Cassandro release date, trailer & cast with Bad Bunny & Gael Garcia Bernal - Is it based on a true story?

Cassandro is set to drop on Amazon Prime Video. The biopic film, which is co-written and directed by Oscar-winning documentary creator Roger Ross Williams (Life, Animated), premiered at Sundance Film Festival earlier this year to rave reviews.

It tells the story of Saúl Armendáriz, a gay wrestler from El Paso who rises to international fame as the “Liberace of Lucha Libre”.

Cassandro features an impressive cast with Gael García Bernal (Coco) leading the way as Armendáriz and Bad Bunny (Narcos Mexico), real name Benito Martínez Ocasio starring as Felipe. The Puerto Rican rapper opened up in March about his role and his first ever on-screen kiss with Bernal, which he described as “very cool”.

So, how can you watch Cassandro, what is it about and is it based on a true story? Here’s everything you need to know.

How can I watch Cassandro 2023?

Cassandro will be available to watch on Amazon Prime Video from Friday 22 September.

What is Cassandro about?

Cassandro follows the story of Saúl Armendáriz, a gay wrestler from El Paso who rises to international fame after he creates his wrestling character Cassandro.

The official plot for Cassandro reads: “Saúl Armendáriz, a gay amateur wrestler from El Paso, rises to international stardom after he creates the character Cassandro, the “Liberace of Lucha Libre.” In the process, he upends not just the macho wrestling world but also his own life.”

Is there a trailer for Cassandro?

Yes, Amazon Prime Video released a trailer for Cassandro, you can watch it below.

Cast of Cassandro

Cassandro features an impressive cast, with Gael García Bernal leading the way as Lucha Libre Saúl Armendáriz. He is joined by Bad Bunny, Roberta Colindrez (A League of Their Own), Perla De La Rosa (A Thousand Clouds of Peace), Raúl Castillo (Seven Seconds), and Joaquín Cosio (Narcos Mexico).

A clip of Bad Bunny and Bernal kissing in Cassandro was first released in March 2023. In an interview with Time Magazine, Ocasio opened up about his first ever on-screen kiss. He said: “My first kiss for a movie and it was with a man … that’s the penalty I get for being with so many women during my life.

“If you’re acting, you’re being someone you’re not. So when they asked me for that, I said, ‘Yes, I’m here for whatever you want.’” Adding: “It was very cool, I didn’t feel uncomfortable.”

Speaking about the casting of Bernal in the Hindustan Times, Williams revealed the actor “did all the wrestling moves himself. Williams explained: “When I decided I wanted to make this movie, I was like no other person could do this role except Gael García Bernal. I just knew it because I had seen him in Pedro Almodóvar’s Bad Education (2004), and I had seen him in so many more movies... and I just knew that he would really dedicate himself to the role.”

He added: “Gael did all the wrestling moves himself in the film. He learnt to wrestle, he spent months training and working and learning to really be a Luchador. I knew he was that type of actor who would really buckle down and do the work.”

Is Cassandro based on a true story?

Yes, Cassandro is based on the true story of Saúl Armendáriz, who became the international wrestling superstar known as Cassandro.

Armendáriz was born in El Paso, Texas in 1970, just over the border from Juarez, Mexico. The film accurately depicts many moments of his life including the close relationship he shared with his mother, his absent father and journey to become a luchador in Juárez which began when he was just 15-years-old.

Reported by Them, he first began wrestling as Cassandro in October 1988, joining the Mexican wrestling organisation Lucha Libre Internacional in 1989. In 1992, he become the first exótico to ever win a championship when he took home the title in the world lightweight category.

Speaking in an interview with the Guardian in 2014 he described Lucha Libre as “like a religion”. He said: “Lucha libre in Mexico is like a religion,” he continued: “and Mexico is a very machista country. Homophobia is everywhere.” Explaining that for the working poor: “It’s like a free therapy session for them. They will go and scream their lungs out, and all the anger about what’s been done to them during the week, they get it out on the exoticos.”