Pedro Pascal to Star in Pedro Almodóvar’s Upcoming Short Western “A Strange Way of the Life”

Posted on July 2, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Pedro Pascal is preparing to work with a Spanish living legend…

The 47-year-old Chilean actor will star in Oscar-winning director Pedro Almodóvar’s upcoming short Western A Strange Way of the Life.

Pascal will star opposite Ethan Hawke in the project.

Almodovar teased details of the storyline in a note put out by El Deseo, the Madrid-based film company he runs with his brother Agustín Almodóvar.

“A man rides a horse across the desert that separates him from Bitter Creek. He comes to visit Sheriff Jake. Twenty-five years earlier, both the sheriff and Silva, the rancher who rides out to meet him, worked together as hired gunmen,” he wrote. “Silva visits him with the excuse of reuniting with his friend from his youth, and they do indeed celebrate their meeting, but the next morning Sheriff Jake tells him that the reason for his trip is not to go down the memory lane of their old friendship…. I must say no more so as not to give away all the surprises of the script,” he added.

It will be filmed in the Tabernas desert, in Spain’s south-eastern province of Almeria, in a village built 50 years ago by Sergio Leone to shoot his dollar trilogy with Clint Eastwood.

Sony Pictures Classics Acquires Rights to Penelope Cruz-Starrer “Madres Paralelas” from Pedro Almodovar

Posted on April 25, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Penelope Cruz’s latest film is going global…

Sony Pictures Classics has acquired all rights in North America, Australia and New Zealand to Parallel Mothers (Madres Paralelas), starring the 46-year-old Spanish Oscar-winning actress.

It’s the 13th collaboration between the distributor and director/producer Pedro Almodóvar’s production company El Deseo.

Production began in Madrid last month on the film, which reunites the Spanish filmmaker with longtime collaborators Cruz, Julieta Serrano and Rossy de Palma.

Parallel Mothers is a drama that centers on three mothers, portrayed by Cruz, Aitana Sánchez Gijón and Milena Smit.

The film expands Almodóvar’s previous depictions of womanhood by turning his focus on imperfect mothers, in a departure from his prior work exploring mothers and motherhood.

Written by Almodóvar, the film also stars Israel Elejalde.

The film is produced by Agustín Almodóvar and Esther García through El Deseo.

Sony Pictures Classics recently released Almodóvar’s short film The Human Voice, starring Tilda Swinton, in theaters alongside a digitally restored re-issue of Woman on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. It will be available to stream on HBO Max starting on April 30.

Almodóvar won two Oscars for best foreign language film for All About My Mother and original screenplay for his 2002 title Talk to Her (Hable con Ella).

Cruz has starred in several of Almodovar’s films, including All About My Mother, I’m So Excited!, Volver, Broken Embraces, and Pain and Glory.

Pedro Almodovar’s Production Company Developing TV Series “Mentiras Pasajeras” with Viacom International Studios

Posted on January 25, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Pedro Almodovarwill be spreadinglies…

Viacom International Studios has set a co-development deal with El Deseo, the Spanish production company owned by the 70-year-old legendary Spanish filmmaker and his brother Agustín Almodóvar, for an eight-episode series, Mentiras Pasajeras.

Pedro Almodovar honored at MoMa Film Benefit

The companies will co-develop the series under the direction of Spanish screenwriters Nerea Castroand Blanca Andres.

El Deseo, which produces both film and television projects, was formed in 1985 by Pedro Almodovar. His latest release, Pain and Glory, earned a Best International Filmnomination and also a Best Actornod for Antonio Banderas.

“We are honored to have entered into this agreement with internationally distinguished production company, El Deseo, which will further expand our portfolio with more world-class productions and properties,” said Federico Cuervo, SVP and Head of Viacom International Studios. ”We look forward to working with Almodovar and his team, and we are certain that this co-development deal will result in even more captivating content for VIS and its partners.”

