Xolo Maridueña is killin’ it in Hollywood…
The 22-year-old Mexican, Cuban and Ecuadorian American actor and Blue Beetle star will star in the film Killing Castro.
Eif Rivera will direct the film from a script by Leon Hendrix, Thomas DeGrezia and Colin Bateman. This will be Rivera’s first feature film.
In addition to Maridueña, who rose to acclaim in Cobra Kai, will star alongside
Al Pacino, Mexican superstar Diego Boneta, KiKi Layne, Alexander Ludwig, Ron Livingston, Kendrick Sampson, Nicole Beharie, Logan Marshall Green and Titus Welliver in the film.
Based on true events, the film is set in 1960. Shortly after winning the Cuban revolution, Fidel Castro travels to New York City to deliver his first speech to the United Nations. When met with hostility at his original hotel, Castro meets Malcolm X who invites him to stay at famed Hotel Theresa in Harlem. With the eyes of the world watching, a rookie undercover FBI agent originally assigned to investigate Malcolm X suddenly becomes the FBI’s most valuable asset, and is tasked with keeping Castro from being eliminated by the CIA and the Italian mafia, by any means necessary.
Killing Castro will be produced by Romulus Entertainment’s Brad Feinstein, along with Christina Weiss Lurie of Fourth and Twenty-Eight Films. Romulus will also finance. Principal photography will take place in Newark, NJ.
“I am honored to be part of telling such an important story that is a piece of history which was largely unknown,” said Feinstein. “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. We are looking forward to working with the incredible cast led by the inimitable Eif Rivera.”
Rivera is known for directing BMF, and TV shows including Force and Power Book III: Raising Kanan.
“I am excited to bring to life this compelling true story with the help of my remarkable cast and formidable producing team at Romulus Entertainment,” Rivera said.