EXCLUSIVE: Oscar-winning screenwriter Armando Bo’s (Birdman) feature adaptation of Camila Sosa Villada’s well-received novel Las Malas is set to begin production next month in Córdoba, Argentina and Montevideo, Uruguay.

Cast in the Spanish-language film is led by previously announced Oscar nominee Karla Sofía Gascón (Emilia Perez). Set in Córdoba, Las Malas “follows a group of sex workers led by the formidable Auntie Encarna (Gascón), whose fragile refuge is transformed when they discover an abandoned baby. What begins as an act of care becomes a story of desire, danger, survival, and community.” Bo writes and directs.

Newcomer Adela Buendía has been cast as Camila, whose coming-of-age anchors the story, after being selected through an extensive open casting search.

Joining Gascón and Buendía are Daniela Vega, star of Oscar-winner A Fantastic Woman; Argentine artist and performer Louta; Lola Rodríguez, known for her work in Veneno and Vestidas de Azul; Spanish actress and influencer Yenesi; and stage and screen actor Luis Machín. Payuca, Romina Escobar, Daniela Ruiz, and Lola Bahan will also join the ensemble.

The production has added Oscar-nominated producer Vincent Landay (Her) of Landay Entertainment to the team, which also comprises Bo’s About Entertainment; Infinity Hill, the producer of Oscar nominated Argentina, 1985; and Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo’s Spain-based Suma Content, whose credits include Veneno, La Mesías, La Bola Negra.

Producers are Bo, Ambrossi, Calvo, Natacha Cervi, Mercedes Reincke, Ezequiel Olemberg, Axel Kuschevatzky, Cindy Teperman, Vincent Landay, and Camila Sosa Villada.

“This cast brings together acclaimed international artists, newly discovered voices, and performers with deep ties to the communities at the heart of the film,” said Bo. “They give Las Malas the authenticity, danger, tenderness, and cinematic force the story deserves.”