“We very much appreciate the trust VIS has placed in us, El Deseo, as producers and are convinced the joining of forces of two companies with such high standards in this industry will yield very exciting projects in this era of high demand for quality cinematic content. We hope this first venture is the first of many more to come. We are very excited! ”said Agustin Almodovar, producer of El Deseo.

The series follows a collaboration involving VIS, El Deseo, RTVE and Movistarfor the upcoming Isabel Coixet film, Snow in Benidorm. With a cast featuring Timothy Spall, Sarita Choudhury, Carmen Machi, Ana Torrentand Pedro Casablanc, the project started filming on January 20 in Benidorm, Spain.

Almodovar’s “Julieta” Selected as Spain’s Official Best Foreign Language Film Entry

Posted on September 7, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Spain is putting its Oscar bet on Pedro Almodovar…

The Spanish Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has selected the 66-year-old Spanish filmmaker’s drama Julieta as its official submission in the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar race, marking the sixth time the director has represented Spain in the category.

The film, which Sony Pictures Classics will release in the U.S. on December 21, was selected by the organization from a shortlist of three titles including Iciar Bollain’s The Olive Tree and Paula Ortiz’s The Bride.

Julieta, Almodovar’s 20th film, premiered in competition at the Cannes Film Festival this year and was welcomed by critics and festgoers.

Produced by Esther Garcia through brothers Pedro and Agustin Almodovar’s banner El Deseo, the film is based on three short stories by Canadian Nobel laureate Alice Munro.

It follows the story of a woman who lives in Madrid with her daughter Anita who both suffer in silence over the loss of Xoan, Anita’s father and Julieta’s husband. The grief eventually drives them apart, and Anita abandons her mother age 18 without an explanation.

Adriana Ugarte, Emma Suarez, Rossy de Palma and Michelle Jenner star in the film, which was released in Spain in April through Warner Bros. and grossed $2.4 million in the territory.

Spain has won the Foreign Language Oscar category four times with the most recent win in 2004 with Alejandro Amenabar’s The Sea Inside.

The last time an Almodovar title was selected by the Spanish Academy as the country’s Oscar submission was in 2006 with Volver.

Argentina Submits Trapero’s “The Clan” as Its Foreign Language Oscar Entry

Posted on September 29, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Pablo Trapero’s latest project is representin’…

The 43-year-old Argentine filmmaker’s The Clan, which won the Best Director Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival after its world premiere there, has been selected as Argentina‘s entry in this year’s Foreign Language Oscar race.

The film about Argentina’s notorious Puccio crime family is produced by Spain’s Agustín Almodóvar and Pedro Almodóvar and their El Deseo production company.

It’s already a box office hit at home as El Clan, beating the record set by Argentina’s last Academy Award-winning film, 2009’s The Secret In Their Eyes.

And it played well in its North American premiere in the Toronto International Film Festival’s Platform sidebar earlier this month.

Days after Trapero’s Venice win, he was signed by CAA; Trapero has had two films nominated for Best Foreign Language Film Oscars, Lion’s Den and Carancho.

The film was released by 20th Century Fox with Fox International Pictures in Latin America, and Fox will release it in the U.S.

Almodóvar Shares “I’m So Excited” Trailer at London Tribute

Posted on December 15, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Pedro Almodóvar is being heralded for his “heart as big as the Grand Canyon”…

The 63-year-old Spanish filmmaker was honored at an Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences retrospective of Almodóvar’s work in London, which was attended by celebrities like Grace Jones, Kristen Scott Thomas and Miranda Richardson.

During the high-profile event, Almodóvar brother Agustin, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Stephen Frears and Sally Potter were among the people offering their tributes to the Oscar-winning filmmaker.

Quentin Tarantino even participated in special pre-recorded video to thank Almodóvar for having a “a filmography to beat.” Meanwhile, Frears enthused about Almodóvar’s ability to make everything seem natural.

“He creates a coherent world in which all of the elements fit,” he said. “It comes out of his imagination complete. I met him in New York when I was with My Beautiful Laundrette. I felt like an impostor; here was the transgressive real thing. Mine was a charade.”

