Vera Egito to direct hotel murder mystery The Mystery of the 5 Stars
Vera Egito will direct “The Mystery of the 5 Stars” for Boutique Filmes, with Marina Ruy Barbosa, João Guilherme and José Condessa set to star, according to Variety.
João Guilherme plays Leo. He is a bellboy at a luxury hotel who turns detective after a murder on his shift.
The film adapts the book of the same name by Brazilian writer Marcos Rey. Bruno Passeri is writing the screenplay, according to Variety.
It is a straight murder mystery in a closed setting. One hotel. One killing. A young staff member with access to every corridor and guest.
The production brings together four partners. Boutique Filmes is co-producing with Globo Filmes, Ukbar Filmes and Sony Pictures International Productions Brazil, the local production arm of the Hollywood studio, according to Variety.
For Boutique, the deal opens a new route. It is the company’s first co-production with Portugal, made through Lisbon-based Ukbar Filmes.
Sony Pictures will handle distribution, according to Variety. No release date has been announced.
Egito is coming off the Prime Video series “Tremembé”. That credit puts a director known for television drama in charge of a theatrical feature built around a young lead.
The cast mixes familiar faces from Brazilian television with international festival experience. Ruy Barbosa is one of Brazil’s best-known screen actors. Guilherme takes the central role of Leo.
Condessa, from Portugal, previously appeared in Pedro Almodóvar’s “Strange Way of Life” alongside Pedro Pascal and Ethan Hawke, according to Variety.
What makes this stand out is the chain behind it. A Brazilian children’s classic, a São Paulo producer, money and partners from Rio, Lisbon and a Hollywood studio’s Brazilian unit, and a cinema release through Sony. That is how many mid-budget films now get made.
