Prime Video has shared the official trailer and poster for Cassandro, starring Gael García Bernal as Saúl Armendáriz, a gay amateur wrestler from El Paso. The film is rated R for language, drug use and sexual content.
Cassandro will open in select U.S. theaters on September 15 before becoming available on Prime Video Mexico on September 20 and globally on Prime Video September 22.
When Saúl Armendáriz (Gael García Bernal) starts competing in the macho world of Mexican Lucha Libre wrestling in the late 80s, he refuses to do it as a drag exótico wrestler.
But after he meets Sabrina (Roberta Colindrez), Saúl gains not only a professional trainer but also a friend who, slowly but surely, helps him find the courage to go through a transformation to come out as he truly is, in and out of the ring.
After a lot of hardship, he creates ‘Cassandro,’ an openly gay exótico wrestler and an improbable hero with weary skill and pride, that also empowers Saúl to change how he sees himself and provides him with a purpose in life.
Cassandro is directed by Oscar and Emmy-winning filmmaker Roger Ross Williams (Music by Prudence, Life, Animated, High on the Hog), from a screenplay by Williams and Emmy-winner David Teague (Cutie and the Boxer, Life, Animated).
The film stars Golden Globe winner Gael García Bernal (Mozart in the Jungle, Old, Babel, The Motorcycle Diaries, The Bad Education), Roberta Colindrez (Tony award winning musical Fun Home, I Love Dick, Mrs. America, Vida, The Deuce), and Perla de la Rosa (Villa, the Itinerary of a Passion, A Thousand Clouds of Peace).
Also starring are Joaquín Cosío (Gentefied, Narcos: México, The Suicide Squad) and Raúl Castillo (Army of the Dead, Knives Out, Vida), with special appearances by Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio (Bullet Train) and El Hijo del Santo.
The producers are Gerardo Gatica, Todd Black, David Bloomfield, Ted Hope, and Julie Goldman.
The executive producers include Gael García Bernal, Paula Amor, Mariana Rodríguez Cabarga, A. Müffelmann, Matías Penachino, David Teague, Jason Blumenthal and Steve Tisch.
The team behind the camera includes composer Marcelo Zarvos; costume designer Mariestela Fernández; editors Affonso Gonçalves, ACE, Yibrán Asuad, AMEE, Sabine Hoffman, ACE; production designer J.C. Molina; director of photography Matías Penachino; and makeup designer Itzel Peña.
Amazon Studios, La Corriente Del Golfo, Escape Artists, Grand Illusion, and Motto Pictures are presenting Cassandro, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival on January 20 2023.
Mirko Parlevliet has been reporting on the entertainment industry since 1998 and founded Vital Thrills in 2018 to cover the latest news on streaming, movies, TV, and video games.