Alberto Amman (Narcos, Cell 211) and Cesar Troncoso (Etelnaut) have been cast in Martin Arriaga’s new drama, The Other Gómez. The project, co-produced by Brazil’s Arc Entertainment and Andalus Entertainment with Argentina’s Albatross Media, is one of the selected works at this year’s prestigious Málaga Festival Fund Co-Production Event (MAFF). The event will run from March 9th to 13th.
“The Other Gómez” is currently in late-stage development and will tell the story of William Puente, an anonymous accountant who is mistaken for the title character, a lobbyist wanted for regulatory violations and shady ties. Forced to assume the identity of a feared man, he discovers an irreversible dizziness in power. He has to decide what he wants to be between his life and the intoxication of influence.
Arriaga co-wrote the screenplay with Marcelo Muller (Secret Childhood), Gianfranco Quatrini (Encintados) and Nicola Geilburt, and lead producer is Mariana Ricciardi of Arc Entertainment, whose successful projects include the Emmy-nominated series Improvos and the Brazilian box office success My Sister and I.
Prior to MAFF, Ricciardi said in an interview with Variety that Amman and Troncoso are “not only extraordinary Latin American actors whose recent work has finally gained recognition around the world, but they are also fundamental creative assets as we envision how to bring ‘The Other Gomez’ to life.” The producer also reiterated that this high-profile casting “brings international production values and positions ‘The Other Gómez’ as a ‘glocal’ project that will attract international distributors and Spanish production companies to this high-potential story.”
“I’ve had the privilege of working with Troncoso on four previous projects, and the possibility of casting Amman as this ‘other’ Gomez felt like a perfect fit for the world of this film,” she added. “At this stage, we continue to develop and finance the project, and imagining them playing these roles gives very tangible shape to the emotional stakes of the story and the double dynamic at the heart of the film.”
Ricciardi emphasized that what makes The Other Gómez unique is its “ability to transform the Kagemusha myth into a pop thriller, with sharp and acerbic humor about the modern impulse to be something we are not.” “By portraying corruption as a human and intimate phenomenon, rather than just an institutional one, the film explores identity, ambition and artificiality with Latin humor and global resonance. It’s a story that simultaneously makes you laugh and feel uncomfortable because it feels so relatable,” she added.
Arriaga added that The Other Gómez seeks to explore “a very simple but disturbing question.” “What happens when a man who feels invisible is suddenly given the chance to be someone else?”
“This project is conceived as a dark comedy-infused thriller, rooted in the doppelganger tradition, a tangible double that forces him to confront his own fears and desires,” he continued. “Even at this stage of development, I envision a film with a sharp visual language built on symmetry and duality, constantly toying with deception and shifts in identity.”
Arriaga said that both he and Ricciardi felt from the beginning that the story needed “two actors who could embody the tension between an ordinary man and his more seductive and dangerous alter ego.” “I think Alberto and Cesar are ideal partners for me because they bring emotional depth, intelligence and a strong presence on screen. We are still in the development and packaging stages and a lot of things could evolve, but thinking of them in these roles was essential in thinking about how we envisioned the tone, rhythm and inner conflict of the film,” he concluded.
“The Other Gomez” is supported by Argentina’s Inca Mecenazgo Participación Cultural and the National Arts Foundation, the Pan-Regional Fund Ibermedia, the Spanish Carolina Fund, and the Brazilian Federal Fund.
