“Spencer” director Pablo Larraín has teamed with Netflix for his next film “El Conde,” a fantastical dark comedy revolving around Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet. Production on the film is underway.
Larraín will direct “El Conde” and also co-wrote the script with his regular writing partner Guillermo Calderón, with whom he has already worked on “The Club” and “Neruda.” Juan de Dios Larraín is producing.
The story revolves around Augusto Pinochet, who is not dead but is an aged vampire who, after 250 years in this world, has decided to die once and for all, due to ailments brought about by his dishonor and family conflicts.
Jaime Vadell (“Tres tristes tigres,” “No”) and Gloria Münchmeyer (“La luna en el espejo,” “42 días en la oscuridad”) will play the central couple in this historical dark comedy, in addition to actors Alfredo Castro and Paula Luchsinger.
Netflix will release “El Conde” in 2023.
“We are very happy because Netflix is a place where directors whom I greatly admire have made really valuable movies,” Larraín said in a statement. “Using dark comedy we want to observe, understand and analyze the events that have occurred in Chile and the world in the last 50 years. We have total confidence that we’ll do a good job and it will undoubtedly be an adventure: a demanding shoot, but very inspiring and meaningful.”
“Finally we can work with Pablo Larraín as director. Participating in his next movie is truly an honor for us and will undoubtedly bring huge satisfaction to our Members in Chile and around the world,” Francisco Ramos, Netflix’s VP of Content for Latin America, said in a statement. “Pablo is one of the most interesting and significant voices in Latin American cinema in the last 20 years; his view on Chile and Latin America are essential to understanding our continent. I have no doubt that El Conde will continue on the path Pablo has blazed with No and Neruda. Continuing to put our faith in Fabula is vital to our growth process in a country as rich and diverse as Chile.”
Larraín most recently directed “Spencer,” a film about Princess Diana that netted Kristen Stewart an Oscar nomination. This is his first film in his native Chile since 2019’s “Ema.”
Variety first reported the news.
