Eva Longoria and Eugenio Derbez star in new film

Eva Longoria and Eugenio Derbez are starring in the new film ‘Marcelo en el Mundo Real’, directed by Lucía Puenzo. The production, which is currently filming in Uruguay and Boston, is an adaptation of the novel by Francisco X. Stork.

Produced by Zeta Studios and Elefantec Global, the story follows a young man with autism spectrum disorder as he navigates the transition from special education to the conventional workforce. The film explores the challenges of meeting societal expectations and the pressure to conform to perceived norms while moving from adolescence toward adulthood.

Director Lucía Puenzo noted that the project aims to capture a specific, underrepresented stage of life: the period when young people with autism leave childhood behind but have not yet achieved full independence. The film development process took six years before reaching the filming stage.