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La saga infantil basada en las novelas de Roberto Santiago estrena su segunda entrega en agosto. © Filmax

Filmax ha publicado el primer tráiler de la segunda entrega de Los futbolísimos, basada en la saga literaria infantil creada por Roberto Santiago con 25 títulos publicados y más de 5 millones de ejemplares vendidos.

En Los futbolísimos 2: El misterio del tesoro pirata, Pakete y sus compañeros del Soto Alto Fc forman una pandilla inseparable, pero el pacto de los futbolísimos peligra: una estafa inmobiliaria les ha dejado sin campo donde jugar y a su pueblo sumido en la ruina. Para seguir en la liga intercentros tendrán que ganar al equipo de Los Justos, unos rivales especialmente complicados, con una capitana un tanto “pirata” que les meterá en más de un lío. Se verán involucrados en el robo a un banco y el padre de Pakete verá peligrar su trabajo de policía.

Dirigida nuevamente...

Looking to IP and the resilient market for live action family fare, Filmax has swooped on kids adventure caper “The Footballest II,” the second big-screen adaptation tapping into the children’s book saga created by Spain’s Roberto Santiago which has sold over 5 million copies in Spain.

“The Footballest and the Mystery of the Pirate Treasure” will be released in Spain by Filmax in the summer of 2025. First-look images of the family film will be shown at next week’s American Film Market in Las Vegas.

To date, the book series has been adapted and published in north of 20 countries, including France, Italy, Portugal, Poland, Greece, The Netherlands, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Algeria, Iran and Turkey, among others.

“The Footballest and the Mystery of the Pirate Treasure” follows up the breakout hit “The Footballest,” adapting Santiago’s story “The Mystery of the Sleeping Referees,” which grossed €3.4 million ($3.8 million) at Spanish cinema theaters,...

La franquicia basada en la saga literaria de Roberto Santiago continúa. © Filmax

Arranca el rodaje de la segunda entrega de Los futbolísimos, basada en la saga literaria creada por Roberto Santiago con 25 títulos publicados y más de 5 millones de ejemplares vendidos.

En Los futbolísimos y el misterio del tesoro pirata, Pakete y sus compañeros del Soto Alto Fc forman una pandilla inseparable, pero el pacto de los futbolísimos peligra: una estafa inmobiliaria les ha dejado sin campo donde jugar y a su pueblo sumido en la ruina. Para seguir en la liga intercentros tendrán que ganar al equipo de Los Justos, unos rivales especialmente complicados, con una capitana un tanto “pirata” que les meterá en más de un lío.

Dirigida nuevamente por Miguel Ángel Lamata, la película cuenta con un equipo infantil protagonizado por un nuevo grupo de jóvenes actores encabezado por Nicolás Rodicio (Vacaciones de verano) como Pakete. Repiten los adultos Joaquín Reyes,...

Spanish broadcaster Rtve and production companies Tornasol and DeAPlaneta have teamed with German production-sales company Zdf Enterprises on “Ana. all in,” a legal thriller starring Maribel Verdú based on Spanish author Roberto Santiago’s best-seller “Ana.” Representing the series internationally, Zdfe will be presenting the series at MipT. Variety was able to speak with the series’ lead actor ahead of the Cannes-based market.

“Ana. all in” turns on Ana, a small-time lawyer thrust into the underground world of illegal gambling when her brother is accused of killing the manager of the Gran Castilla Casino. After assembling a small but energetic team, this Spanish Erin Brockovich goes head-to-head with the Goliath that is one of the world’s largest gambling industries.

Ana’s best friend Concha is played by fellow Spanish standout Natalia Verbeke (“The Other Side of the Bed”), and is one of the most significant people in Ana’s...

A year after Legendary brought in Chris Albrecht to launch Legendary Global, the former Starz CEO is taking over the company’s entire TV operation.

Legendary is consolidating its international (Legendary Global) and domestic TV businesses under Albrecht, who has been named Head of Legendary Television. Nick Pepper, who served as President of Legendary Television for the past three years, will transition to an executive producer role on projects he had developed.

The move had been in the works for the last couple of months, with Albrecht gradually expanding his responsibilities. It aims at better positioning the company to capitalize on the global expansion of the U.S. streamers and the heightened need for platform defining content. Accelerated by the coronavirus pandemic, the combining of the entities also increases operational efficiency and performance.

Joining the consolidated unit in a newly created role is CAA veteran Danny Grover as head of Business Affairs.

