Edgar Ramirez to Star in ‘The War Has Ended’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Leo Barraclough

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Edgar Ramirez, best known for “Carlos” and “The Assassination of Gianni Versace,” will star in the drama “The War Has Ended,” from writer and director Hagar Ben-Asher’s award-winning original script about a man in search of his children. Mister Smith Entertainment will launch international sales at next month’s American Film Market.

The film is being produced by Dale Armin Johnson (“Lost City of Z,” “Pawn Sacrifice”), Colleen Camp (“Above Suspicion,” “Knock Knock”), Jill Littman (“Proof,” “Ten Days in the Valley”) and Marek Rozenbaum, the chairman of the Israeli Academy of Cinema and Television.

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Set in Poland in 1945, at the end World War II, Joseph (Ramirez) travels through battle-scarred towns with his horse, Oscar, and his enchanting puppet show to give local children a momentary escape from reality. Joseph performs the story of “Frank and Tiny,” two elephants on the hunt for Frank’s lost trunk, but his real mission is the perilous hunt for his two missing sons.

Along the way he finds an unlikely ally in Lily, an orphan who offers to help him in exchange for learning the secrets of puppeteering. The pair embark on a dangerous quest driven by hope, faith and a father’s love.

“’The War Has Ended’ is about a world reconstructing itself, finding its moral codes, and redefining the concept of family,” Ben-Asher said. “The story of the war refugee has unfortunately become painfully relevant again, but I hope the optimism in this film can be an act of sanity in our chaotic world.”

Added David Garrett, CEO of Mister Smith: “From the second I read this I knew we had something so original and so beautiful. It is a story that must be told.”

Ramirez is a multi-award-winning Venezuelan actor and former journalist. He starred as Carlos the Jackal in the 2010 French-German biopic series “Carlos,” for which he won the Cesar Award for Most Promising Actor, and was nominated for a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award for best actor.

He has appeared in “Zero Dark Thirty” and “The Bourne Ultimatum,” in addition to starring in “Point Break,” “Gold,” “The Girl on the Train” and “Deliver Us From Evil.”

Ramirez’s portrayal of Gianni Versace in Ryan Murphy’s “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story” earned him Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for supporting actor.

He will next be seen starring in the spy thriller “355,” with Jessica Chastain, Penelope Cruz and Lupita Nyong’o, and Disney’s “Jungle Cruise,” with Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt.

Ben-Asher is an alumnus of the Sundance Film Lab and the recipient of several scholarships from major film festivals. Her script for “The War Has Ended” won the Eurimage Co-Production Development Award and the Arte International Prize at the 2018 Berlinale Film Festival Co-Production Market. Ben-Asher received critical acclaim for her drama “Dead Women Walking,” which debuted at the 2018 Venice Film Festival.

Ramirez is represented by CAA, Impression Entertainment and Narrative. He is also represented by his attorney Hirsch Wallerstein Hayum Matlof + Fishman LLP. Ben-Asher is represented by CAA.

Mister Smith’s slate includes Terrence Malick’s Cannes title “A Hidden Life”; George Nolfi’s “The Banker,” starring Samuel L. Jackson, Anthony Mackie and Nicholas Hoult; and Mark Deeble and Victoria Stone’s epic feature film, “The Elephant Queen.”

Mister Smith is also handling Ashley Avis’ modern-day re-imagining of “Black Beauty,” from Constantin Film and JB Pictures, starring Mackenzie Foy, with Kate Winslet as the voice of Beauty; and co-financing two films in pre-production from BCDF Pictures – adaptations of New York Times bestseller “The Language of Flowers,” starring Kiersey Clemons and Nick Robinson, and Sally Thorne’s bestselling romcom “The Hating Game,” starring Lucy Hale and Robbie Amell.


Pictured: “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story”

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