Halley Production is partnering on “Carro Seco” with València-based Los Hermanos Polo Films, which Polo runs with brother Guillermo Polo, and Lastcrit in Barcelona.
Set in a Barcelona suffocated by the housing crisis and evictions, the contemporary urban thriller turns on an eccentric serial killer who executes wealthy real estate speculators using heavy metal pétanque balls. His targets are ruthless property owners who profit from the silent tragedy of housing displacement and eviction.
Dressed like a vintage pétanque player, the vigilante is driven by the social impact of gentrification. Casting himself as a housing Robin Hood, he justifies his crimes as acts committed for the common good.
As two detectives navigate the investigation, public opinion splits between viewing the murderer as a heroic housing vigilante or a psychopath.
Halley Production’s international co-productions include such cross-border hits as Javier Fesser’s 2018 crowd-pleaser “Champions,” Manuel Gómez Pereira’s 2025 Goya-winning Spanish hit “The Dinner” and the forthcoming drama “Primo Viaggio.”
“From our very first meeting with Javier Polo, my associate and producer Corentin Koskas and I felt that ‘Carreau’ called for a genuinely organic Spanish-French co-production. Pétanque is part of a shared culture on both sides of the border and it provides the starting point for an original social thriller,” said Andrea Marcelli, a partner at Halley Production, which has backed multiple Spanish films in the past, including Icíar Bollaín’s ‘Rosa’s Wedding,” Javier Fesser’s “Champions” and “Ma Ma” by Julio Medem.
“Carro Seco” was written by María Mínguez, co-creator of the Fesser-directed Disney+ original Spanish comedy series “Shared Custody,” and Merli Marlowe, who co-wrote Javier Polo’s comedy documentary “The Mystery of the Pink Flamingo.” Javier Polo’s works also include the comedy “Pet Peeves” and the music documentary “Europe in 8 Bits.”
The producers will be attending Iberseries & Platino Industria with the aim of finding key partners to assist in the film’s international rollout.
“Carro Seco” is aimed for a 2027 shoot. The cast has yet to be announced.
Anna Marie de la Fuente contributed to this article.
Javier Polo
