Mexican actor Daniel Giménez Cacho will star as the protagonist in Lucrecia Martel's forthcoming period piece film project Zama based on the acclaimed 1956 historical novel by Antonio di Benedetto. Giménez Cacho told Mexican newspaper Reforma that he'll be play the leading role of Don Diego de Zama, and that he'll be traveling to Argentina in February 2015 to prepare for the shooting
The production for Martel's fourth feature film -after the acclaimed La Ciénaga (2001), The Holy Girl (2004), and The Headless Woman (2008), has been delayed in the past for different reasons.
With a reported budget of $3.2 million, the film will be an Argentinean, Brazilian, Spanish and French co-production, leaded by Rei Cine, with Bananeira Filmes, El Deseo and MPM Film. The film's producers are Benjamin Domenech, Vania Catani, and Santiago Gallelli, and it's co-produced by Agustín Almodóvar, Pedro Almodóvar, Esther García and Marie-Pierre Macia.
Zama is the story of a highly place officer of the Spanish crown, posted to a remote location. He wants to be recognized for his merits. But in the years of wait, he loses everything. To get his name back, he decides to chase a dangerous bandit. His failure will free him from the wait.
Spanish-born Giménez Cacho has appeared in numerous Mexican and international productions including Nicolás Echevarría's Cabeza de Vaca (1991), Alfonso Cuarón's Sólo con tu pareja (1992), Guillermo del Toro's Cronos (1993), Arturo Ripstein's Deep Crimson (1996), Pedro Almodóvar's Bad Education (2004), and more recently in Pablo Berger's Blancanieves (2012). He has received Mexico's Ariel Award for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, and has been nominated for Spain's Goya Award.
Martel's Zama is expected to be have its world premiere in 2016.
