Academy Award-winning actors, spouses Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz are all set to share the screen once again in the upcoming psychological thriller titled Bunker. It hails from filmmaker Florian Zeller, who won the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar in 2021 for The Father.
Bunker centres on an architect who agrees to undertake a morally questionable task: constructing a bunker with the survivalist architecture style for a billionaire. As the project progresses, the architect's wife starts questioning the foundation of their 17-year marriage. The makers call it a "a thriller that delves into the emotional and moral challenges a couple faces amid the tensions of the world around them, exploring the fears, doubts, and dilemmas that define our era.”
Zeller penned this English-language film for Bardem and Cruz, who have been in a marital relationship for nearly 17 years themselves.
In a statement, Zeller expressed his vision for the film: "I wanted to tell the story of a marriage and was deeply compelled to work with a real-life couple. I immediately was drawn to the idea of working with Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz, two of the most gifted actors working today, who also happen to be one of the most iconic couples. I wrote Bunker for them. This film will push the boundaries of narrative and emotional truth, blurring the lines between reality and fiction in a way that feels thrilling and deeply human."
Bardem and Cruz, a renowned Spanish acting duo, have a rich history of on-screen collaborations spanning over three decades, including notable films such as Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Loving Pablo, Everybody Knows, and Jamón, Jamón.
Federica Sainte-Rose of Blue Morning Pictures is producing Bunker with MOD Producciones' Simon de Santiago and Fernando Bovaira. Alice Dawson is serving as one of the producers on the film as well. The executive producers include Mariano Cohn, Andres Duprat, Gaston Duprat, Fernando Sokolowicz, and Emanuel Nunez.
Sainte-Rose shared her enthusiasm for the project, stating, "What excites me most about working with Florian on Bunker is the bold new direction he’s taking as a filmmaker. This project marks a clear tonal shift—unsettling and cinematically daring, Bunker speaks to the glaring contradictions that exist in modern society. The exploration of fears of the future, from ecological threats to rising social inequality, makes this film both urgent and relevant."