Spain’s Polo Menárguez, Director of ‘The Talent’ Starring Ester Expósito, Set for TV Series ‘The Last Dove’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Spain’s Polo Menárguez, the director behind films such as “El plan” and “El talento,” headed by ‘Elite” star Ester Expósito, and Prime Video TV drama “Los Farad”, is set to helm thriller series “The Last Dove,” (“La última paloma”), based on same titled novel by Men Marías.
Structured as a co-production, “The Last Dove” is being developed at Spain’s Capitán Araña and Guion Alto, with producer Nacho La Casa steering the project.
“The Last Dove” will be pitched to international buyers and potential co-producers at the Andalusia South Boost industry sidebar, part of the third edition of Spain’s South Series International Festival, which runs Sept. 12-17 in Cádiz.
In the story, Civil Guard Sergeant Patria Santiago faces an agonizing race against time to stop a ruthless serial killer in the coastal town of Rota, in the Bay of Cádiz, in the Atlantic Ocean.
The case soon implicates high-ranking U.S. naval base officers and stretches back to the 1950s, when the arrival of the Sixth Fleet turned Rota into a rare enclave of vice and freedom during Franco’s Spain.
Menárguez and Guión Alto’s Luis Lloret are the series screenwriters.
La Casa defined the project as “a gripping thriller featuring a charismatic protagonist, a plot unfolding across two timelines crafted with meticulous precision, and great potential for international co-production.”
“The story takes place in Rota, a very special setting where Americans and locals have intertwined for more than 70 years, giving the town a unique identity,” he added.
Although the main characters of the series are Spanish, there are important roles for North Americans for whom the producer would like to tap U.S. actors with international careers.
Film and TV series writer-director Menárguez already worked with La Casa at Capitán Araña in comedy-drama “El plan,” selected to play in 2019 at the Valladolid Seminci Official Section and nominated for two Goya Awards. Menárguez has also directed episodes of TV series such as Prime Video’s “Los Farad” and RTVE’s “HIT” and “Las Abogados.”
On Sept. 5 distributor Tripictures will release in Spanish theaters Menárguez’s newest film, “El talento,” a Reposado-The Mediapro Studio production co-written with Fernando León de Aranoa, and starring Expósito, one of Spain’s fastest-rising international actors, best known for her breakout role in Netflix’s global hit “Elite.”
“For this project, we believe Menárguez can contribute, in addition to his great talent as a director, with his ability to infuse the characters with interest and depth. Beyond the thriller, the intention is for the protagonists’ internal conflicts to capture the viewer’s attention,” La Casa explained.
Rota represents a favorite summer resort for the residents of Seville’s Alcalá de Guadaira, La Casa’s hometown. “Since I was a child, I spent many summers enjoying its beaches, and I was always struck by the presence of so many Americans. If that singularity makes it unique today, imagine what it was like in the 1950s, when the base was created,” he comments.
“That’s precisely the context from which ‘The Last Dove’ begins and its main distinguishing feature. So, when I read the book, I didn’t hesitate to contact its author to discuss the project and explore the acquisition of its rights.”
The action of the series takes place between two time axes. One is the current day, and since it mostly takes place in Rota, the producer’s plan is to film there.
The other is 1950s Rota, a small town where many streets still had sand roads which is invaded by American culture and the thirst for fun of the soldiers who landed at the base.
“For that context, the idea is to recreate these scenes by combining ad hoc locations with the digital recreation of backgrounds that are faithful to the architecture of the era,” La Casa says.
“This combination will be essential to recreate one of the great anomalies of Franco’s dictatorship: In a period of severe prohibitions, Rota was an exception, a paradise for vice where almost everything was permitted for the use and enjoyment of the American marines,” he comments.
Guión Alto is a production company that provides production and creative services for series and films. It recently produced its first feature, “Un Hijo,” directed by La Casa and starring Hugo Silva and Macarena García. The Sevillian prodco is currently developing several new projects of its own.
