Two of Netflix’s most visible Spanish stars are leaving the world of Elite for a São Paulo crime story. Ester Expósito and Claudia Salas will lead The Blondes, a darkly comic thriller from Piggy director Carlota Pereda. Paris-based Playtime has boarded international sales and is presenting the package to buyers at the American Film Market.
The package
Inspired by the true-crime story of the “Gang of Blondes,” who kidnapped wealthy women and stole their identities, the film is being positioned as a candy-colored “bitch noir” about class, privilege and appearances. Expósito plays Cristina, a ruthless blonde who turns petty fraud into a criminal empire. Salas plays Marta, a working-class brunette who loses her job and discovers that blonde hair dye and designer labels open doors—until Cristina pulls her and best friend Pepa into express kidnappings.
Why the pitch travels
The project is being sold with a clean shorthand: Legally Blonde meets Spring Breakers. That matters at a market like AFM, where buyers sort through hundreds of packages and a familiar comparison plus a name cast can move a project quickly.
Pereda brings festival credibility. Her earlier short Las Rubias screened at more than 140 festivals, and her debut feature Piggy won the Méliès d’Or at Sitges and earned six Goya nominations. Morena Films produces, while Universal Pictures International Spain handles the Spanish release.
For entertainment marketers, this is a template for monetising streaming-born fame beyond a show’s own platform: attach talent with a proven global audience, then pair it with a legible genre and a director who carries awards heat.
What buyers should watch
- Sales: Playtime is launching international rights at AFM.
- Production: Shooting is scheduled for March 2027.
- Local release: Universal Pictures International Spain will distribute in Spain.
- Pitch: Legally Blonde meets Spring Breakers, expanded from the short Las Rubias.
Pereda described the film as “a heist movie turned inside out,” adding that it hides a question about privilege, prejudice and “why we think all blondes look the same.”
The commercial test
Playtime managing director Sébastien Beffa called it “one of the funniest scripts we have read in a long while,” saying the project embraces its genre while carrying a modern message. The crew includes Money Heist editor Verónica Callón and production designer Carlota Casado, a longtime Pedro Almodóvar collaborator.
The next data point for buyers is actual licensing demand. The cast’s streaming recognition and Pereda’s festival track record should shorten the sales cycle; the question is whether that converts into the advances and territory splits a true-crime thriller needs to justify its 2027 shoot.
Source: Variety
