Disney+ and Mexican director-producer Manolo Caro (“The House of Flowers,” “Perfect Strangers”) are developing a new series adaptation of “Blood Wedding” (“Bodas de Sangre”) by iconic Spanish poet-playwright Federico García Lorca.
It could not be timelier given the renewed interest in the works of the Spanish writer, sparked by Oscar aspirant “La Bola Negra,” currently the third highest-grossing Spanish film of all time in Spain.
“At Disney+, we are committed to creating original content that brings together meaningful stories, local identity and outstanding creative voices. This new adaptation inspired by ‘Blood Wedding,’ which we have been developing for more than a year, reflects that vision. We are excited to collaborate with Manolo Caro on a project that draws from an extraordinary work and will connect with audiences,” said Juan Ponce, VP original content, The Walt Disney Company México.
Woo Films, which has closely collaborated with Caro on several projects, including “The House of Flowers,” “Down the Rabbit Hole” and “Perfect Strangers,” is participating in the development of this new adaptation, bringing to bear its robust track record in films, series and theater productions, with Rafa Ley, Mario Savino and Laura Wills serving as executive producers.
It is one of the most performed Spanish-language plays, which has also spawned film adaptations, topped by the acclaimed 1981 Antonio Gades-led flamenco dance movie of the same title by Spain’s Carlos Saura, becoming the first of his flamenco trilogy.
“Blood Wedding” is a tragedy in which at a wedding ceremony a bride leaves her groom at the altar to run off with her former lover, setting off a devastating chain of violence. The play underscores Lorca’s mounting focus on social issues, as he railed against the lack of sexual freedom in his homeland and antiquated concepts such as the need to avenge insults to honor.
This new version will be set in modern-day Mexico and incorporate regional Mexican music, according to Disney+.
“Adapting one of my favorite plays in Mexico is the challenge I needed to bring back to my home country. ‘Blood Wedding’ is a deep human story, driven by passion, family conflict and fate its protagonists try to escape, but inevitably catches up with them. Reimagining this story against Mexico’s rugged landscape and bringing it into the present day is a very special creative opportunity that I simply couldn’t pass up,” said Caro.
Among Disney+ Mexico’s recent local productions is “The Worst Trip Around the World” (“La peor vuelta al mundo”), the docu-reality series starring Juanpa Zurita. Season 1 is now available on Disney+, with a second installment underway, while the series has also earned an International Emmy Award nomination in the Non-Scripted Entertainment category, as the only Mexican production nominated in the category this year.
The local slate also includes “Soy Luna: Let’s Roll Again” (“Soy Luna: Volver a rodar”), marking the return of one of Disney’s most beloved franchises among Mexican audiences and reuniting Karol Sevilla, Michael Ronda and Ruggero Pasquarelli, along with other members of the original cast.
Other recent titles include “Between Walls” (“Entre paredes”), starring Aislinn Derbez and Christian Vázquez, and wedding romcom hit, “Wedding Regi$try” (“Mesa de Regalos”), featuring Cassandra Sánchez-Navarro and José Eduardo Derbez.
