Netflix Reteams with ‘Eternaut' Star Ricardo Darín on New Movie as Streamer ‘Doubles Down' on Argentina
Netflix has unveiled a new film with 'The Eternaut' lead Ricardo Darín, Argentina's biggest star, and another by popular director Marcos Carnevale ('Elsa and Fred'), starring Oscar Martínez ('Official Competition').
'Lo dejamos acá' stars Darín and Diego Paretti, another big Argentine player, in a movie about a pragmatic psychoanalyst (Darín) who begins to distrust traditional psychological methods, crossing ethical lines with his patients. Everything seems to work – until a creatively blocked writer (Peretti) enters his practice.
More from Variety
'Sirens' Creator on the Power of Lilly Pulitzer, Michaela's Bird Obsession and Turning Greek Myth Into New England Nightmare
Park Bo-young on Playing Twins in Netflix's 'Our Unwritten Seoul': 'It Felt Like Shooting Two Dramas at Once'
'Robert Langdon' Adaptation Set at Netflix From 'Lost' EP Carlton Cuse and Mystery Novelist Dan Brown
Produced by Darín's label Kenya Films, in a pedigree creative package 'Lo dejamos acá' is helmed by Hernán Goldfrid, who directed Darín in box office hit 'Thesis of a Homicide' and co-directed 'Caught' as well as one of HBO Latin America's best series ever, 'The Bronze Garden.' It is written by Emanuel Diez, who co-wrote Juan José Campanella's 'The Envoys' and Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat's 'El Encargado' ('The One in Charge') and 'Nada,' co-starring Robert De Niro.
Written and directed by veteran helmer Carnevale, behind box office hits such as 'Elsa and Fred' (2005) and Corazón de Leon (2013), his next, 'El Último Gigante,' turns on a charismatic tour guide who is unexpectedly reunited with estranged father Julián, who abandoned him 28 years ago.
'Through tense and emotional encounters, the two explore past wounds, resentment, and the possibility of forgiveness,' a Netflix logline runs.
'El Último Gigante' stars Martínez and Matías Mayer, along with Inés Estévez, Luis Luque, Silvia Kutika, and Yoyi Francella. It is produced by Leyenda Films and Kuarzo International Films.
Both new features initiate production this month. The two new movies join the previously announced 'Parque Lezama,' from Argentinian Oscar-winner Juan José Campanella ('The Secret in Their Eyes').
Set up at his Buenos Aires label 100 Bares Producciones, it stars Luis Brandoni and Eduardo Blanco in an unlikely buddy tale of two elderly gentleman, one a lifelong communist, the other apolitical, who spend the day talking on a bench in Lezama Park in Buenos Aires, as they negotiate conflict with other park users and their own families. 'Parque Lezama' is based on Campanella's own stage play starring Brando and Blanco, a three season smash hit, broadly 'I'm Not Rappaport,' a stage play by Herb Gardner, which originally ran on Broadway over 1985-88, winning Tony Awards for best play, lighting design and actor (Judd Hirsch).
Netflix has also ordered a new documentary, currently in post-production, explores the infamous case of serial killer Yiya Murano. Alejandro Hartmann directs. It is produced by Haddock Films and Vanessa Ragone — which backed 'The Photographer and the Postman: The Crime of Cabezas' and 'Carmel: Who Killed María Marta?'.
Netflix's Doubling Down on Argentine Film, TV
With the new films, Netflix is 'doubling down' on its commitment to Argentine storytelling, it announced Sunday. That cuts various ways. Netflix is not only ordering up originals but making acquisitions on completed movies, a financial arrangement which has flowered in recent times.
Recent licensing deals take in Benjamín Avila's 'The Woman in the Line' (La Mujer de la Fila') starring Natalia Oreiro, Alberto Ammann, and Amparo Noguera; Miss Carbón, starring Lux Pascal and Paco León, directed by Agustina Macri; and in new news, 'Risa,' starring Peretti, Joaquín Furriel, and Cazzu, featuring the debut of Elena Romero, and directed by Juan Cabral.
The two new movie announcements come after Argentina has scored two global No. 1 non-English-language TV series hits in the space of just over a month. Crime thriller 'Caught' ('Atrapados'), starring 'The Secret's' Soledad Villamil and an Argentine makeover of Harlan Coben's novel of the same name, topped Netflix's global charts over March 24-30.
Sci-fi series 'The Eternaut: Season 1,' shot in its first week to the streamer's No. 1 global non-English show berth and remained there for two weeks running over April 28 to May 11. One of Netflix's biggest and boldest swings ever in Latin America, the large-scale series turns on hallowed national IP – an iconic Argentinian graphic novel – in line with Brazil's 'Senna' and Colombia's 'One Hundred Years of Solitude.'
With some 20 projects underway, including series, documentaries and films, Netflix Content VP for Latin America, Francisco Ramos announced last August, Argentina's film-TV industry has a new white knight, at least for several dozen projects.
