Well-known Spanish actor Mario Casas (a Goya Award winner for Cross the Line, nominated at the latest edition of the awards for Away, and recently seen in the films The Dinner and Zeta) returns to directing, after his debut feature, Mi soledad tiene alas (2023), with A puño descubierto (lit. "Bare-fisted"), a new project in which he also takes on a leading role (bleached blond) alongside his brother, Óscar Casas, who toplined his first film and this year released the commercial sensation Idols. The cast also features Mexican-born, Madrid-based actress Tania Noriega (who has appeared in series such as Lotería del crimen and Lady Altagracia), newcomer Migdalia H and Javier Oliveras (the series El mal invisible), among others.

The screenplay is penned by Eduard Sola (who won a Goya Award for A House on Fire and drew praise for the series Querer) together with Mario Casas himself, and according to them, it is “a story about brotherhood, sacrifice and the possibility – or not – of escaping an inherited fate”. It will tell of how Luis survives in the world of underground fights alongside his brother Daniel, with whom he maintains a bond as strong as it is fragile. While one tries to escape that milieu, the other remains trapped in it. Between loyalty, necessity and tough decisions, both will have to confront their own limits.

The film’s technical crew brings together some notable professionals, such as Edu Canet (who already worked with Casas on Mi soledad tiene alas and Away) as director of photography, Núria Guardia (the series Love You to Death) as art director, Javier Frutos (a Goya winner for Saturn Return) in charge of editing and Alba S Torremocha (The Footballest 2: The Mystery of the Pirate Treasure) overseeing the music. Shooting began on 17 April in Barcelona and will continue for six-and-a-half weeks in various locations around the Catalonian capital and Gran Canaria.

A puño descubierto is being produced by Nuria Valls and Adrián Guerra for Nostromo Pictures and A puño descubierto AIE, with the participation of Movistar Plus+ and financing from the ICAA. The film will be released in Spanish cinemas in 2027, distributed by Warner Bros Pictures Spain.