lavagirl have grown up ... which is exactly how they find their way into Rodriguez’s new film.
We Can Be Heroes (which may or may not be an actual sequel to The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3D) will follow a group of super-powered kids whose superhero parents have mysteriously vanished. With their parents gone, it’s up to the kids to save the world — yes, technically this is the same plot as Spy Kids. Among the movie’s super-powered parents are Sharkboy and Lavagirl, whose child has a combination of both shark and lava powers.
It’s unclear if both of Rodriguez’s old characters will appear in the movie or not, but he did note that only Lavagirl has a speaking role. On the other hand, Sharkboy and Lavagirl were originally played by Taylor Lautner and Taylor Dooley respectively, so it probably wouldn’t have been too hard to book time in their schedules.
Rodriguez dropped the tease of Sharkboy and Lavagirl’s return on Wednesday afternoon during Collider’s Comic-Con@Home “Directors on Directing” panel, which included Tron Legacy director Joseph Kosinski and Jurassic World’s Colin Trevorrow as well. Rodriguez spent much of the panel reflecting on his experiences making kids movies and even dropped a hint that a possible Spy Kids reboot could be on the way in the future.