Argentina's INCAA film-TV agency recently announced calls for submissions for second features by directors. It will also organize a Buneos Aires Ventana Sur along with Cannes Marché du Film and Uruguay's ACAU film institute, the three partners announced at Cannes.
The state aid is light years away, however, from the substantial Argentinian state-sector film funding of the last two decades, which gave it the biggest production volume in features of any country in Latin America. While INCAA has pulled out, Netflix is pulling in, filling part – just part – of the breach.
'Our commitment to Argentina is unwavering. We are passionate about being part of the audiovisual creation of this incredible country, promoting its cinema both within and beyond its borders. We will continue offering the highest-quality entertainment to our members and showcasing the best of Argentina through its films, which are unique and globally acclaimed,' said Ramos.
He added: 'I'm especially proud to strengthen our collaboration with Ricardo Darín, with Kenya Films and with Juan José Campanella, with whom we are already working on two projects. We hope they find a home at Netflix.'
Best of Variety
New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week
Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz
Oscars Predictions 2026: 'Sinners' Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Verge
a day ago
- The Verge
The soul of The Last of Us is in Gustavo Santaolalla's music
When fans nervously tuned in to watch HBO's adaptation of one of their favorite video games, there was one familiar presence that immediately calmed their nerves: the mournful guitar of Gustavo Santaolalla. As certain story beats changed and beloved polygonal faces were replaced with new actors, the beating heart of The Last of Us — its mesmerizing, tension-ridden score — survived the transition to TV intact. '[Series creator] Neil Druckmann has said that my music is part of the DNA of The Last of Us,' Santaolalla says. 'I think the fact that we kept the sonic fabric — that we didn't do an orchestral score for the series — has been instrumental in keeping those fans of the games fans of the series, too.' Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Santaolalla first started releasing music when he was 17. Loving both English rock bands and the traditional Argentine folk music that he was raised on, Santaolalla melded both into his own unique sound, part of a genre called rock nacional. Before he could fully make his mark, Santaolalla's family fled the Argentine junta dictatorship in 1978, moving to Los Angeles, where his unique sound soon caught the attention of filmmakers. Snapped up to score the 2000 film Amores Perros and 2003's 21 Grams, their success led to Santaolalla composing the soundtracks for Brokeback Mountain and Babe l, both of which won him Oscars. Santaolla's sonic secret? Embracing the eloquence of silence. 'I work so much with silence and space, because silences sometimes can be louder than a note that you're playing,' says Santaolalla. 'I remember on Brokeback Mountain when I first sent them the music, the producer said 'I thought you were pulling my leg at first, because you wait so long to play the next note!'' 'Silences sometimes can be louder than a note that you're playing.' After winning two Oscars back to back, Santaolalla carefully considered his next career move. Despite being a self-professed 'terrible gamer' Santaolalla tells me he always loved watching his son play, mesmerized by the on-screen kineticism. 'I always thought that if somebody connects this at an emotional level with a player, it's going to be a revolution.' It turns out, the universe had picked up on Santaolalla's newest interest. Post-Oscars, he was approached by several game companies to do music, but turned them down because 'I'm very picky about the work that I do.' That includes a lucrative gaming project that he is careful not to name. 'Everyone thought I was crazy!' he chuckles. Still, Santaolalla quietly hoped that a more emotionally-resonant project would materialize. 'So, I waited… and then Neil appeared,' Santaolalla says. 'When Neil told his colleagues that he wanted me to do this, [his colleagues ] said, No, Gustavo is not going to be interested — he won two Oscars! But when Neil [told me] the story, and that he wanted to do a game that connects with people on an emotional level… I was sold. What even Neil Druckmann wasn't prepared for, however, was that Gustavo's music would become just as crucial a presence as Ellie and Joel. In a post apocalyptic world where life is scarce and danger lurks around every corner, silence hangs in the air like a threat. Santaolalla's scuffed notes, discordant melodies and screeching fret slides reverberate across the dilapidated city streets, feeling as unpredictable as the world Ellie and Joel inhabit. 'I love the use of imperfections, even errors or mistakes.' 'I love the use of imperfections, even errors or mistakes,' Santaolalla explains. 'Any professional guitar player when they're recording tend to avoid all kinds of noises; when you run your hand on the fretboard or little glitches in your playing. But sometimes, I'll push those in my mix, and I think that humanizes it. That's why many people have said that my music becomes like a character — a presence. It's why I play things myself.' In the second game, Gustavo's music becomes a physical part of the fiction, with Ellie carrying a guitar throughout her quest for vengeance. She takes out the instrument during welcome moments of downtime, offering cathartic respite. And just like Gustavo's score, these beautiful vignettes break up the harrowing silence, which carries through in the second season of the show. 'I love the TV series too,' says Santaolalla. ' For the show, Neil associated himself with another incredible talent, Craig Mazin — the guy that did Chernobyl — who knows that media and that language. I think it was a big, big challenge, because when you go from one media to another one, people say no, I like the original better! So, I think, once again, that the way we have used the music has been instrumental to keep that fan base attached.' He adds that 'I think that when a story is really great, like a theatrical piece — like Shakespeare — it doesn't matter who plays the character. Obviously Pedro Pascal's Joel is different than the Joel from the game, but the substance of the character is so powerful that those things are just superficial. They could have done this as a series, as a feature film, as a puppet theatre piece, or an animation and it will still land regardless — because it's just great writing.' Now as Santaolalla finds himself releasing his very own instrument — the Guitarocko — it feels like the culmination of the musical journey he started as a teen. Melding the traditional Bolivian 10 stringed ronroco with the form factor of a Fender Stratocaster, Gustavo feels a father-like pride for his musical creation: the 73-year-old is invigorated by what The Last Of Us has given him at this stage in his career. 'I've been blessed with the fact that I have connected with an audience since I was very young,' he says. 'But the way I connect with the fans of The Last of Us and the way they connect with the music… here's a special devotion that is really beautiful. I have this new audience which is fantastic, and I love that they didn't know me as an artist or as a film composer! Now they look for my music, and they discover these things. It's been a gift for me, at this point — after everything that I've been through — to be involved with a project like this.'
