Netflix has started filming Chapapote, a Spanish disaster film inspired by the 2002 Prestige oil tanker disaster, with production underway off the Galician coast as of Nov. 3, according to What’s on Netflix. The outlet reports the shoot is taking place in the municipality of Ares in northwestern Spain, though Netflix has not confirmed the location.
Daniel Sánchez Arévalo (“Collision Course”) is directing the project and co-wrote the script. Ramón Campos (“The Asunta Case”), who serves as executive producer through his company Bambú Producciones, developed the original idea for the film and shares a co-writing credit with Sánchez Arévalo.
What Chapapote is about
Netflix‘s synopsis sets the story in 2002, when the Prestige breaks in two off the Galician coast. In the small town of Agarimo, the oil has not reached the beach, and that turns out to be the problem. Cut off from fishing, aid and volunteers, the desperate residents consider bringing the oil spill to their beach themselves.
The title points straight at the disaster. Chapapote is the Spanish word for the thick, tarry fuel that coated Galicia’s shoreline, and it became shorthand for the Prestige spill.
Who is in the cast
The cast includes Tamar Novas, Carlos Blanco, María Vázquez and Fer Fraga. Antonio Durán, known professionally as “Morris,” has a special appearance in the film.
Behind the camera, Rafa García serves as director of photography, Miguel Sanz is editing and Federico Jusid is composing the original score.
What it means for fans
Fans of Spanish-language streaming titles now have a confirmed production to follow, even if Netflix has not shared how long the shoot will last. The synopsis also hints at something more unusual than a straight disaster drama: a story about a community so desperate that it considers inviting the catastrophe in.
The involvement of Bambú Producciones, with Campos attached as executive producer, links Chapapote to a production company with experience bringing Spanish stories to a global streaming audience, including “Cable Girls” and “The Asunta Case” for Netflix. Sánchez Arévalo’s dual role as director and co-writer suggests a hands-on approach to adapting the Prestige disaster for the screen.
Background and context
The Prestige broke apart off the Galician coast in November 2002 and sank, spilling tens of thousands of tons of fuel oil and causing extensive environmental damage along Spain’s northwestern shoreline. It remains one of the worst environmental disasters in Spanish history. Ares sits in the province of A Coruña, part of the stretch of coast hit by the spill, so filming there keeps production close to the geography tied to the actual events, a detail likely to matter to viewers familiar with the region’s history.
What’s next
Netflix has not announced a release date. What’s on Netflix expects the film to arrive in the second half of 2027. Filming is ongoing, and further updates are likely as the shoot progresses.
Don't stop here
Every Score. Every Story. One Home.
Breaking sports, entertainment and news from across the Total Apex network, updated all day.
Get the Full Story →
