'Spy Kids: Armageddon' Director Explains Why Alexa PenaVega & Daryl Sabara Didn't Return for New Movie

Spy Kids: Armageddon is out now!

The latest installment in the Spy Kids franchise debuted on Netflix on Friday, September 22, and while Robert Rodriguez, who wrote and directed the original movies, returned, stars Alexa PenaVega and Daryl Sabara did not reprise their roles.

In a new interview, Robert explained why he didn’t include Alexa and Daryl in the new movie.

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“I wanted to re-establish a new family,” Robert shared with Yahoo Entertainment about his decision to cast newcomers Connor Esterson and Everly Carganilla.

“But because it’d been so long [since 2011’s All the Time in the World], it was important to just start the franchise fresh and then go from there,” Robert added.

Alexa and Daryl last starred in Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World alongside Jessica Alba, Joel McHale, Rowan Blanchard, and Mason Cook.

Robert also said that he’s interested in expanding the Spy Kids and would love to bring back Alexa and Daryl in potential future projects.

“I would love to bring back [characters], I would love to connect the worlds,” Robert said. “That would be so fun,” Robert said. “It could still be in the same world, so if we get to make more films, there easily could be legacy characters that come back.”

Spy Kids: Armageddon is available for streaming on Netflix now – check out the trailer here!