Jared Hess says he's never been asked about making 'Nacho Libre 2'

Speaking to filmmaker Jarod Hess last week about his new comedy "Gentlemen Broncos," HitFix inquired about the status about a "Nacho Libre" sequel.  The first Jack Black comedy was an unexpected summer smash in 2006 grossing $80 million in theaters and doing brisk business on DVD.  The picture was Hess' first film after his unexpected debut with the pop culture touchstone "Napoleon Dynamite" and proved he wasn't a one-hit wonder.

Surprisingly, Hess says while he'd love to work with Black again, Paramount has never approached him about doing a sequel.  And to be honest, considering how interested he is about returning to the world of Mexican wrestling, he seems as shocked by the missed opportunity as anyone else would be.  Why the studio wouldn't try to mine a popular picture like "Nacho" is unclear.  Yes, Black has never been one for sequels ("School of Rock 2" languished in the talking stages for years), but you'd think they would at least want to discuss it.

Happily for Hess though, he's kept busy with his new feature "Gentlemen Broncos."  The film will certainly have its supporters and detractors (perhaps more the former), but the offbeat comedy is 100% Hess' vision.  Filled with semi-autobiographical elements from his Utah upbringing like "Dynamite," Hess wrote the feature with his longtime writing partner and wife, Jerusha Hess.  The two took some time to speak to HitFix about how the picture came together and how some of his friends and neighbors will deal with seeing inspired versions of themselves on the big screen.  You can watch the interview embedded to the left on this page.

"Gentlemen Broncos" opens in limited release today.  Get tickets and showtimes here.