PedroParamo Tagged Articles at Cinematical

I can just see it now -- fifty years from now, news, blogs or whatever the preferred communication system is, will bring word that Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal will be collaborating on their 372nd feature, perhaps an ailing buddy movie where they take a road trip and act lasciviously, like they did all those years ago in Y tu mamá también. Last month, I posed that the pair would be reuniting to play brothers for the Iñárritu, Cuarón and del Toro film Rudo y Cursi. Only a month later, they're pairing up again. Luna has just joined Bernal on the production of Pedro Páramo, which I blogged about in May.

Bernal is already starring as Páramo, the "brutal man who married Juan Preciado's mother, stole her land and money, and destroyed her town -- Comala." Luna is now about to board in a production capacity. The duo's production and distribution company, Canana, is in final negotiations to co-produce the film. I wouldn't be surprised if we soon see Luna pop up in some sort of acting capacity -- perhaps as Preciado? The film, which heads into production this September in Mexico and Spain, has also added more talent in front of and behind the screen -- a Mexican paper says Vanessa Bauche has signed on for a role, and two Pan's Labyrinth Oscar-winners for makeup, Montse Ribé and David Martí are overseeing makeup.

I'm one of those people who was first introduced to Gael Garcia Bernal through Y tu mamá también. Unfortunately, I'm also one of those crazy, rare people who didn't like the film. Well, I probably would've liked it more if it wasn't hyped so much. Once I saw it, I just didn't get the wow factor. Luckily, he's also been in I'm with Lucy, so I saw him in some better material. Just kidding... Anyhow, he's just about to show his directorial debut, Déficit, to Cannes this week and he's also finalizing plans to star in another adaptation of Pedro Páramo, a famous short novel by Juan Rulfo.

It's been a favorite of the big screen, having popped up in 1967, 1978 and 1981. In this current incarnation, I'm sniffing one hell of a Latin hit. This adaptation is under the pens of Mateo Gil and Alejandro Amenábar, who will also direct. Why is this a good thing? Because they're the ones who brought us Abre los ojos, the precursor to Vanilla Sky. Páramo is the story of a brutal man who married Juan Preciado's mother, stole her land and money, and destroyed her town -- Comala. Talking with the ghosts of the town, Preciado reveals its demise under Pedro's hands. To just sweeten the deal a little bit, the film will be art directed by Eugenio Caballero, who just won an Oscar for Pan's Labyrinth. I'm not sure how much they could sweeten this cinematic pot, but I'm anxious to see what they all will do with this latest adaptation. How about you?