El Capitán Trueno y el Santo Grial
A troubled Spanish sword and sorcery film.
El Capitán Trueno y el Santo Grial, a 2011 Spanish sword-and-sorcery film, adapts the comic book series of the same name. Antonio Hernández directed, with Sergio Peris-Mencheta and Natasha Yarovenko in the lead roles. The project faced difficulties from its early stages, and upon release it flopped at the box office while attracting strongly negative reviews.
The plot follows Capitán Trueno and his companions—Crispín, Goliat, and Princess Sigrid—on their adventures.
Earlier attempts to produce a live-action film based on the comic had fallen through, with directors Juan Piquer Simón, Juanma Bajo Ulloa, Alejandro Toledo, and Daniel Calparsoro each attached at different points. After producer Pau Vergara joined the project (initially as both producer and potential director), Antonio Hernández was eventually hired to direct. Álex González and Elsa Pataky were originally cast as Capitán Trueno and Sigrid but left; Natasha Yarovenko, initially slated for a villain role, was recast as Sigrid, and Sergio Peris-Mencheta took the lead.
Produced by Sorolla Films and Maltés Producciones, principal photography began on 16 August 2010. Shooting locations included El Escorial, Baños de la Encina (Jaén), Aldea del Rey (Ciudad Real), Lagunas de Ruidera (Albacete), the cave of Las Palomas in Yátova, the Turche Cave in Buñol, Abantos, Chulilla, Ahuir Beach in Gandía (Valencia), Saladar d'Aigua Amarga beach in Elche, and the Ciudad de la Luz film studio in Alicante. Filming wrapped in November 2010. The budget was €8.39 million.
At the film’s Valencia presentation on 5 October 2011, no cast members attended; producer Pau Vergara appeared alone. Vergara is credited as the sole screenwriter, but Peris-Mencheta accused him of being opportunistic (using the phrase “tiene un morro que te cagas”) and argued the director should also be credited. Days later, Peris-Mencheta attacked Vergara on Twitter, writing, “may Pau Vergara pay what he owes and stay away from Spanish cinema forever.”
Distributed by Walt Disney España, the film opened theatrically on 7 October 2011. It earned €739,162 and drew 118,749 viewers.
Reviews were overwhelmingly poor. In El País, Javier Ocaña titled his review “deforme insensatez” (warped foolishness), noting that the “direction of actors is simply nonexistent” and that Peris-Mencheta “at least does not take risks” compared to the rest of the cast.
Quick Facts
- Director
- Antonio Hernández
- Based On
- El Capitán Trueno characters · Víctor Mora
- Writer
- Pau Vergara
- Starring
- Sergio Peris-Mencheta / Natasha Yarovenko / Manuel Martínez / Adrián Lamana / Jennifer Rope / Gary Piquer / Asier Etxeandia / Ramón Langa / Roberto Álvarez
- Production Companies
- Maltés Producciones / Sorolla Films
- Distributor
- Buena Vista International
- Released
- 7 October 2011
- Country
- Spain
- Language
- Spanish
- Budget
- €8.39 million
- Gross
- €0.74 million
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The film follows the adventures of Capitán Trueno and his band, formed by Crispín, Goliat and the princess Sigrid. Earlier failed attempts to bring the comic book character to a live action film involved Juan Piquer Simón, Juanma Bajo Ulloa, Alejandro Toledo and Daniel Calparsoro as possible directors. None of them came to fruition and, following the entry of Pau Vergara in the project (as producer and tentative director), the direction was eventually tasked to Antonio Hernández. At some point Álex González and Elsa Pataky were slated to star as lead characters Capitán Trueno and Sigrid but they left the project. Natasha Yarovenko (originally set to perform a villain role) was subsequently recast to perform the role of Sigrid. Sergio Peris-Mencheta also came in as Capitán Trueno.
Reader's Guide
Produced by Sorolla Films and Maltés Producciones, filming started on 16 August 2010. Shooting locations included El Escorial, Baños de la Encina, Aldea del Rey, Lagunas de Ruidera, the cave of Las Palomas in Yátova, the Turche Cave in Buñol, Abantos, Chulilla and the Ahuir Beach in Gandía, the Saladar d'Aigua Amarga beach in Elche and the Ciudad de la Luz film studio in Alicante. Shooting wrapped in November 2010. The film had a budget of €8.39 million. No member of the cast attended the presentation of the movie in Valencia on 5 October 2011, leaving producer Pau Vergara alone. Vergara was credited as the single screenwriter, but Peris-Mencheta claimed Vergara was opportunistic and that the screenplay should be credited to the director too. Days later, Peris-Mencheta attacked Vergara in Twitter. Distributed by Walt Disney España, the film was theatrically released on 7 October 2011. The film grossed €739,162 and 118,749 viewers. The film earned very poor reviews. Reviewing for El País, Javier Ocaña titled his review as 'deforme insensatez' (warped foolishness), noting that the 'direction of actors is simply nonexistent', positively comparing leading actor Peris-Mencheta to the rest of the cast. Even the president of the Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences of Spain (Enrique González Macho) raised his opinion on the matter, deeming the film to be a 'drag' (pestiño). The film was presented in media as 'the biggest fiasco of Spanish cinema'.
