Filmmaker Robert Rodriguez's El Rey Network said the pilot episode of its centerpiece original series, From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series, will be available to Microsoft Xbox users on March 8, ahead of the show's March 11 premiere on the new, independent network.
At a briefing for reporters in New York, the Xbox arrangement was mentioned, but no details were provided ahead of a coming full announcement. Clips were shown of the show, though, which is currently in production in Austin, Texas, and is based on the Quentin Tarantino-scripted 1996 movie Rodriguez directed. The action-adventure series is centered on the Gecko brothers (pictured), one of whom is a bank robber, who are being pursued by a Texas ranger (played by Don Johnson) and have to fight off vampires, among other obstacles. Rodriguez directed several of the episodes, and he said it's a high-production series unlike what anyone would expect as the first original from a new indie network. He likened it to top cable drama The Walking Dead, with which it shares a connection with Greg Nicotero, the special-effects guru. Other episodes will be directed by Joe Menendez (The Brothers Garcia) and Eduardo Sánchez (The Blair Witch Project), the network said.
The show already has an integration deal with General Motors to include about a dozen vehicles in episodes: a Camaro features prominently in one of the marketing images, with the Gecko brothers in front of a faux Big Kahuna Burger restaurant. Network ad-sales chief Michael Finn announced another integration effort, with Heineken USA, that will see Dos Equis feature in Dusk Till Dawn episodes. "There are a lot of bar scenes" in the second half of the 10-episode run, he said.
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