'Cantinflas,' The Biopic, Arriving in the US This Summer
The Spanish-language biopic "Cantinflas" is coming to the United States.
Pantelion acquired the rights to the movie about the Mexican actor, and it will be released in the U.S. on Aug. 29, notes Variety. Pantelion also has the rights in Latin America, and the movie will be distributed through Televisa and Lionsgate.
Filmmaker Sebastian del Amo shows a new side to Mario Moreno, who is more famously known as Cantinflas, by depicting his struggles and more of his personal life. It's more about the man and less about the character.
"The movie starts with the producer that was trying to go ahead with a project called 'Around the World in 80 Days,'" said del Amo to Variety. "He tells his producers that he already has Mario Moreno, the Mexican actor ... and they're going to see who he really is. So in that process we start to tell the whole story of Mario Moreno from his beginnings in the carpas (Mexican tent shows), how he tries different jobs and finds he has a knack for improvisation."
Del Amo said the movie is targeting those who grew up with his movies, which are still being played today. He added that Cantinflas is a global star, and it isn't just those in Latin America who will find appeal with this movie.
Cantinflas struggled to break into Hollywood because of language barriers.
"The main part of Mario's comedy was the circles he drew around language," del Amo said. "Translating that into English wasn't as easy for him and wasn't as natural. In reality he had only two attempts (in Hollywood). We focused on one -- 'Around the World in 80 Days' -- and in a way he does play the role of the companion, but if you analyze the film, in reality all the weight of the film falls on Mario's comedy."
His second attempt in Hollywood was "Pepe," which Cantinflas said was an error in his career. He returned to Mexico after that.
Spanish actor Oscar Jaenada played the role of Cantinflas. He sent del Amo pictures of himself dressed as the comedian, and then did really well in casting.
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