PRODUCTION / FUNDING Spain / Italy
Alejandro Amenábar’s adventure epic The Captive in the works
- Set to enter production in April, the film is based on the origin story of Miguel de Cervantes, and stars Julio Peña and Alessandro Borghi in the leading roles
Oscar-winning Chilean-Spanish director Alejandro Amenábar’s (While at War [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Alejandro Amenábar
film profile], The Sea Inside [+see also:
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film profile], The Others) new endeavour, titled The Captive, is set to enter production in April. The new period adventure epic is based on the origin story of Miguel de Cervantes, the author of Don Quixote. At the age of 28, Cervantes was taken captive by the Moors in Algiers, leading to his creative birth. The news was first reported by Variety.
The project, budgeted at around €14 million, will be filmed on location in Spain, in places such as Valencia, Alicante and Seville. In detail, the film is set in Algiers in 1575, when Cervantes, a young, wounded Spanish Navy soldier, is held prisoner by Ottoman corsairs. Faced with a ticking clock, a cruel death awaits him should his fellow countrymen fail to pay his ransom soon, but within the confines of his cell, Cervantes discovers a surprising refuge – the art of storytelling.
The cast is spearheaded by Julio Peña (Berlin), who will star alongside Italy’s Alessandro Borghi (The Eight Mountains [+see also:
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trailer
interview: Felix van Groeningen & Char…
film profile], soon to be seen in the Netflix series Supersex [+see also:
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series profile]). The technical crew includes the likes of DoP Alex Catalán, production designer Juan Pedro de Gaspar, costume designer Nicoletta Taranta, editor Carolina Martínez and VFX artist Ana Rubio. Amenábar himself is in charge of scoring the picture.
The Captive is being produced by Fernando Bovaira for Mod Producciones (Spain), Himenóptero (Spain) and Misent Producciones (Spain), in co-production with Propaganda Italia (Italy), with the participation of Netflix and TVE, and with the support of the ICAA, the Generalitat Valenciana and Eurimages.
UK outfit Film Constellation is set to introduce the project to buyers at the upcoming European Film Market in Berlin (15-21 February). Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures will be in charge of the Spanish release next year.
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