Boutique Filmes Lines Up Marina Ruy Barbosa, João Guilherme, ‘Strange Way of Life’ Breakout José Condessa for ‘The Mystery of the 5 Stars’ With Vera Egito to Direct (EXCLUSIVE)

Vera Egito, who directed one of Brazil’s buzziest recent series with Prime Video’s “Tremembé,” is set to helm “The Mystery of the 5 Stars” for Boutique Filmes in co-production with Globo Filmes, Ukbar Filmes, and Sony Pictures International Productions Brazil.

The project has also cast two of Brazil’s most popular screen stars, Marina Ruy Barbosa (“Tremembé”) and João Guilherme (“Beast Race”), as well as rising Portuguese actor José Condessa who recently starred in Pedro Almodóvar’s “Strange Way of Life” alongside A-listers Pedro Pascal and Ethan Hawke. Sony Pictures will handle distribution.

Related Stories

'No Other Land' Co-Directors on Their New Hot-Button Doc 'NAZA' and Interviewing 24 Israeli Soldiers in 'Total Secrecy': 'There Is Still So Much Denial of What Is Happening' in Gaza

'NAZA' Review: Two of the 'No Other Land' Filmmakers Deliver a More Devastating Exposé of Israeli Genocidal Policy, This Time in Gaza

“The Mystery of the 5 Stars” is a thriller geared at young audiences and set against a darker side of São Paulo. It follows Guilherme’s Leo, a proud bellboy on a wild journey to solve a murder at the luxury hotel where he works. Bruno Passeri (“Criminal Code”) adapts Marcos Rey’s eponymous book, mixing mystery, thriller and romance.

Flávia Costa, film and kids content manager at Globo Filmes, says the film revisits “a classic of Brazilian young adult literature from the 1980s through a contemporary lens, updated for today’s young adult audiences.” “By expanding the world of the original story and raising the stakes for its protagonist, we have created a gripping thriller about someone who must fight to prove his innocence. The film is also part of Globo Filmes’ slate of projects aimed at younger audiences, reaffirming our commitment to bringing important works of Brazilian literature to the screen and telling stories that resonate with new generations.”

Speaking with Variety following the announcement, Boutique Filmes partner Tiago Mello says the project is the film Brazil is missing at the moment when it comes to catering for young adult audiences. “It’s an audience that is growing very fast in Brazil. They are consuming a lot of international content because there is no content for them now [in Brazil], so we are focused on creating content for YA.”

Mello praises the partners lined up for the project, noting how Globo has been part of “some of the most important films in our history, so it’s amazing to have them [on board].” “For them, it’s also very important to connect with this [YA] audience, so it’s a perfect partnership for us.”

The project also marks Boutique Filmes’ first co-production with Portugal in a collaboration with Ukbar Filmes, a clever move given that young Portuguese audiences have been rising consumers of Brazilian content.

Boutique Filmes has invested in fostering young adult audiences over the last few years, with projects such as Netflix’s popular dystopian series “3%.” “We cannot lose this audience,” emphasizes Mello. “If they don’t watch movies now, they are not going to later. It’s really important to create this kind of film.”

The executive adds that bringing in “Tremembé” director Vera Egito to take over the film is a decision directly tied to her ability to connect with that demographic. “‘Tremembé’ is a huge success, and we are thrilled to be working with her on this project. We started work on the series a few weeks ago; she’s working hard.”

“The Mystery of the 5 Stars” unites two of Brazil’s most popular young stars in Guilherme and Ruy Barbosa. Mello calls the former a “phenomenon.” “He began working as a kid on soap operas, but now he’s one of the most popular names for teenagers here. Marina Ruy Barbosa is also huge. She’s one of our biggest stars. She’s a mysterious woman in the film; she doesn’t know what game she’s playing, so it’s a very interesting character: is she with him or against him? We have some romance involved in this relationship. She’s amazing.”

Mello and his team are planning to shoot later this year. The plan is to then take the film to festivals in 2027, with a big national premiere slated for the end of next year. “We believe it’s going to be a very interesting movie, because it will also have an auteur vision to it,” notes the exec. “It’s very important to focus on the content right now and to have a trailer that can really excite sales agents.”

“The idea is to bring together a very popular film, but also an artistic vision,” he adds, saying the film will have a Hitchcockian feel to it while never losing sight of its young adult target.

Boutique Filmes tapped into São Paulo state funding to enable the film to have the more robust budget it asked for. “It’s a very important moment for São Paulo state, and the film is very connected to São Paulo,” says Mello. “We are showing this Italian neighborhood in São Paulo for the first time, and promoting a vision of the city. It’s a very polished story.”

As for the company’s long-term strategy, Mello once again reiterates they are very focused on being the production company that “knows how to produce for young adults.” “We’ve been working on that since ‘3%,’ and we believe this film fits this strategy as well. We also want to work with the best directors, which we are bringing to this project too.”