Legendary Global, the TV production-financing house launched by Chris Albrecht and Anne Thomopoulos, has teamed with Madrid-based ESPotlight to acquire rights for a small screen adaptation of “Los Forasteros del Tiempo,” a family-targeting, illustrated time travel book series from Spain’s Roberto Santiago.

The first season makes over the first title in the saga, “La Aventura de los Balbuena en el Lejano Oeste,” said ESPotlight partner Anxo Rodríguez, director of Alter Ego Talent House.

Now in development, the live-action family adventure is the second title announced in a weighty production alliance unveiled this April between Legendary Global and ESPotlight, the content arm of Spanish talent agency Alter Ego Talent House.

The deal sees Legendary Global committing to develop and produce with ESPotlight 10-plus productions a year targeting streaming platforms, pay TV and commercial networks.

Showrun by Santiago, also a movie-tv scribe-helmer who recently directed “Ana. all in” for Rtve and Zdf,...

After years working in film and theater, celebrated Spanish author, screenwriter and filmmaker Roberto Santiago (“The Longest Penalty Shot In The World”) has returned to TV to adapt his bestselling novel “Ana” for the small screen, starring Spanish star Maribel Verdú.

Angela Armero (“Velvet”) co-wrote the series adaptation with Santiago, and award-winning film and TV vets Gracia Querejeta (“Cuando vuelvas a mi lado”) and Salvador García Ruiz (“The Hunt. Monteperdido”) direct. The six-hour series is produced by Spanish broadcaster Rtve in co-production with Tornasol and DeAPlaneta in association with German production-sales company Zdf Enterprises, part of public broadcaster Zdf.

“Ana. all in” turns on Ana, a small-time lawyer thrust into the underground world of illegal gambling when her brother is accused of killing the manager of the Gran Castilla Casino. After assembling a small but energetic team, this Spanish Erin Brockovich goes head-to-head with the Goliath that is one of...

Five Madrid-based companies, led by leading Spanish production house Tornasol Films, producer of Oscar-winner “The Secret in Their Eyes,” are teaming to launch services consortium Centro Navarro para la Producción Cinematográfica in Navarre, Northern Spain.

Based out of the Sarrio industrial park in Berrioplano, a town near Pamplona, Cnpc will provide production services, develop R&d projects and launch industry training programs in a region of Spain that is consolidating as a film-tv hub bulwarked by tax incentives.

Since 2015, Navarre offers a competitive 35% tax credit for Spanish shoots and co-productions.

“The Cnpc aims to complete the value chain of a film’s production,” said Miguel Iturralde, manager of Cnpc, which officially starts operations in October.

“Navarre is in vogue thanks to its tax incentives, although in order to be eligible for them, production must meet a series of requirements. The main one and the most complicated: Making 40% of production spend in the region,...

Antonio Banderas is set to host the 2021 Spanish Academy Goya Awards on Feb. 27 in Banderas’ hometown of Malaga. It is the actor’s first time hosting the awards, and he will share duties with María Casado, one of Spain’s most respected television journalists and president of the Television Academy.

Banderas, among Spain’s best-known cinematic exports for decades, has five Spanish Academy nominations and an Honorary Goya of his own. But it was only this year that the actor finally took home a trophy for his work in Pedro Almodóvar’s “Pain and Glory,” a performance which also won him best actor at Cannes and an Oscar nomination.

According to the Academy, there are plans to limit audience capacity and impose strict health and safety measures based on expert recommendations at the time the ceremony is held. Banderas’ production company Teatro Soho TV will help produce the ceremony which...

MADRID -- As the Madrid de Cine Spanish film screenings wrapped Wednesday, buyers and sellers alike seemed in agreement on the event's value for the industry.

"It's great", said Marina Fuentes of Madrid-based 6 Sales. "The quantity and quality of the buyers were excellent."

More than 130 buyers from 35 countries attended, more than the attendance last year and 70% better than the number of those who came to the defunct Lanzarote Screenings, which the Madrid event replaced.

No one seemed bothered by the timing of the event, which followed so close after Cannes.

"There are so many markets, but here the buyers can focus on Spanish films calmly and don't have to rush off after two minutes," said Xavi Figueras of Sagrera, which is handling worldwide sales on Carlos Benpar's documentary Filmmakers in Action.

Such films as Lucia Puenzo's XXY, Sergio Oksman's Goodbye, America and Roberto Santiago's black comedy The Suicide Club were available at Cannes but seemed to get more attention -- and a buzz among buyers -- in Madrid.