Santiago - Antonio Banderas will play the charismatic miner known as “Super Mario,” who in 2010 became the public face of 33 Chilean miners trapped deep underground for 69 days.
Producer Mike Medavoy announced on Sunday at Cannes that Banderas will star as Mario Sepulveda in “The 33.”
Sepulveda told the Associated Press on Monday that he's “thrilled” because he's a fan of the Spanish actor and hopes the movie will remind people that life is the most valuable gift.
The film dramatizes the cave-in at a mine in Chile's Atacama desert and the globally televised rescue of the miners that mesmerized millions worldwide.
Variety magazine reports production is scheduled to start in the fall in Chile. Martin Sheen and Rodrigo Santoro are also on the cast. - Sapa-AP