USA Today
2 days ago
- USA Today
Rock icon Fito Páez isn't looking at legacy yet: 'I still have many things left to do'
Rock icon Fito Páez isn't looking at legacy yet: 'I still have many things left to do' Don't give Fito Páez his flowers yet. He's still planting new seeds. The Argentina-born singer-songwriter and film director, whose landmark 1992 album "El Amor Después del Amor" celebrated its 33rd anniversary June 1, continues his tradition of avant-Latin rock on his latest album "Novela." Páez, 62, became "The Troubadour of Argentine Rock" by waxing poetic with his heady, romantic lyrics and free-spirit flamboyance. On "Novela," an ambitious 25-track record Páez had been working on since 1988, the Grammy-winning rocker explores the inner workings of true love through the tale of Maldivina and Turbialuz, a pair of young witches tasked with creating the "perfect romance." "I don't compose music for albums. My connection to music, to writing or to film is permanent. I'm not thinking, 'Now I'm going to do this or that,'" Páez tells USA TODAY in Spanish. "It's almost like breathing." Something that comes just as naturally to Páez is writing about the primal magic of human connection. "There's nothing more important than love," he says. Fito Páez preaches the importance of artistic independence For Páez, there's nothing more vital than marching to the beat of your own drum. The acclaimed rocker, who's released nearly 30 albums since his 1984 debut "Del 63," shares his concern about today's music landscape, which he views as valuing conformity over originality. "The world has changed so much," he reflects. "In the last century, to be different (as an artist) was a virtue. Today, virtue is being like everybody else." Despite his lower middle-class upbringing in Rosario, Argentina, Páez was fed a rich musical diet, consisting of the sounds of Frank Sinatra, Burt Bacharach and The Beatles. He says these trailblazers informed the experimental rock style he's now known for. So, Páez's advice for younger artists? Embrace the uncertainty of carving out their own path. "Music is like the sea. It's deep and warm and at the same time, full of storms," Páez says. "This is much more fun than repeating a beat and four lyrics for five minutes." Karol G interview: Singer talks vulnerable new documentary, love life and upcoming 'dream' album Fito Páez's proudest achievement may surprise you Over the years, Páez has been lauded for his artistic contributions, including 11 Latin Grammy Awards. In 2021, the Latin Recording Academy recognized Páez with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award. Páez's music has been equally championed by la gente. His beloved eighth album, "El Amor Después del Amor," is reportedly the best-selling album in the history of Argentine rock. "I don't want a legacy yet. I still have many things left to do," Páez says with a laugh. "In the end, that's the beauty of the spread of music, that it's not the process of one era, of one song, of your vanity or of your brand, but it's a journey through time. And when it happens for real, it's very beautiful." Natalia Lafourcade interview: Mexican singer on alter ego in 'Cancionera,' significance of touring in her 40s The greatest accolade for Páez lies in his continued ability to create. "I really love that 12-year-old boy who listened to music with his parents, and something was awoken there that is still alive, and that boy never said never," Páez says. "So, I'm really proud of that little boy."
Vogue
3 days ago
- Vogue
17 Thoughts I Had About the First Kiss of the Spider Woman Trailer, Starring Jennifer Lopez and Diego Luna
I'm something of a freak for musicals even when they don't star Jennifer Lopez, so you can imagine how I feel about Bill Condon's upcoming big-screen adaptation of Kiss of the Spider Woman. Set in a prison during Argentina's Dirty War, the film, which had its world premiere at Sundance earlier this year, features none other than as a fatally beautiful screen actress (what a stretch!), and it's due out in theaters this fall. Watch the first teaser trailer for yourself below, then find (literally) every thought I had about it below.
