Biopic of Brazil’s jailed former President Bolsonaro will star actor Jim Caviezel
By Max Saltman, CNN
(CNN) — Jair Bolsonaro is going to the movies.
Not literally, as Brazil’s former president is still serving a 27-year prison sentence for plotting a coup to remain in power after losing his 2022 reelection bid. But a new film about his career is on the way, according to social media posts by Bolsonaro’s sons and other political allies.
The film, entitled “Dark Horse,” stars Jim Caviezel, the American actor and conservative activist best known for portraying Jesus in Mel Gibson’s 2004 film “The Passion of the Christ.”
Production images recently posted on the film’s official Instagram account show the actor in full character as Bolsonaro, including one post showing Caviezel re-enacting the 2018 rally where Bolsonaro was stabbed while campaigning.
News of the film comes weeks after Bolsonaro began serving a prison sentence for his attempt to remain in power after losing Brazil’s 2022 presidential election. The coup attempt, which investigators say began immediately after he lost his reelection bid, culminated in a January 6-like riot by Bolsonaro supporters at the Brazilian capital.
“Dark Horse” appears to have the full backing of Bolsonaro’s inner circle and family. The former president’s sons have posted approvingly about the film on social media, and the screenplay was written by Brazil’s former special secretary for culture, Mario Frias. CNN reached out to Frias for comment.
The lawmaker, who acted in numerous telenovelas before entering politics, told conservative Brazilian news site Revista Oeste this week that “Dark Horse” was filmed entirely in English to expand its potential audience.
On Sunday, Frias posted a video of himself, Caviezel and Bolsonaro’s son Carlos praying for the former president on the set of “Dark Horse.”
In a post of his own on Sunday, Carlos Bolsonaro thanked Caviezel for his participation in the film.
“For me, one of the greatest gifts I’ve received was the opportunity to live unimaginable moments by your side,” Carlos Bolsonaro wrote. “Receive my sincere and grateful embrace. God, Jesus and Freedom!”
This is not Caviezel’s first time playing a right-wing figure on screen. In 2023, he portrayed the controversial activist Tim Ballard in the film “Sound of Freedom,” which was widely criticized upon its release for allegedly promoting the QAnon conspiracy theory. Caviezel has denied that the movie had anything to do with QAnon. CNN has reached out to Caviezel for comment.
The actor is also a vocal supporter of US President Donald Trump, whom he called “the new Moses” in an endorsement for the 2024 presidential election.
Trump keenly followed Bolsonaro’s arrest and prosecution, even briefly imposing a high tariff on Brazilian exports as punishment for the “witch hunt” against his political ally.
Caviezel and the film’s director Cyrus Nowrasteh have collaborated before, including on 2020’s “Infidel,” which was produced by the right-wing pundit Dinesh D’Souza.
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