Controversial filmmaker Robert Rodriguez filed a lawsuit this week against the Texas Film Commission for their denial to hand over funds that were previously agreed on before filming the film "Machete." The state allegedly argued that the film was "inapproprate."
The lawsuit, which was filed in the Travis County Courthouse in Austin on behalf of Rodriguez' production company "Machete Chop Shop Inc" on July 13, accuses the Texas Film Commission of breaching the agreement both parties had agreed on. It also claims that the Commission failed to reimburse certain expenses of the film's production, after it was screened for them, arguing that the film was too violent and it did not cast a good light on the state of Texas.
Before the film was released in September 2010, anti-immigrant groups expressed outraged at the film's basic premise and at the storyline.
Rodriguez and other "Machete" producers requested financial incentives from the state of Texas in order to shoot the film in that state. The filmmakers pointed to the Texas Film Industry Development Loan Programme, which was created in 2009 in order to attract films to the state.
Rodriguez was present when Texas Governor Rick Perry signed the legislation that created the program and said at the time that this deal would allow Texas to make a great number of films, including his best known picture to date, "Machete."
The lawsuit alleges that the former director of the Texas Film Commission, Bob Hudgins, verified that the script for "Machete" met the program's content requirements that were set by the state development program for the industry and includes copies of an email which shows approval for the incentive package.
The producers of "Machete" claim that they increased the budget for the film, once they received the approval from the Film Commission. The lawsuit claims that if they known that they were not eligible for the program they would have taken their film elsewhere, where they could have received proper State aid for their production needs.
Robert Rodriguez will release the sequel to "Machete" this October. The film, which is called "Machete Kills," has a star studded cast that includes Danny Trejo, Jessica Alba, Michelle Rodriguez Sofía Vergara, Demián Bichir, Amber Heard, Antonio Banderas, Zoe Saldana, Edward James Olmos, Vanessa Hudgens, Cuba Gooding Jr., Alexa Vega, William Sadler, Lady Gaga, Marko Zaror, Tom Savini, Charlie Sheen and Mel Gibson.
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