José Antonio Domínguez Bandera (born August 10th, 1960), known professionally as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish actor, producer, director, and singer. OK, I didn’t have to plagiarize his Wikipedia article, I know who he is. But now we have his full creative background, which can’t hurt, right?
Sorry, preamble over. What’s Antonio been up to lately? Well, speaking to a reporter from the Associated Press, the actor, producer, direc- you get me, has discussed his prospects of returning to the Desperado franchise.
For those who don’t know, Desperado was a trilogy of contemporary westerns, with Banderas starring as gunslinger El Mariachi in two of the three films. His last turn as the character came back in 2003’s Once Upon a Time in Mexico and 17 years later, Banderas is pessimistic about whether his current age prohibits a return to his rootin’-tootin’ days.
When asked if he’d do another one, here’s what he said:
“I don’t know if I would do another Desperado. I don’t know if I’m just too old for Desperado.”
He needn’t worry so much though, as the geriaction genre has never been more lucrative (if it even existed 20 years ago), with a string of stars now eligible for a bus pass making a decent keep out of B-movie material. At a sly 59, Banderas is a veritable spring chicken when put alongside names who’ve still been kicking ass well past mandatory retirement.
In face, I’ve lost track of the number of action movies Liam Neeson took on in the 2010s – if I list them all, I’ll run a very long way past my word limit. Do you really want another trademarked Alexander Crisp list? Ok, let me plug Desperado first (I have obligations before whimsy). Sorted? Good.
Here’s proof your action career isn’t over Antonio. We’ve got Taken, Unknown, The Commuter, Cold Pursuit, Taken 2, Non-Stop, A Walk Among the Tombstones, Run All Night, Taken 3 and The A-Team. Have a word with Liam, Puss.