Madrid-based Capitán Araña has backed several TV series such as Disney Channel’s “La gira” and seven feature films – among them “Sevillanas de Brooklyn” and animated feature “Ozzy,” which La Casa co-directed – selected at festivals such as San Sebastián, Mar del Plata, Shanghai, Málaga, the Seminci, and Sitges, which have received five nominations for Spanish Academy Goya Awards.
Structured as a co-production, “The Last Dove” is being developed at Spain’s Capitán Araña and Guion Alto, with producer Nacho La Casa steering the project.
“The Last Dove” will be pitched to international buyers and potential co-producers at the Andalusia South Boost industry sidebar, part of the third edition of Spain’s South Series International Festival, which runs Sept. 12-17 in Cádiz.
In the story, Civil Guard Sergeant Patria Santiago faces an agonizing race against time to stop a ruthless serial killer in the coastal town of Rota, in the Bay of Cádiz, in the Atlantic Ocean.
The case soon implicates high-ranking U.S. naval base officers and stretches back to the 1950s, when the arrival of the Sixth Fleet turned Rota into a rare enclave of vice and freedom during Franco’s Spain.
Menárguez and Guión Alto’s Luis Lloret are the series screenwriters.
La Casa defined the project as “a gripping thriller featuring a charismatic protagonist, a plot unfolding across two timelines crafted with meticulous precision, and great potential for international co-production.”
“The story takes place in Rota, a very special setting where Americans and locals have intertwined for more than 70 years, giving the town a unique identity,” he added.
Although the main characters of the series are Spanish, there are important roles for North Americans for whom the producer would like to tap U.S. actors with international careers.
Film and TV series writer-director Menárguez already worked with La Casa at Capitán Araña in comedy-drama “El plan,” selected to play in 2019 at the Valladolid Seminci Official Section and nominated for two Goya Awards. Menárguez has also directed episodes of TV series such as Prime Video’s “Los Farad” and RTVE’s “HIT” and “Las Abogados.”
On Sept. 5 distributor Tripictures will release in Spanish theaters Menárguez’s newest film, “El talento,” a Reposado-The Mediapro Studio production co-written with Fernando León de Aranoa, and starring Expósito, one of Spain’s fastest-rising international actors, best known for her breakout role in Netflix’s global hit “Elite.”
“For this project, we believe Menárguez can contribute, in addition to his great talent as a director, with his ability to infuse the characters with interest and depth. Beyond the thriller, the intention is for the protagonists’ internal conflicts to capture the viewer’s attention,” La Casa explained.
Rota represents a favorite summer resort for the residents of Seville’s Alcalá de Guadaira, La Casa’s hometown. “Since I was a child, I spent many summers enjoying its beaches, and I was always struck by the presence of so many Americans. If that singularity makes it unique today, imagine what it was like in the 1950s, when the base was created,” he comments.
“That’s precisely the context from which ‘The Last Dove’ begins and its main distinguishing feature. So, when I read the book, I didn’t hesitate to contact its author to discuss the project and explore the acquisition of its rights.”
The action of the series takes place between two time axes. One is the current day, and since it mostly takes place in Rota, the producer’s plan is to film there.
The other is 1950s Rota, a small town where many streets still had sand roads which is invaded by American culture and the thirst for fun of the soldiers who landed at the base.
“For that context, the idea is to recreate these scenes by combining ad hoc locations with the digital recreation of backgrounds that are faithful to the architecture of the era,” La Casa says.
“This combination will be essential to recreate one of the great anomalies of Franco’s dictatorship: In a period of severe prohibitions, Rota was an exception, a paradise for vice where almost everything was permitted for the use and enjoyment of the American marines,” he comments.
Guión Alto is a production company that provides production and creative services for series and films. It recently produced its first feature, “Un Hijo,” directed by La Casa and starring Hugo Silva and Macarena García. The Sevillian prodco is currently developing several new projects of its own.
Madrid-based Capitán Araña has backed several TV series such as Disney Channel’s “La gira” and seven feature films – among them “Sevillanas de Brooklyn” and animated feature “Ozzy,” which La Casa co-directed – selected at festivals such as San Sebastián, Mar del Plata, Shanghai, Málaga, the Seminci, and Sitges, which have received five nominations for Spanish Academy Goya Awards.