Álvaro Longoria’s latest project is gaining momentum…

Spain’s Morena, Mediacrest and Estrategia Audiovisual are joining forces with Italy’s Fandango on The Sleeper, a thriller documentary following an alleged Caravaggio painting, directed by the 56-year-old Spanish film director, executive producer, and actor.

Rome-based Fandango will handle international sales rights.

Based on an original story created by Morena co-founder Longoria, Mediacrest’s Gerardo Olivares and Estrategia Audiovisual’s Ricardo Fernández-Deu, the project started production at the end of 2023, and is being shot in Madrid, London and several cities in Italy.

Guided by art dealer Jorge Coll, The Sleeper tells the journey of a piece of art that goes from a house’s living room in Madrid to making headlines worldwide in light of the possibility that it could be a lost painting by Italian Baroque master Caravaggio.

“You can’t ask for a better thriller plot,” Longoria told Variety. “The world of art is fascinating and somewhat obscure. The variables that affect the artistic versus economic value of a painting are plenty and this has always fascinated me.”

The documentary marks Longoria’s return to directing. His 2012 debut, Sons of the Clouds, produced by Javier Bardem, scored a Spanish Academy Goya, while 2015’s The Propaganda Game nabbed a nomination.