Brazilian political scandal was connected to a Jim Caviezel movie

American actor Jim Caviezel’s upcoming feature “Dark Horse,” a biopic about former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, has been described by a movie industry publication as a thriller centered on the far-right firebrand’s struggle “against a corrupt establishment.”

This week, however, that production found itself embroiled in a scandal that is shaking the very establishment it aimed to criticize.

Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, the son of the former president and selected successor for this year’s presidential elections, confirmed on Wednesday that he had secured funding for the film from the disgraced banker Daniel Vorcaro, who was arrested in March on suspicion of orchestrating a multibillion-dollar fraud scheme.

The senator outlined a contract with Vorcaro aimed at supporting the film, clarifying that the agreement was unrelated to the fraud investigation into Vorcaro being carried out by Brazil’s Federal Police.

“A son was seeking private sponsorship for a film centered on his father’s story,” the senator stated, noting that he had met the banker prior to the emergence of the investigation news. “I did not provide any advantages in exchange.”

This year, Brazilian politics has been engulfed by the scandal surrounding Vorcaro’s failed lender, Banco Master. Political figures from various sides have been attempting to associate their opponents with the bank while simultaneously distancing themselves from it.

Senator Bolsonaro himself was included in the discussion, having recently refuted any ties to the now incarcerated Vorcaro, who is under police investigation for allegedly attempting to bribe regulators and defraud investors. “The left is attempting to fabricate narratives to connect Bolsonaro to the Banco Master issue, but it doesn’t hold up,” he stated to reporters this month. “It wasn’t Bolsonaro who had a clandestine meeting with Vorcaro — it was Lula,” he continued, referencing a December meeting between the banker and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Recent polls indicate that Senator Bolsonaro and Lula are nearly neck and neck in the lead-up to Brazil’s presidential election in October. However, pollsters noted that the Vorcaro scandal has likely impacted the challenger’s standing.

Invitation to Dinner for a ‘Brother’

On Wednesday, news website The Intercept Brasil reported, referencing documents and messages it had reviewed, that Vorcaro had pledged $24 million to Flavio Bolsonaro to assist in producing the film, and that approximately half of that amount had been paid thus far.

The report featured an audio message along with multiple texts allegedly exchanged between the senator and the banker, in which they referred to one another as “brother.” A source familiar with the Federal Police investigation has confirmed to Reuters that the messages were included in the records seized by the police.

GOUP Entertainment, the production house responsible for “Dark Horse,” stated that the film secured over 10 investors, yet has not received “a single cent” from Vorcaro or any of his companies.

GOUP did not respond to inquiries regarding the film’s budget; however, they indicated that Senator Bolsonaro had reached out to private investors.

On Wednesday, Bolsonaro stated that Vorcaro had ceased fulfilling the contract installments, prompting him and others to seek alternative investors. “Dark Horse” is set to be released in September, just a month prior to the Brazilian election.

American director Cyrus Nowrasteh informed Deadline last month that the film, inspired by the life of former president Bolsonaro and portrayed by Caviezel, is “a tense political thriller about power, media and faith under fire.”

A few weeks after filming concluded in December, Caviezel shared a message extending Christmas wishes to the former president, who was recently sentenced to 27 years in prison for orchestrating a coup following his loss in the 2022 election. “Pray ⁠with me for our brother Jair and his family,” he wrote.
Requests for comment from representatives for Caviezel and Nowrasteh went unanswered.

The Intercept Brasil report featured a text exchange from October, confirmed by the source as part of the seized records, in which the senator inquired if Vorcaro wished to have dinner with Caviezel and Nowrasteh. “Where will it be? Do you want to do it at my place?” the banker responded, approximately a month prior to his initial arrest. “We can do it at your place!” the senator replied.

Reuters could not confirm whether that meeting took place.

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While the film’s budget remains undisclosed, a reported commitment of $24 million by the Intercept would position “Dark Horse” among the most costly Brazilian films ever produced.

This year’s Oscar nominee from Brazil, “The Secret Agent,” had a budget of $5 million. Last year’s Oscar winner “I’m Still Here,” directed by billionaire Brazilian Walter Salles, had a reported budget of $9 million. In contrast, “Sound of Freedom,” a recent film starring Caviezel and set in Colombia, had a budget of $14.5 million, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.

Kleber Mendonca Filho, the director of “The Secret Agent,” a vocal critic of Jair Bolsonaro who has spoken out against the former president’s efforts to cut public funding for the arts, took to social media to celebrate the scandal. “It’s a great day for Brazilian cinema made in the reality of hard work,” he wrote, adding that one of his own thrillers, “Bacurau,” cost about $1.5 million to make.