La Máquina: Everything to know about Hulu's first-ever Spanish-language original series

La Máquina is a Spanish sports drama series set to be released as a Hulu original on Wednesday, October 9, 2024. It will be the first Spanish original series to be premiered on the platform. Mexican filmmaker Gabriel Ripstein directed the series and was previously known for his works including 600 Miles, Chronic, From Afar, April's Daughter, and Pulling Strings.

The series revolves around the life of an aging boxer named Esteban Osuna, who suffers a catastrophic loss in a match. He then contemplates leaving the sport forever but his manager and best friend Andy Lujan is dedicated to getting him back into the ring. La Máquina explores Esteban's journey to defy his age barrier, get back into shape, and prepare for one final match.

Gael García Bernal plays Esteban Osuna while Diego Luna plays the role of Andy. Both actors have been longtime friends and their screen appearances together date back to the 2001 film Y Tu Mamá También. La Máquina is led by writer and showrunner Marco Ramirez, whose credits include The Defenders, Sons of Anarchy, and Daredevil.

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Who is in the cast of La Máquina?

Alongside Bernal and Luna who serve as the primary protagonists of the series, La Máquina has a set of talented actors contributing to the sports drama. They include:

• Eiza González as Irasema
• Juan Carlos Huguenin as Memo de la Peña
• Christopher Evangelou as Harry Felix
• Sandra Quiroz as Doctora Liu
• Alberto Trujillo as Policia
• Karina Gidi as Carlota
• Jorge Perugorría as Sixto
• Luis Gnecco as Facundo
• Raúl Briones as Juan Carlos
• Andrés Delgado as Saul
• Lucía Méndez as Josefina
• Ricardo Lozano as Vip ring side
• John Paul Wendt as Felix's cutman

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Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna talk about their friendship and making movies together

Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna are longtime friends (Image via Hulu)

Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna have been friends for a long time both on and off the screen. The duo first appeared together in the 2001 queer road drama film Y Tu Mamá También. They teamed up again to play the step-brothers, Tato and Beto in the 2008 sports comedy film Rudo y Cursi.

Bernal and Luna, are back with the Hulu original La Máquina after over a decade. The duo has produced this series under their joint production company La Corriente del Golfo. In a conversation with Entertainment Weekly, published on September 5, 2024, Bernal discussed the preparation required to get into the shape of a boxer,

"It took a whole lot of preparation and a lot of effort, nights out, and not sleeping. It was a lot of preparation, a lot"

Bernal had reportedly been a longtime fan of the sport and opened up about his preparation for the role, saying,

"It's knowing how to guard, to throw, to move, to dodge, many, many, many things. Unfortunately, boxers used to be great, but now, not so much anymore."

Bernal also accepted that his friend's transformation was equally mesmerizing. He said,

"It heightened the state of everything. It made it so much more exciting and so much more interesting."

Luna stated it was a beautiful experience getting into shape alongside his longtime friend. He said,

"I really love boxing, and it was very nice getting fooled by the illusions. He was in the ring, and he was fighting. And he was definitely achieving everything that we discussed and that we dreamed about. You can tell he understands fighting."

Luna added how Bernal's transformation perfectly suited his character,

"We were in a set that was an actual arena, there was an actual boxer in front of my friend, and you couldn't tell who had more years training. It was very, very exciting to watch."

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La Máquina will be available to stream on Hulu from October 9, 2024. Viewers can access the starting plan for $7.99/month, after a 30-day free trial. The plan will increase to $9.99/month from October 17, 2024.