EXCLUSIVE: J.R. Ramirez (Power) and child actor Emilio Del Real are set to lead The Mouth of the Furnace (La Boca del Horno), a horror-fantasy film from Colombian writer-director Felipe Vargas (Rosario) that has entered production in the Dominican Republic.
A reimagining of one of Colombia’s most popular folktales, The Mouth of the Furnace centers on a lonely prospector’s son who discovers a shadowy creature that offers a tempting — but deadly — way out of his impoverished town.
Vargas has tapped Autonomous FX to bring to life the monster at the heart of the story. The film is being produced by Selene Films founder Sterlyn Ramírez (Boca Chica, Zafari), Spark Features co-founder Robina Riccitiello (Rebuilding, Dìdi), and Yvette Yates Redick and Shaun Redick of Impossible Dream Entertainment (Get Out, BlacKkKlansman). Yuneidys Lachapell is line producing, with Felix M. García, Kristen Riccitiello, Josh Peters, and Ramirez are serving as executive producers.
“This project is a personal journey with Latino historical roots, and I’m thrilled to see this vision come to life with such a talented team led by a Colombian director — Felipe Vargas,” said producer Ramírez. “We are building an environment and story that is terrifying yet emotionally resonant — and which will spark the interest of a wide audience while honoring the rich heritage of Latin American folklore.”
In a joint statement, Impossible Dream’s Shaun Redick and Yvette Yates Redick added, “What Felipe has created is hauntingly beautiful — a frightening story steeped in Latin American mythology yet universal in its emotional power. The Mouth of the Furnace delivers the kind of visceral, emotional genre experience audiences crave.”
Vargas is a rising filmmaker who broke out with Milk Teeth, a thriller short set at an orphanage that continues to expand its reach on YouTube with over 12 million views and counting. The multi-hyphenate recently made his feature directorial debut with Rosario, a horror film starring Emeraude Toubia and David Dastmalchian that released in theaters earlier this year. Most recently, he’s been tapped to pen a big-screen adaptation of Bob the Builder for Amazon MGM Studios and Mattel, with Anthony Ramos to star and produce alongside Jennifer Lopez. He is repped by Magnolia Entertainment, Verve, and Gang, Tyre, Ramer.
Best known for starring in both Starz’s Power and the NBC/Netflix series Manifest, Ramirez recently appeared in Netflix’s medical drama Pulse and will be seen coming up in Amazon’s faith-based It’s Not Like That. He is repped by Gersh, Mathews Management, and attorney Lawrence M. Kopeikin.