Here’s a serious case of believe it when you see it (and bear in mind, the Grindhouse Blu-Rays need marketing right about now).

According to “rumblings around town”, given a public voice by Bloody Disgusting, the Weinsteins are putting some serious welly behind Robert Rodriguez’ Machete. Originally showcased as a faux trailer from the double bill version of Grindhouse, and then a high point of the Planet Terror DVD, Machete would be expanded to feature length from the 30 minutes worth already in existence.

In fact, it might be expanded far beyond feature length. Try three features’ length…

A slightly newer report than the Bloody Disgusting one can be read on the French site Tout Le Cine. According to them, “Danny Trejo vient d’annoncer que les frères Weinstein ont pour intention rapide, avec la complicité de Robert Rodriguez, de faire de Machete un vrai film. Ou, plutôt, une trilogie destinée à une exploitation directe en DVD.”

Or, to put that another way, “Danny Trejo has announced that the Weinstein brothers are intending to quickly, and with the collaboration of Robert Rodriguez, make a real Machete movie. Or, rather, a trilogy of them, intended to go direct to DVD.”

No source has been named but the site is a very reputable one, and has often been the first place I’ve heard of something slightly unlikely that later turned out to be true.

So, my guess is that Trejo has been speaking out again, and reiterating what he was telling us last spring. Only time will tell if he’s going to be proven right this time, but I’m certainly not buying into it yet. I’d like to be wrong, though, and it isn’t impossible that the Weinsteins are looking for some cheap and cheerful straight-to-disc affairs - particularly ones like this, with built in audiences and already popular trailers - at this time of financial fearfulness.