29/08/2022 - Hugo Silva, Dafne Fernández, Gorka Otxoa and Miguel Ángel Sola top the bill of this comedy series set in the world of football, produced by Álex de la Iglesia

l-r: Actors Gorka Otxoa, Hugo Silva, Dafne Fernández and Miguel Ángel Sola on the set of Monos con pistola (© HBO Max)

Filming for the new HBO Max Original series Monos con pistola (lit. “Gun-toting Monkeys”) is now under way. The show, consisting of seven episodes each lasting 30 minutes, is set in the world of football, and has been created by screenwriters Jorge Valdano Sáenz and Pablo Tébar, from an original idea by Carolina Bang and Álex de la Iglesia (who is gearing up to release his new film, El cuarto pasajero [+see also:
trailer
film profile], on 29 October). It is being produced by the company run by the latter pair, Pokeepsie Films, and principal photography began a few days ago in Madrid.

The series is toplined by Hugo Silva (who released Un novio para mi mujer [+see also:
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The storyline follows the life of Alberto, a former footballer and now player manager whom everyone calls Beto (played by Hugo Silva), who has just become self-employed and has set up his own agency to represent footballers. He attempts to strike a balance between his frenzied professional life and his unstable personal life with the help of his girlfriend, Sonia (Dafne Fernández), a girl who knows him better than anyone else and keeps his feet firmly on the ground. Just when things are beginning to go his way, disaster strikes: his strongest player leaves and his girlfriend breaks up with him.

One of the series’ creators, Jorge Valdano Sáenz, assures us, “Monos con pistola is a comedy-drama with a main character whom we follow through a world full of madmen: the world of elite footballers. However, this is not a series about the game itself, but rather about what exists around it: young football players who become rich and famous overnight, with very little idea of how to cope with it, and the cheeky blighters who try to live off them. It’s a community full of sharks, vultures and gun-toting monkeys.”

For his part, Miguel Salvat, VP Original Programming and commissioning editor for Spain at HBO Max, declared: “The acerbic vision of Monos con Pistola really hits home because we live in a society that idolises these young people who boot a ball, earn a fortune and are virtually as powerful as the fat cats in charge of massive companies. However, the football pitch isn’t the place where the protagonists run the risk of suffering the most serious injuries.”

Monos con pistola is a production by Pokeepsie Films (the company is also currently shooting the second season of 30 Coins [+see also:
series review
series profile], directed by Álex de la Iglesia, in various countries around Europe and in the USA, while it awaits the premieres of Jaume Balagueró’s Venus [+see also:
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film profile] at the Toronto and Sitges Film Festivals) for HBO Max. Its executive producers are Miguel Salvat, Antonio Trashorras and Antony Root.

(Translated from Spanish)