Chilean Project ‘Leftraro’ Moving Forward with ‘300’ Writer

Radar Pictures has closed a deal for “300” writer Michael B. Gordon to script “Leftraro,” based on the 1553 battle in which Chilean natives defeated the Spanish conquistadors.

Based on a story by Eduardo Novion, the titlular Leftraro was the leader of the Mapuche people. He was kidnapped and forced into slavery as a child and learned the ways of the Spanish from the inside before escaping with their secrets of modernized warfare.

Leftraro then united the warring tribes of the region and led them to a victory at the battle of Tucapel. The Mapuche people have retained their independence since then.

Producers Mike Weber, Thomas E. Van Dell and their partners Sobe Brooke Studios met with Mapuche leaders late last year about the project.

“Chile has a diversity of landscape and modern infrastructure that is perfectly suited for a large-scale Hollywood production,” Weber said at a news conference. “It is our intention to shoot this movie on the very site the events occurred.”

Chilean partners Novion and Juan Pablo Andreani are leading an initiative with the Chilean government to establish an incentive program.

Radar Pictures was brought into the project by their Miami partners Sobe Brooke Studios. Producers are Sobe Brookes’ Justin Shaner, Fernando H. Rojas and Jose David Yacaman as well as Ted Field, Novion and Andreani. Gordon will also be an executive producer.

Sobe Brooke and Radar Pictures are in post-production, along with Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way production company, on the thriller “Under the Bed,” directed by Daniel Myrick and starring Hannah New.

(Pictured: Michael Gordon (L) and TV personality Yuval David)

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