Jair Bolsonaro goes to the movies.
Not literally, as Brazil’s former president is still serving a 27-year prison sentence for plotting a coup to maintain power after losing re-election in 2022. But social media posts by Bolsonaro’s son and other political allies say a new film about his career is in the works.
The film, titled “Dark Horse,” stars American actor and conservative activist Jim Caviezel, best known for playing Jesus in Mel Gibson’s 2004 film “The Passion of the Christ.”
Production images recently posted to the film’s official Instagram account show Caviezel dressed up as Bolsonaro, including a post in which Caviezel reenacts the 2018 rally where Bolsonaro was stabbed while campaigning.
News of the film comes weeks after Bolsonaro was sentenced to prison for trying to stay in power after losing Brazil’s 2022 presidential election. Investigators said the attempted coup began shortly after he lost re-election and culminated in a riot similar to the Jan. 6 riot by Bolsonaro supporters in Brazil’s capital.
The “dark horse” appears to have the full support of Bolsonaro’s inner circle and family. The former president’s sons have posted supportive comments about the film on social media, and the script was written by Mario Frias, Brazil’s former special secretary of culture. CNN has reached out to Frias for comment.
The congressman, who appeared in numerous TV novels before entering politics, told Brazil’s conservative news site Revista Oeste this week that “Dark Horse” was filmed entirely in English to widen its potential audience.
Frias posted a video on Sunday of himself, Caviezel and Bolsonaro’s son Carlos praying for the former president on the set of “Dark Horse.”
Director Carlos Bolsonaro thanked Caviezel for his participation in the film in a post of his own on Sunday.
“For me, one of the greatest gifts I have ever received is the opportunity to spend an unimaginable moment by your side,” Carlos Bolsonaro wrote. “Please accept my heartfelt and grateful hug. God, Jesus, and Freedom!”
This isn’t Caviezel’s first time playing a right-wing character on screen. In 2023, he played controversial activist Tim Ballard in the film The Sound of Freedom, which was widely criticized upon its release for promoting the QAnon conspiracy theory. Caviezel denied that the film had anything to do with QAnon. CNN has reached out to Caviezel for comment.
The actor is also a vocal supporter of US President Donald Trump, calling him the “new Moses” in a statement of support for the 2024 presidential election.
President Trump followed Bolsonaro’s arrest and prosecution avidly, even temporarily imposing high tariffs on Brazilian exports as punishment for a “witch hunt” against his political allies.
Caviezel and the film’s director Cyrus Nowrasteh have previously collaborated, including on 2020’s Infidel, which was produced by right-wing critic Dinesh D’Souza.
