Movistar Plus+ orders scripted trio

Movistar Plus+ in Spain has unveiled three new original drama series, including the next project from Alauda Ruiz de Azúa, who was behind Series Mania award winner Querer.

The Spanish writer and director will reunite with fellow Querer writer Eduard Sola on the untitled series, which will explore “the universe of platforms such as OnlyFans, where people create their own sexual content and then sell it to third parties, subscribers and fans,” Ruiz de Azúa said during a Movistar+ presentation in Madrid.

The show, which will be produced by Kowalski Films and Feelgood Media, will explore the lives of those creating content for the services and those consuming it.

“This is a phenomenon that is growing exponentially and challenging traditional perceptions of pornography and online sexuality,” Ruiz de Azúa said. 

“We feel that right now there are many more questions than answers surrounding this type of transaction and relationship, and we are interested in exploring them through fiction.”

Movistar Plus+ also revealed a new scripted series from independent prodco Caballo Films, which has been behind Antidisturbios (After Riot Police) and Los Años Nuevos (The New Years).

The untitled series is an adaptation of El Proxeneta (The Pimp), a book by actress and activist Mabel Lozano about the Spanish mafia that changed the prostitution business in the country forever during the late 1900s.

The show has been created by Isabel Peña (Riot Police, Offworld) and Eduardo Villanueva (Riot Police), with Elena Martín Gimeno (Creatura) and Sandra Romero (As Silence Passes By) attached to direct.

Eight years after La Zona, Movistar Plus+ and Jorge and Alberto Sánchez Cabezudo are also set to work together again on the third newly revealed drama, Matar a Un Oso. 

The six-episode series is based on real events about an unprecedented criminal investigation into the death of a bear known as Cachou in the Aran Valley in Catalonia.

Filming will begin in late August under the production of Kubik Films, the company of the Sánchez Cabezudo brothers that was acquired by Newen Studios in 2023.

“The story of Cachou is, above all, an attractive and unusual crime story, where all the elements of the genre are turned upside down when the victim turns out to be an animal,” said the creators.

“An anomalous and even absurd situation, which everyone ends up taking very seriously and which, in some way, ends up marking their lives. It is this serious look at absurd situations, with unpredictable characters who are as excessive as they are real, that sets the tone of the narrative,” the duo added.

The script has been written by Pablo and Daniel Remón (Intemperie) together with Jorge and Alberto Sánchez Cabezudo. Jorge Sánchez Cabezudo will direct the series, with Borja Soler (La Ruta) directing a couple of episodes.

Movistar Plus+ International will distribute the three titles worldwide.

’Distinctive drama demands’

The presentation was helmed by Jorge Pezzi, who became director of fiction and partnerships at Movistar Plus+ in May, but all three projects were commissioned under former chief, Domingo Corral.

“We want to continue the wonderful work done so far at Movistar Plus+, continuing to invest in incredible, distinctive, high-risk projects that allow us to remain at the forefront of Spanish audiovisual production and grow our customer base. We want to continue to be a beacon for Spanish talent,” Pezzi said.

Movistar Plus+ also has three additional series at different stages of production that will premiere in 2026 and will be distributed by Movistar Plus+ International: Se Tiene que Morir Mucha Gente is about three young women and their personal crisis, with production by Corte y Confección de Películas; Yo Siempre a Veces tells the story of a single mother by accident who struggles to get by in Barcelona, produced by Suma Content; and Por Cien Millones relives the 1981 kidnapping of footballer Quini by three mechanics from Zaragoza, with Felicitas Media producing.

There is also a third season of criminal drama El Inmortal (Banijay’s DLO Producciones, distributed by Beta Film under the international title of Gangs of Madrid), which will begin shooting soon, as well as the second season of Marbella (Buendía Estudios).

Movistar Plus+’s slate from September to December will include the second season of comedy series Little Faith/Poquita Fe, produced by Buendía Estudios, with a German adaptation in the works. 

Other shows slated for release include: The Anatomy of a Moment/Anatomía de un Instante, about the attempted coup d’état on 23 February 1981 in Spain, produced by Banijay’s DLO Producciones; contemporary spy thriller El Centro, which explores the challenges faced by a group of Spanish intelligence officers, produced by Fonte Films; and Yakarta, a series about a disillusioned physical education teacher and former Olympic badminton player who meets a teenager with extraordinary talent who will change his life, produced by 100 Balas (The Mediapro Studio) and Buendía Estudios Canarias.

Except for Yakarta, all the shows will be distributed globally by The Mediapro Studio, with the series becoming part of the Movistar Plus+ International catalogue.