Guitarricadelafuente (making his film debut), Miguel Bernardeau ('Querer', 'Elite'), Carlos González ('The Shortest Reign', 'Mariliendre', 'Veneno'), Lola Dueñas (winner of two Goya Awards, Best Actress Award at Cannes, and recipient of the Feroz, Forqué, and Platino Awards for 'La Mesías'), and Penélope Cruz (Oscar winner, three-time Goya Award winner, Best Actress Award at Cannes, Volpi Cup, BAFTA, Honorary César, Donostia Award, and Spain’s National Film Award) lead the cast of the film titled after an unfinished work by Federico García Lorca.

Following the undeniable success of 'La Mesías' —which premiered at the San Sebastián Festival, screened at Sundance, and received critical acclaim along with numerous awards (including six Feroz, three Forqué, two Series Mania awards, and an Ondas Award, among others)— Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi are once again directing an original work, scheduled for theatrical release in 2026.

‘La bola negra’ is inspired by the surviving materials of the eponymous unfinished play by Federico García Lorca and the theatrical phenomenon La piedra oscura by Alberto Conejero, recipient of the National Prize for Dramatic Literature and five Max Awards.

Filming for ‘La bola negra’ will begin in August and will take place in various locations across Spain and Europe.

The technical team

Many of the key crew members from ‘La Mesías’ will return for ‘La bola negra’: Gris Jordana as director of photography, Roger Bellés as production designer, Ana López Cobos as costume designer, Eva Leira and Yolanda Serrano as casting directors, Rodrigo Madrigal as sound supervisor, Pablo Morillas as head of hair styling, Mariló Osuna as makeup artist, and Belén Martí Lluch as choreographer. Alberto Gutiérrez will oversee editing, while Raül Refree will compose the film’s score. Mariano Piñeiro will serve as production manager and Álvaro Riesgo is the direction coordinator.

International Partners

At Cannes, La bola negra’s international partners were announced: Le Pacte and Goodfellas, both champions of auteur cinema.

Le Pacte will co-produce ‘La bola negra’. At this year’s Cannes Film Festival, the French production and distribution company is presenting 'Fuori' by Mario Martone in the Official Selection. Le Pacte has co-produced films by renowned directors such as Nanni Moretti, Matteo Garrone, and Jim Jarmusch, and has distributed works like 'Anora' by Sean Baker, which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes and triumphed at the latest Academy Awards.

Goodfellas will handle international sales for 'La bola negra'. In this year’s Official Selection at Cannes, Goodfellas is presenting five films: 'Nouvelle vague' by Richard Linklater, 'Young mothers' by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, 'Fuori' by Mario Martone, 'Renoir' by Chie Hayakawa and Saeed Roustaee’s 'Woman and Child'. Their catalog includes two times Palme d’Or winners such as Ken Leach and Dardennes and winners like Kore-Eda 'Hirokazu', Julia Ducournau with 'Titane', 'Dheepan' by Jacques Audiard, and 'Blue is the Warmest Color' by Abdellatif Kechiche.

‘La bola negra’ will also be the first film produced by Suma Content Films. The production company founded by Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo, Suma Content, is launching a dedicated film division, Suma Content Films, starting with this project after successfully completing the shoot of ‘Mi querida señorita’. Meanwhile, ‘El desencanto’, the debut of Ana Rujas directing, remains in development.

Statements from the authors and producers

Javier Ambrossi: "The creative process for ‘La bola negra’ began with historical research and documentation, which we combined with Alberto Conejero's beautiful literary work. It involves theatrical adaptation, imagination, and introspection to project our identity onto all the storylines. It's very exciting to be here in Cannes with these colleagues and part of the cast of this film, which still has many new talents and surprises in store".

Javier Calvo: "Writing ‘La bola negra’ has been an exciting and complex experience. We didn't feel like we were imagining a story, but rather remembering it, almost like unearthing it. Bringing to light characters, a story, dialogues, and a wound that we didn't know existed but that somehow beat inside us. It's a text that touches us deeply and makes us understand why we do what we do“.

Guillermo Farré, Director of Original Films at Movistar Plus+: ”At Movistar Plus+, we are happy and excited to accompany Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo in their new film, ‘La bola negra’. After having lived together a creative adventure like ‘La Mesías,’ we are embarking on this new project that represents a step forward in an artistic career driven by a passion for great stories told in a courageous and unique way with which we identify so much. We are doing so alongside international partners such as Le Pacte and Goodfellas, who are behind many of the great works of recent European cinema and who are always committed to cinema that takes risks and thrills. The Cannes Film Festival is the perfect place to announce the main cast of this Movistar Plus+ Original film and the collaboration with our international partners".

Jean Labadie, president of Le Pacte: “We are incredibly proud to co-produce ‘La bola negra’, directed by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi and produced by Movistar Plus+ and Suma Content Films. ‘La Mesías’ completely won us over and we were very excited to receive the script for the film. We committed immediately, fascinated by its ingenuity, intelligence, and emotion”.

Goodfellas said: "We were absolutely blown away by ‘La bola negra’. It is bold, cinematic, emotional, and visually stunning, one of those films that grabs you from the first scene. Following the success of ‘La Mesías,’ this film confirms Ambrossi and Calvo's place among the most essential voices in European cinema today, and we are delighted to be part of this adventure with Movistar Plus+, Suma Content Films, and Le Pacte".

Synopsis
‘La bola negra’ tells the interconnected stories of three men across three different eras. Three lives intimately bound by sexuality and desire, pain and legacy; inspired by one of Federico García Lorca's last, unfinished works.
‘La bola negra’ is an original Movistar Plus+ film in collaboration with Suma Content Films and co-produced with Le Pacte, written, directed, and produced by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi.

About Movistar Plus+
Movistar Plus+ is the leading audiovisual entertainment offering of the Telefónica Group in Spain. Its proposition includes bold original productions and the best premium sports content, films, series, documentaries and programmes, in addition to the best functionalities and on-demand access so users can enjoy watching television wherever, however and whenever they wish.

Movistar Plus+ was born as a film producer in 2013 under the Telefónica Studios brand. Some of the co-produced titles are "Palm Trees in the Snow", "Regression", "Tadeo Jones", " My Big Night", "Anacleto Secret Agent", "Wild Tales", "Requirements To Be A Normal Person", "To Steal From A Thief", "Toro", "Altamira", "Truman", "Smoke & Mirrors", " Gold" or "Champions". In 2019, Movistar Plus+ released its first original fiction film, “While at War“, by Alejandro Amenábar, followed by “Canallas”, by Daniel Guzmán, and “Prison 77“, by Alberto Rodríguez and "I'm Nevenka" by Iciar Bollain. Movistar Plus+ has announced the production of Original feature films by prestigious directors Rodrigo Sorogoyen, Alberto Rodríguez, Oliver Laxe, Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, Alauda Ruiz de Azúa and Ana Rujas.