In the quiet Greater Buenos Aires suburb of Martínez, a few blocks away from one of the most important houses in the history of Argentine comic books, Estudios Ronda has borne witness to the birth and evolution of one of the nation’s most eagerly awaited audiovisual project: El Eternauta. It is there that a new series, based on the mythical comic strip, came to life, an adaptation of the adventure and science fiction classic created by Héctor Germán Oesterheld and Francisco Solano López.
El Eternauta, made up of six episodes, will début on Netflix on April 30. Arrival is imminent but the project took years to take shape. From the typical costumes of the characters to specially designed virtual scenarios, it has been filmed as never before. A recent trailer confirms actor Ricardo Darín in the role of Juan Salvo, as everybody wanted to see.
Executive producer Matías Mosteirín, one of the key names at production company K&S, explains that the transition from film to a series was the key to bringing the story to life properly: “The challenge was to adapt it to a structure of episodes since the story possesses a complexity difficult to compress into a single act.”
The result, created and directed by Bruno Stagnaro, not only stands out for its script but also its impressive visual design – there is nobody on this set who is not in love with what they are doing.
The creation of a world submerged in the mythical toxic snow was just one of the biggest challenges facing the art designers, who worked with a variety of references, ranging from documentaries of life up in the mountains to the work of photographers and painters capturing a unique atmosphere. The result is a Buenos Aires transformed by a blanket of snow altering the landscape completely, creating an atmosphere of claustrophobia and despair.
The lighting and use of snow were key elements in the aesthetics of the series since the snow not only functions as a visual element but also as a symbol of the threat stalking humanity. It is impressive to see classic corners of everyday life in Argentina covered in snow and full of death and despair.
With its set design and special effects, the series has succeeded in constructing new images for Argentine fiction that carry emotional weight, ready to narrate and surprise. There is no step taken by this team which has not been thought through.
Discussing the show’s visual aspects, art directors María Battaglia and Julián Romera, highlighted the importance of the snow and light as essential elements to recreate the atmosphere of the story.
“We wanted the series to maintain a direct connection with the reality of Buenos Aires but adding the supernatural touch that characterises the comic,” said Battaglia.
Romera added: “Each scene was designed not only to be true to the comic strip but also to give new life to the city.”
Love of the original
For the makers, the series represents more than a mere adaptation of the comic strip, which was published for the first time in 1957. In a world where science fiction is difficult to tackle, El Eternauta presents a unique opportunity to take an Argentine narrative into a new dimension.
Enamoured by the original, the gigantic Bruno Stagnaro, creator and director of this adaptation, says that although the story is inspired by the comic, “the original chronology is made more flexible to match a more contemporary version [that is] closer to the present.”
The story is focused on a common man who, after surviving a toxic snowfall in Buenos Aires, faces an extraterrestrial threat.
Bringing Juan Salvo to the screen implies a special challenge. In the face of catastrophe, the protagonist is obliged to convert himself into a combat leader. Ricardo Darín was picked for the famous communal hero, who does not save himself alone.
For director Stagnaro, the fascination of El Eternauta is “the story of a group of normal people involved in an extraordinary situation, struggling to survive and find a solution to a problem which seems insurmountable.” The series stresses the importance of solidarity, friendship and collective struggle in times of crisis.
The process of creating the classic personality was complicated. In the original story, Juan is a young and physically active man whereas Darín is an ageing actor. Nevertheless, Stagnaro and his crew find a way of tackling this challenge, constructing “a more mature personality who, via past experience, rediscovers a forgotten ability to handle weapons and face danger.”
“This perspective adds a new dimension to this personality, who is obliged to revive a past which he believed overcome while he fights to save humanity,” said the director.
“What we wanted to do with Darín is show the vulnerability of a man, who, without being a traditional hero, feels impelled to act in extreme situations,” said Stagnaro. “Ricardo’s experience adds a new layer to the personality, especially in terms of his use of guns, which currently acquires another meaning.”
Work and identity
Production began in May 2023 and involved the creation of more than 35 real and 25 virtual scenes, a titanic effort to give life to a story that has always been loaded with symbolism and social context.
In every detail of the shooting, from the lethal snowfall to the intense action scenes, the spirit of the comic strip by Oesterheld and Solano López is reflected, although with a more modern focus.
“What we sought was to maintain the essence of the work but to adapt it to today’s audience,” assures Stagnaro.
According to Mosteirín, El Eternauta is connected profoundly with Argentina’s history. “It's a story which reflects that capacity for struggle and survival so proper to our culture. This group of persons has to cope with an extreme situation using the resources at their disposal, confronting something much bigger than themselves,” he said.
This theme, which was already essential in the comic strip, adapts perfectly to modern times, with a narrative about the struggle against adversity.
El Eternauta also marks a milestone for the production of science fiction in Argentina. As Francisco Ramos, Netflix vice-president for Latin America content, observes, “the series inaugurates a new form of narrating science fiction from an Argentine perspective without falling into the transfer of alien codes. This is a work which reflects the unique outlook of the region and has an enormous potential to drive the local audiovisual industry.”
The series not only stands out for its artistic quality but for its capacity to position Argentine technicians and artists at the heart of an international industry, at a time when the national government is turning its back on creativity and the arts.
Ramos highlights the impact the series will have on the domestic creative industry: “There is no science fiction tradition in the region as in other countries – this series marks a before and after in the form of narrating science fiction stories in the Latin American context.”
This adaptation of El Eternauta has been presented as one of the most ambitious Netflix productions in Latin America. It is destined to leave its footprint on the history of cinema and television in the region. With a narrative combining science fiction, survival and human drama, the series manages to capture the spirit of the original work, while adapting it to the current context.
El Eternauta promises to be a milestone for Argentine television and a reference for future adaptations in the years to come.
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