Director Chris Le Talks Juarez 2045
David Gelmini
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Danny Trejo, drug cartels and killer robots. Juarez 2045 has it all. Read on for our interview with director Chris Le.
Dread Central: How did such an awesome idea come about? Were you always a fan of robots?
Chris Le: As a kid, I always wanted to be a roboticist. I actually studied electronic engineering as a hobby, sitting at home soldering electronic components together to build mini robots. Later on in my college years, I was always fascinated with the way the drug trade functioned. One documentary talked about how the cartels kidnapped scientists to create submarines that traffic cocaine or their very own private cellular network. So I thought to myself, with the continuing drug war, would it be possible for cartels to buy robotic technology off the black market.
DC: What was it like working with Danny Trejo?
CL: Danny Trejo was awesome to work with. This would be the second time I worked with him, Zombie Hunter being the first. He’s a very humble person, works hard and the nicest guy you could ever meet.
DC: Can you talk about the rest of the cast?
CL: Brad Schmidt plays Carson Wright, a re-enlisted marine member who was part of an experimental program gone wrong. A chip was implanted in his brain to help him control robots with his mind in warfare. He joins a M.A.R.S.O.C. unit that includes 5 other marines played by Alex Heartman, Jay Whittaker, Blake Webb, Tim Salisbury and Nathan Day. They were all great to work with. They naturally had a bond with each other during set which made the MARSOC group feel real, like a brotherhood. Oscar Olivares played Gabriel Malvado, Danny Trejo’s son who is in line to take over the cartel executed great acting in the film and Flo Donelli plays Oscar’s love interest.
DC: Can you tell us about the robots? They look pretty awesome.
CL: The robots were American military robots created by US company Gearside INTL. that were decommissioned due to the ban of robotic weaponry in warfare. Gearside becomes bankrupt, making the crooked C.E.O. sell off their technology on the black-market to the highest bidder, the cartel.
DC: How did you go about creating the look and feel of the robots?
CL: The robots were inspired by photos I found online of Cartel weapons. They would take AK47s and decorate them in gold Santa Muerte floral artwork, which gave me the idea that the cartels would do the same to the robots. Since these were robots in Mexico, I wanted the latin feel to them. Something different that would make my robots stand out.
DC: Can we expect lots of action with soldiers fighting robots?
CL: Yes, lots of action. They are hard to take down, so the soldiers have to figure out clever ways of killing them.
DC: Is the future of 2045 depicted in the film really how you see the world heading?
CL: Yes, with all the advances in military robotics and exo suits, it only feels possible that the drug war would escalate using advanced military weaponry.
Juarez 2045 will be released later this year.
Danny Trejo, Brad Schmidt, Alex Heartman, and Adam Scorgie star. Check the project out on Kickstarter.
Synopsis:
Juarez 2045 is an action science fiction film directed by Chris Le, written by Chris Le & Ramone Garibay. It follows a re-enlisted marine member, Carson Wright (Brad Schmidt) as he is sent to Juarez, Mexico to join with a M.A.R.S.O.C. unit to combat the ruthless Malvado drug cartel lead by Angel Malvado (Danny Trejo). The Malvado controls the city by using illegal humanoid robot weaponry.
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