‘Bird Box Barcelona,’ Starring Mario Casas Is Multicultural Spinoff With Surprising Twists

For world-renowned Spanish actor Mario Casas, starring in Bird Box Barcelona was a great opportunity. The film is not a sequel of the Sandra Bullock 2018 worldwide hit but rather a spinoff taking place during the same time period thousands of miles away.

“As a fan of the film, I found the idea of knowing what was happening in another part of the whole world interesting,” says Casas, who portrays Sebastián, the film’s main character. “Getting the chance to be part of the Bird Box expansion was a gift. Fans of the first part will finally get some answers in this film. I hope they like it.”

Bird Box Barcelona takes a different twist, has a multicultural component – not just its location in Spain – but with its international cast of renowned multilingual actors, which may make it even more appealing to global audiences. Among them, Diego Calva (Babylon, Narcos) from Mexico, UK’s Georgina Campbell (Suspicion), Naila Schuberth from Germany and Leonardo Sbaraglia (Wild Tales, Black Snow), who’s a star in his native Argentina and has extensively worked in Spain, in addition to other Spanish actors.

“I think there is something precious there, in being part of a multicultural mix that reaches all parts of the world,” says Casas, whose face has been seen around the globe in numerous other films and series, like thrillers The Invisible Guest and The Innocent thanks to Netflix.

The film delivers some surprises from Sebastián along the way. “A main character who’s a guy broken inside, full of emotion,” says Casas. “He’s a guy who lives in the shadows, which I think will captivate viewers.”

It also reveals details about the survivors that remind us why we should not make assumptions about people, love and their will to survive an apocalyptic event.

“The characters are very contradictory and three-dimensional, like in the case of Octavio,” shares Diego Calva, who portrays Octavio. “What I liked the most, apart from the idea of exploring the terror genre, was how to perform a character with many layers. He’s a Mexican immigrant, who in the end, you realize has a university degree, yet, he experienced racism.”

The film shows how all of that doesn’t matter when faced with extinction.

The first Bird Box was a global hit. Netflix is hoping to replicate that success around the world. Bird Box Barcelona premieres July 14.