HBO Max Developing Original Spanish Series Based on Santiago Garcia & Luis Bustos’ Graphic Novel “Garcia”

Santiago Garcia & Luis Bustos’ graphic novel will be getting the television treatment.

HBO Max has given the green light to the Spanish-language original series García based on the graphic novel of the same name by the Spanish authors.

Garcia

Sara Antuña and Carlos de Pando are co-creators and writers for the series and Eugenio Mira will direct all six episodes.

“When I read the first episode of “García!” I really enjoyed identifying with elements I’ve always loved, but what won me over was the way the script combined those references with something totally new. Being able to experiment with such great original material, a rich universe and ever-evolving characters, not to mention keeping track of the constant cliff-hangers and revelations, is a great technical and artistic challenge for me, and a huge privilege,” explained director Mira.

The story is set in present-day Spain, which is on the brink of political chaos and follows young investigative reporter Antonia (Veki Velilla) who stumbles on a decades-old conspiracy: the existence of a cryogenically-frozen super-agent García (Francisco Ortiz), created in a laboratory in the 1950s by General Franco’s fascist secret services.

The cast includes Emilio Gutiérrez Caba, Francisco Reyes, Nico Romero, Helio Pedregal, Mario Pardo, Miki Molina, Marina Gatell, Pepe Ocio and Silvia Abascal.

 

The novel, published by Astiberri Ediciones, plays on cultural and social uncertainty in a country still struggling with the ghosts of its dictatorial past, where old sentiments are reemerging, and political divides are deepening.

The series is produced by Zeta Studios for WarnerMedia in Spain and will bow on HBO Max in 2022.

Guillermo del Toro’s “The Shape of Water” to Show at the Telluride Film Festival

Guillermo del Toro is heading to Colorado…

The 52-year-old Mexican filmmaker is among the directors taking the films to the Telluride Film Festival this year.

Guillermo del Toro

The festival, which always holds its cards close to the vest until the eve of the annual Rocky Mountain movie event — and which has become a strong bellwether for Oscar season with several Best Picture winners first showing there at the official launch of awards season — looks to have several major contenders in the lineup just released this morning.

del Toro will be bringing his latest film The Shape of Water to the film, after premiering the film to glowing reviews at the Venice Film Festival.

The filmmaker’s lyrical period fairy tale, starring Sally Hawkins, marks a return to Pan’s Labyrinth territory for the filmmaker.

It also stars Michael Stuhlbarg, Michael Shannon, Octavia Spencer and Richard Jenkins.

There will be plenty of foreign-language Oscar hopefuls on display including Chile’s transgender drama Fantastic Woman, directed by Sebastián Lelio.

The 43-year-old Argentinian-born Chilean filmmaker’s film stars Daniela Vega, Francisco Reyes and Luis Gnecco.

The film centers on Marina as a young transgender waitress and aspiring singer. Reyes stars as Orlando, 20 years older than her, is the owner of a printing press. Marina and Orlando are in love and they both plan a future together. After Orlando dies suddenly, Marina sees herself forced to confront Orlando´s family and fight again to show everyone what she is: a complex, strong, honest and fantastic woman.

Here’s the complete lineup below:

  • ARTHUR MILLER: WRITER (d. Rebecca Miller, U.S., 2017)
  • BATTLE OF THE SEXES (d. Valerie Faris, Jonathan Dayton, U.S., 2017)
  • DARKEST HOUR (d. Joe Wright, U.K., 2017)
  • DOWNSIZING (d. Alexander Payne, U.S., 2017)
  • EATING ANIMALS (d. Christopher Quinn, U.S., 2017)
  • FACES PLACES (d. Agnes Varda, JR, France, 2017)
  • A FANTASTIC WOMAN (d. Sebastián Lelio, Chile-U.S.-Germany-Spain, 2017)
  • FILM STARS DON’T DIE IN LIVERPOOL (d. Paul McGuigan, U.K., 2017)
  • FIRST REFORMED (d. Paul Schrader, U.S., 2017)
  • FIRST THEY KILLED MY FATHER (d. Angelina Jolie, U.S.-Cambodia, 2017)
  • FOXTROT (d. Samuel Maoz, Israel, 2017)
  • HOSTAGES (d. Rezo Gigineishvili, Georgia-Russia-Poland, 2017)
  • HOSTILES (d. Scott Cooper, U.S., 2017)
  • HUMAN FLOW (d. Ai Weiwei, U.S.-Germany, 2017)
  • THE INSULT (d. Ziad Doueiri, France-Lebanon, 2017)
  • LADY BIRD (d. Greta Gerwig, U.S., 2017)
  • LAND OF THE FREE (d. Camilla Magid, Denmark-Finland, 2017)
  • LEAN ON PETE (d. Andrew Haigh, U.K.-U.S., 2017)
  • LOVELESS (d. Andrey Zvyagintsev, Russia-France-Belgium-Germany, 2017)
  • LOVE, CECIL (d. Lisa Immordino Vreeland, U.S., 2017)
  • LOVING VINCENT (d. Dorota Kobiela, Hugh Welchman, U.K.-Poland, 2017)
  • A MAN OF INTEGRITY (d. Mohammad Rasoulof, Iran, 2017)
  • THE OTHER SIDE OF HOPE (d. Aki Kaurismäki, Finland, 2017)
  • THE RIDER (d. Chloé Zhao, U.S., 2017)
  • THE SHAPE OF WATER (d. Guillermo del Toro, U.S., 2017)
  • TESNOTA (d. Kantemir Balagov, Russia, 2017)
  • THE VENERABLE W. (d. Barbet Schroeder, France-Switzerland, 2017)
  • THE VIETNAM WAR (d. Ken Burns, Lynn Novick, U.S., 2017)
  • WORMWOOD (d. Errol Morris, U.S., 2017)
  • WONDERSTRUCK (d. Todd Haynes, U.S., 2017)

Two documentary shorts, HEROIN(E) (d. Elaine McMillion Sheldon, U.S., 2017) and LONG SHOT (d. Jacob LaMendola, U.S., 2017) will also play together in the main program.

 

Sony Pictures Classics Acquires Lelio’s “A Fantastic Woman”

Sebastián Lelio’s latest project is expanding globally…

Sony Pictures Classics has acquired the North American, Australian and New Zealand rights to the 42-year-old Argentine-Chilean filmmaker’s A Fantastic Woman, ahead of its world premiere in competition Sunday at the Berlin Film Festival.

Sebastián Lelio

Written by Lelio and Gonzalo Maza, the Spanish-language film stars Daniela Vega as Marina, a waitress and singer, and Orlando (Francisco Reyes), an older man, who are in love and planning for the future. After Orlando suddenly falls ill and dies, Marina is forced to confront his family and society, and to fight again to show them who she is: complex, strong, forthright, fantastic.

The Chile-U.S.-Germany-Spain co-production is produced by Fabula’s Juan de Dios Larraín and Pablo Larraín with German banner Komplizen Film.

Lelio’s previous film, Gloria, won Best Ibero-American Film at the 1st Platino Awards.