BLOOD BROTHERS: Nacho Serapio Leads Robert Samuels, Silvio Simac And More As Cameras Roll On New Martial Arts Thriller From ‘Balas Y Katanas’ Director [Exclusive]
Production is underway with English-language action thriller, Blood Brothers, from Spanish director actor and martial artist, Nacho Serapio (Balas y Katanas, Hard Coin). Filming will take place in select locations in the U.S. with the movie predominantly shot in Castilla-La Mancha, Spain.
Blood Brothers is being billed as “a project that blends rescue thriller, family drama, and straightforward action” for Serapio’s return to the helm. In addition to starring in and directing, Serapio will also produce the film via Dragonz Entertainment in his label’s “commitment to physical, ambitious, and internationally focused cinema,” and with an English-language project that is setting its sights on the international market.
Serapio will play Javier, a security guard from Toledo who travels to New York after receiving a desperate message from his brother Marcos. What begins as a race against time ends up drawing him into a criminal network that leads him to Philadelphia and into the territory of Malik, the story’s greatest threat.
Joining the cast are Hong Kong action veteran Robert Samuels (Gambling Ghost, “Shadow Fist”, Yes Auntie!), and Eduardo Castejón (Hard Coin), and Silvio Simac (The Transporter 3, The Shepherd Code) who plays the villain. Rounding out the cast are Mike Galeck (Balas y Katanas), José Manuel (Fist Of The Condor), and Argentine actress and model Guadalupe Garzela in her debut film appearance.
On the backend, production has added award-winning Argentine cinematographer Iñaki Echeberría (El Hombre Inconcluso), stunt professional Paul Hawk (Gladiator II, Zeta, “Young Sherlock”) who will serve as action designer, and sound designer Marco de Gregori (Lucky Star, Balas y Katanas).
“Having such international figures of the genre in ‘Blood Brothers’ like Robert Samuels, who has worked with such important stars as Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung, or Silvio Simac, who has worked with names like Jet Li, Jason Statham, and Scott Adkins, is a dream come true for me. Seeing the caliber of the technical and human team that has come together for this film also gives me the certainty that we are building something truly great,” said Serapio.
Hailing from his native Madrid, Serapio has more than twenty years under his belt as a martial arts expert and pioneer, and a nine-time champion. To add, he co-founded AI-AMA (Asociación Internacional de Artistas Marciales) alongside fellow actor and instructor Shihan José A. Marín, and served as its president from 2006 through 2012. Serapio is also an inductee of the Action Martial Arts Hall of Honors in Atlantic City and the Knights of Bushido Hall of Fame, and currently shepherds the International Toledo Action Films Festival and Expo which kicks off its fourth edition this month where our own Mike Garcia is serving once again as juror.
On the filmmaking and acting side, Serapio has worked on numerous short film projects prior to his move to directing features, including his more recent thriller, Hard Coin. His coming out party arose with 2023’s Balas y Katanas, in which he pairs up with Marin for an action comedy about a livestreamer who captures a sensei’s quest to rescue his kidnapped daughter. The film went on to win multiple accolades, including the Blood Sweat & Bone No Budget Award for Best Action Comedy at the eleventh edition of the Urban Action Showcase And Expo in New York City, and is available on streaming and digital in the U.S..
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