Elijah Rodriguez has met his macho…

The Latino actor will star alongside Rudy Youngblood and Antonio Jaramillo in Verloren Productions’ drama Macho!, based on the book by Victor Villaseñor.

Rodriguez will co-star alongside fellow cast newcomer Mia Sanchez in the film.

The coming-of-age tale taking place during the 1960s centers on Roberto Garcia (Rodriguez), who at age 17, already has big dreams of making his fortune, building a family, and gaining the respect of his community. With ambition to burn and a passion to prove his manhood, Roberto takes the dangerous journey north, crossing the Mexican border to pick fruit in the “golden fields” of California. It is said that a good man can make more money there in a week than in an entire year in the mountains of Michoacán, his home. With dreams that overshadow harsh realities, Roberto is unprepared for the jammed boxcars and bolted trucks that carry undervalued migrant workers through the searing desert to long days of harsh labor.

The film will examine the brutality of migrant labor, as well as Cesar Chavez’s efforts to unionize workers, offering vivid portrayal of the immigrant experience through the eyes of a brave young man who bids goodbye to everything he knows to follow his dreams.

Verloren Productions Founder Walt Perez adapted the screenplay and will produce alongside Soren Odom, Melanie Tirado and Ralph Esparza.

Rodriguez’s previous credits include Sicario: Day of the Soldado.