A Project Haunted by Failed Beginnings
The road to bringing the beloved comic book hero to the screen was anything but smooth. Before Antonio Hernández finally took the helm, at least four other directors—Juan Piquer Simón, Juanma Bajo Ulloa, Alejandro Toledo, and Daniel Calparsoro—were attached at various points, yet none of those efforts materialized into a finished film. The project eventually found its footing when Pau Vergara stepped in as producer and tentative director, before ultimately handing the directorial chair to Hernández. Casting was equally turbulent: Álex González and Elsa Pataky were initially set to portray Capitán Trueno and Sigrid but departed the project. Natasha Yarovenko, who had originally been attached to a villain role, was recast as the princess, while Sergio Peris-Mencheta stepped into the title role. Produced by Sorolla Films and Maltés Producciones, principal photography ran from 16 August 2010 through November of that year, with a budget of €8.39 million.
A Scattered Cast and a Fractured Release
The film's release was marred by a public falling-out between the star and the producer. When the movie was presented in Valencia on 5 October 2011, not a single member of the cast showed up, leaving producer Pau Vergara to face the press entirely alone. The tension quickly escalated: Peris-Mencheta publicly accused Vergara of being opportunistic, using a colorful Spanish phrase, and insisted that the screenplay credit—which went solely to Vergara—should also acknowledge director Hernández. Days later, the actor took his grievances to Twitter, declaring that Vergara should pay what he owed and stay away from Spanish cinema forever. Despite the chaos behind the scenes, Walt Disney España still moved forward with distribution, and the film hit Spanish theaters on 7 October 2011. The commercial results were devastating: the picture earned just €739,162 and drew 118,749 viewers against a production cost of nearly €8.4 million.
A Consensus of Disappointment
Critics across the Spanish press delivered a uniformly harsh verdict. Javier Ocaña of El País christened his review with the phrase 'deforme insensatez'—warped foolishness—and went on to describe the direction of actors as simply nonexistent. His only mitigating note was that Peris-Mencheta, at minimum, does not take risks, a backhanded compliment that still set him slightly apart from the rest of the ensemble. The criticism did not stop at the press: Enrique González Macho, president of the Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences of Spain, publicly labeled the film a 'pestiño,' a term meaning a drag or a letdown. In the broader media landscape, the picture was branded the biggest fiasco of Spanish cinema, a designation that summed up the collective sense of letdown surrounding a project that had promised to translate a beloved comic book property into a major live-action event.
A Sweeping Production Across Spain
Despite its troubled development, the actual shoot was a substantial logistical undertaking. Filming commenced on 16 August 2010 and wrapped in November of that year, spanning multiple regions across Spain. The production team scouted and shot at a remarkable variety of locations: the historic grounds of El Escorial, the towns of Baños de la Encina in Jaén and Aldea del Rey in Ciudad Real, the striking Lagunas de Ruidera in Albacete, and several cave systems including Las Palomas in Yátova and the Turche Cave in Buñol. Coastal and beach settings were captured at Abantos, Chulilla, and the Ahuir Beach in Gandía in Valencia, as well as the Saladar d'Aigua Amarga beach in Elche. Studio work was completed at the Ciudad de la Luz film studio in Alicante. With a budget of €8.39 million and two production companies—Sorolla Films and Maltés Productions—behind it, the film represented a significant financial commitment to the sword-and-sorcery genre in Spanish cinema.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is El Capitán Trueno y el Santo Grial?
It is a 2011 Spanish sword-and-sorcery movie directed by Antonio Hernández that adapts the long-running comic book series of the same name to the screen. The film hit Spanish theatres on 7 October 2011.
Who plays the main characters in El Capitán Trueno y el Santo Grial?
Sergio Peris-Mencheta takes on the title role of Capitán Trueno, with Natasha Yarovenko co-starring in a lead capacity. The ensemble also includes the hero's loyal companions Crispín, Goliat, and Princess Sigrid.
What is the plot of El Capitán Trueno y el Santo Grial?
The story follows Capitán Trueno alongside his companions Crispín, Goliat, and Princess Sigrid as they embark on their legendary adventures. The narrative is drawn directly from the original comic book series.
How did El Capitán Trueno y el Santo Grial perform commercially?
Despite an €8.39 million production budget, the film earned only around €739,000 in theatrical receipts, making it a significant box office failure. It also drew strongly negative reviews from critics upon release.
Why is El Capitán Trueno y el Santo Grial considered a troubled production?
The project ran into difficulties from its earliest development stages, and several earlier attempts to adapt the comic into a live-action film had already fallen through before it finally got made. Its troubled history, combined with poor audience reception, cemented its reputation as a notable sword-and-sorcery misfire in Spanish cinema.
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