‘Dark Horse’: film about Bolsonaro hits theaters in 2026; know everything

The production team of a feature film about Jair Bolsonarowho has been in preventive detention since last Saturday, the 22nd, is already actively working on the project scheduled to debut in theaters in 2026. The work, titled ‘Dark Horse’ (loosely translated as The Underdog)intends to revisit the events of the 2018 presidential campaign, with emphasis on the knife attack suffered by the then candidate.

Bolsonaro’s role will be the responsibility of the North American Jim Caviezelfamous for playing Jesus Christ em ‘The Passion of the Christ’ and for his anti-vaccine positions and alignment with conspiracy theories involving a supposed “global elite”. The actor has already been involved in controversies during the release of Som da Liberdade and expressed public support for narratives associated with the QAnon movement.

Jim Caviezel and Bolsonaro

The cast also includes the Mexican Marcus Ornellas on the skin of Flavio Bolsonaro; the Brazilian Sergio Barreto interpreting Carlos Bolsonaro; and the North American Eddie Finlay as Eduardo Bolsonaro. The actresses cast to live Michelle e Laura Bolsonaro have not yet been officially revealed.

Filming began on November 20th this year. The narrative should present a more idealized reading of the former president’s trajectory, including passages set in the 1980s, when Bolsonaro was part of the Army and worked in operations to combat drug trafficking.

The production must portray the politician as the target of articulations involving left-wing groups and criminal organizations. In addition to the attack committed by Adélio Bispo — who in the film is called Aurelio Barba —, the script includes scenes about other attack attempts that would have occurred during his recovery. The story should also include a clash between Bolsonaro and an influential drug dealer who, according to the narrative, he helped arrest while still serving in the Armed Forces.

Combining real facts and fictional elements, the film directed by Cyrus Nowrasteh intends to show the former captain facing several “conspirators” committed to assassinating him, relying both on reports from Bolsonaro himself and on versions spread among his supporters.

The text of the film is the responsibility of Mario Friasformer actor, state deputy for PL of São Paulo and former Secretary of Culture during the Bolsonaro government.

The North American director at the helm of the project

The management will be in charge of Cyrus Nowrasteha filmmaker from Colorado known for productions with a strong political and religious appeal. Among his most famous works are The Stoning of Soraya M. (2008), The Young Messiah (2016) and International Kidnapping (2019), the latter starring Caviezel.

The previous partnership between the two has fueled speculation since August, when right-wing profiles on X announced that Caviezel would play Bolsonaro. Even with the production maintaining discretion, the actor has not yet publicly confirmed his participation.

Nowrasteh has commented little on the project. Recently, he responded to a follower on X informing that he is “recording in Latin America”. In May, he published images of a research trip to areas on the border between Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais.

The director’s relationship with Brazil is not unprecedented: in the 1990s, he wrote the script for Jenipapo (1995), directed by Monique Gardenberg and starring Henry Czerny, Júlia Lemmertz, Marília Pêra and Otávio Augusto.