A humbled Almodóvar admitted to being embarrassed by all the kind words.

“Tonight I know more about myself than ever,” he joked. “I’ve always strived to try and make life more livable with my films. It’s the homework of any kind of artistic expression. That was the lesson I learned from my mother.”

He even revealed that he’d tried and failed to nab the rights to books like The Hours, Silence of the Lambs, The Human Stain and The Reader, any of which would have been his first foray into English-language film. It’s a bridge he says he’ll likely not attempt to cross again.

“But you have to respect destiny. Perhaps I was not the one to make the movies that I now admire so much.”

And as a delight to the audience, Almodóvar shared a clip from his new film I’m So Excited, which Sony Pictures Classics will release next year. The film, which was originally titled Los Amantes Pasajeros, is the famed director’s return to comedy after a number of dramas like The Skin I Live In and Habla con ella.

The film’s all-star cast includes Javier Cámara, Cecilia Roth, Lola Dueñas, Raul Arévalo, Carlos Areces, Antonio de la Torre, Hugo Silva, Willy Toledo, Miguel Ángel Silvestre, Blanca Suárez, José Luis Torrijo, José María Yazpik and Laya Martí, with special collaborations from Penélope Cruz, Antonio Banderas and Paz Vega.

Vega to Star in Almodovar’s “Los Amantes Pasajeros”

Posted on June 4, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Paz Vega is reuniting with noted Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodovar this summer…

The 36-year-old Spanish actress has joined the cast of Almodovar’s latest film Los Amantes Pasajeros.

Vega, who was born in Seville and began her acting career in Spain, starred in Almodovar’s Spanish-language film Talk to Her, which won the Oscar for best original screenplay and the a Golden Globe for best foreign-language film.

Los Amantes Pasajeros, which Almodovar also wrote, follows a group of travelers who are placed in life-threatening situation aboard a plane flying to Mexico City. The passengers are defenseless in the face of danger, which provokes colorful confessionals that are their way to put out of mind the possibility they might be about to die.

Vega, who made her U.S. debut in director James L. Brooks’ Spanglish, has starred in several Hollywood films including The Spirit and the indie 10 Items or Less. She’ll next voice the character of Carmen in Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted, which opens June 8.

Along with Vega, the movie stars Javier Camara (Talk to Her), Cecilia Roth (All About My Mother) and Lola Duenas (Volver). Spanish comedians Carlos Areces, Raul Arevalo and Jose Maria Yazpik are also in the cast.

Agustin Almodovar, the director’s brother, is producing the film. It is expected to shoot in Madrid this summer and will be released in spring 2013.

Vega joined a theater school at age 16 and made her acting debut on Spanish television. Her first big-screen role was in 1999’s Zapping.

The Goya Award-winning actress, who recently replaced Almodovar’s muse Penelope Cruz as the face of L’Oreal in Spain last year, is married to Orson Salazar, with whom she has three children.

Almodovar’s Next Project to Feature Familiar Faces…

Posted on April 17, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Pedro Almodovar‘s next film could be considered an all-stars project…

The 62-year-old Spanish director’s upcoming film will feature actors and actresses from some of his most noted films.

Almodovar’s Amantes Pasajeros (Standby Lovers) will feature Volver’s Lola Duenas, Talk to Her’s Javier Camara and All About My Mother’s Cecilia Roth in a “choral” cast.

They’ll work alongside well-known Spanish comedians Carlos Areces and Raul Arevalo and Mexican actor Jose Maria Yazpik, according to the film’s producer Agustin Almodovar.

The Almodovars are expected to start shooting Amantes Pasajeros this summer in Madrid. The film will be a “pure comedy,” in the tradition of some of Almodovar’s old school classics like Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, harkening back to the films “we did back in the ’80s,” says Augustin. Rumors are swirling around the film indicate it is set on a plane and focuses on the relationships of passengers.

Almodovar’s production outfit El Deseo said it will look to release the film in the spring of 2013 in as many territories as possible at the same time “to avoid piracy.”

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