Xolo Maridueña, Diego Boneta and Al Pacino will star in “Killing Castro,” a thriller film that follows the true story of Fidel Castro’s visit to New York City in the 1960’s, a moment in time that sparked a lot of debate in American society and world politics.
The casting news were first broken by The Hollywood Reporter, which claims that it’ll co-star KiKi Layne, Alexander Ludwig, Ron Livingston, Kendrick Sampson, Nicole Beharie, Logan Marshall and Titus Welliver. The film is written by Leon Hendriz, Thomas DeGrezia and Colin Bateman, and marks the directorial debut of Eif Rivera, a filmmaker known for his work in music videos alongside artists like Mary J. Blige, Anthony Ramos, Eladio Carrion, and more.
In an Instagram post, Boneta revealed he’d be playing Fidel Castro, something he called “the biggest challenge in my career.”
More plot details
“Killing Castro” is based on Castro’s trip to New York in the ‘60s. Upon his arrival at his hotel, he’s met with hostility from all manner of sources, prompting an invitation by Malcolm X to stay at the Hotel Theresa, in Harlem. All the while an undercover FBI agent investigating Malcolm X and his followers is tasked with trailing and protecting Castro, preventing him from getting killed by the Italian Mafia and CIA operatives.
“I am honored to be part of telling such an important story that is a piece of history which was largely unknown,” said Brad Feinstein, one of the film’s producers. “Killing Castro perfectly encapsulates the type of stories we strive to tell at Romulus Entertainment, stories that do more than entertain audiences, but create thought-provoking diverse content that bring to light the complexities of real life.”