Although Netflix’s family adventure Chupa is inspired by the legend of the chupacabra, director Jonás Cuarón was determined to make the creature at the heart of his film much less fearsome than the mythical creature. “Our goal was to create an incredibly cute creature based on a terrifying legend,” said Cuarón in an interview with Netflix’s Tudum. “The mythical creature was described as a hairless dog with wings and sharp teeth. Chupa is furry and incredibly cute.”
The first photos from Chupa confirm this creature, at least as a youngster, is anything but terrifying.
Cuarón added: “I’ve always been a huge fan of E.T. and believe that stories like that are so powerful because they play on the idea of kids being misunderstood by adults. Chupa might be a monster, but he’s the only one that truly understands what Alex is going through. The bond between a boy and a creature is so pure, like with a pet, it transcends language.”
Cuarón directed from a screenplay by Sean Kennedy Moore, Joe Barnathan, and Marcus Rinehart. 26th Street Pictures’ Chris Columbus, Mark Radcliffe, and Michael Barnathan produced, with G. Mac Brown, Anna Barnathan Barry, and Brendan Bellomo executive producing.
The Chupa cast includes Demián Bichir, Evan Whitten, Christian Slater, Ashley Ciarra, Nickolas Verdugo, Adriana Paz, Gerardo Taracena, and Julio Cesar Cedillo. Netflix has set an April 7, 2023 premiere date.
The Plot, Courtesy of Netflix:
Shy 13-year-old Alex (Whitten) flies from Kansas City to Mexico to meet his extended family for the first time. There he meets his grandfather and former lucha libre champion Chava (Bichir), energetic, wrestling-obsessed cousin Memo (Verdugo), and fearless, hip cousin Luna (Ciarra). But just as Alex begins to get his bearings, he discovers a mythical creature living under his grandfather’s shed: a young chupacabra cub, which he recognizes from stories of the feared, full-grown chupacabra, fabled to feed on farmers’ livestock.
Alex soon learns that his new friend “Chupa” has a secret history with his family and that dogged, dangerous scientist Richard Quinn (Slater) is hunting the misunderstood creature to try and harness his powers. To protect Chupa from impending danger, Alex sets off on the adventure of a lifetime, one that will push the bonds of his newfound family to the brink, and remind him that life’s burdens are lighter when you don’t have to carry them alone.
Chupa is a nostalgic journey through myth, memory, and the making of one’s own personal legend.
