With little more than a footnote on a roster of upcoming films from Brazil that Variety recently published, comes news of an action biopic on Manuel Henrique, better known within Capoeira circles and in his home state of Bahia as “Besouro Manganga.”
What we know at this point is that BEETLE tells the “true story” of Besouro, a Capoeira master living in 1920s Brazil. The film’s title comes from the name Besouro Manganga, which is a large and dark species of maybug.
According to legends surrounding the historical figure, Besouro was known to vanish whenever he was faced with an uneven fight. This grew into the myth that Besouro had supernatural powers and could dodge bullets and even turn himself into a beetle to scare his opponents.
More grounded details on Besouro suggest he was a rebellious migrant worker who frequently used his Capoeira skills to get into physical conflicts with landowners and police. He died in 1924 at the age of 27 after suffering stab wounds from a knife.
Ku Huan-chiu serves as action director. His credits include stunt doubling for Jet Li in THE TAI-CHI MASTER and ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA AND AMERICA, as well as recent AD work on CJ7 and THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR.
BEETLE, a co-production between Buena Vista and Brazil’s Mixer and Globo Filmes is currently shooting.
For more details on Besouro Manganga visit Capoeira Sul Da Bahia San Francisco.
Related Topics:Capoeira
