Robert Rodriguez’s new film We Can Be Heroes is a family affair

Latino filmmaker Robert Rodriguez proudly shared with The STAR and select press that his latest film for families, We Can Be Heroes, was created with the help of his own family.

The man behind the kiddie-oriented actioners (Spy Kids, The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl) served as the writer, director, producer, editor and cinematographer of the film now streaming on Netflix. But also worth-noting is that his four children — Racer Max, Rebel, Rogue and Rhiannon — played key roles in bringing to life this story about a group of superhero kids stepping in to save their parents and the world from “invading” aliens.

His son Racer Max, who actually came up with the Sharkboy and Lavagirl characters when he was seven years old, is a producer on the film. He also has a cameo in the film as the helicopter pilot. Rebel, who played the younger Sharkboy in the original film, was responsible for We Can Be Heroes’ orchestral score.

Rogue, the family’s computer programmer, did the film’s alien spaceship set designs when he was only 15. Rhiannon, on the other hand, inspired many of the female characters’ interests and characteristics.

The director, recognized as a Hollywood trailblazer for such “adult” action blockbuster films as El Mariachi, Desperado, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, From Dusk Till Dawn, Frank Miller’s Sin City, etc., etc., talked about how much he loved working on set with children and his own children.

Apart from his successful, out-of-Hollywood production house, Troublemaker Studios (based in Texas), Robert together with his sons Racer and Rebel formed Double R Productions, a development and production company with capabilities to produce media projects across film, TV, gaming and interactive platforms. We Can Be Heroes is one of its projects, in partnership with the streaming giant.

In a recent virtual interview, the filmmaker told us that directing the 11 kids in We Can Be Heroes — led by Yaya Gosselin as Missy Moreno, the whip-smart daughter of superhero/swordsman Marcus Moreno, played by Pedro Pascal — brought back fond memories of his childhood, having been raised in a large Mexican-American family. He also spoke about wanting to make more films that empower children, saying that the reason his previous kid-friendly films became a hit was because they came from the creative minds of children.

Hollywood director Robert Rodriguez with the young cast.

Robert goofing around with his young actors, and giving instructions to Lavagirl and Sharkboy and their child Guppy on the set of We Can Be Heroes.