Robert Rodriguez has a date with a Matador…

The 45-year-old Mexican-American filmmaker, and the owner of the cable television channel El Rey Network, will direct the first episode of the scripted action series Matador, which was created by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman.

Production on Matador, which is described as a spy drama, is scheduled to get underway this month, with the series premiering in July, after the World Cup draws to a close.

Starring Nicky Whelan as the female lead, Matador centers on a famous soccer player who leads a double life as a CIA agent. It’s El Rey’s second original series to launch.

Previously, it was announced \that the network’s first scripted project, From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series, will premiere on March 11.

El Rey also announced that the first of 10 primetime installments of El Rey Network Presents: The Director’s Chair will premiere in April.

The new hourlong series provides a forum for two directors to go one-on-one.