Disney premieres 'The Luck', a series about a bullfighter from Malaga that seems inspired by Morante de la Puebla and his retirement.

It has just premiered. And those who have seen it couldn't help but think that reality surpasses fiction with the unexpected farewell last Sunday of the bullfighter Morante de la Puebla at Las Ventas. The similarities with the Sevillian matador, the top figure in the ranking, are evident in the plot of the bullfighting series 'La suerte. A series of coincidences' and even more so with the recent news. An artistic bullfighter, venerated and respected by fans, superstitious, and who carries the name of his hometown across Spain, but who is going through a crisis that pushes him to consider the end. Even the actor, Óscar Jaenada with a bullfighting poise, bears a resemblance to the one from La Puebla del Río. The story could also be that of any great figure in decline, though the timeliness of Morante's most recent biography is evident. However, the character also has its differences, such as the bullfighter being originally from a small town in Málaga and his "home" being La Malagueta, where he learned his first passes.

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The genre, a mix of comedy and drama - approaching what's known as dramedy - and the half-hour episodes add freshness to this series that delves into the personal crisis of the bullfighter and does not shy away from the current debate that pits bullfighting fans against animal rights activists who reject this spectacle. Moreover, the series makes the conflict between the old and the modern the central base of its plot, although it remains respectful of the bullfighting world.

The tone set by the directors and creators of the series, Paco Plaza (author of the 'Rec' horror saga) and Pablo Guerrero ('Losing the Case'), for 'La suerte' blends with a 'road movie' format that, like the bullfighting cinema of the 60s, follows the bullfighter from arena to arena, including the inevitable bullfight in Málaga, where this production was filmed, as well as other arenas and locations such as Talavera de la Reina, Zaragoza, Benidorm, and Madrid.

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'La suerte' explores, between comedy and drama, the crisis of a veteran bullfighter against new figures and the growing social rejection of bullfighting

At the time of filming, the provisional title of this series produced by Boomerang TV for Disney+'s non-children's content division, Hulu, was 'Maestro', defining the central character of the bullfighter Rafael Baeza Cortés (Jaenada), who feels that this time is no longer his due to the push of a new young figure who goes viral and displaces him from the posters, while experiencing the growing rejection of an art no longer understood by society as in the times of Juan Belmonte. His perspective intertwines with that of the other protagonist of the story, the young David (played by Ricardo Gómez, 'Carlitos' in the series 'Cuéntame'), a young opponent and temporary taxi driver who brings luck to the Malaga bullfighter, thus becoming overnight the driver for the matador's crew across half of Spain.

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You have to wait until the fifth episode to see the Malaga setting of the series which, taking fictional liberties, starts with a somewhat fantastic and unreal tour of the capital led by David's father, the real owner of the taxi, who is portrayed by Manuel Morón. Thus, in just a few seconds, the character, who is enjoying some skewers at the picturesque chiringuito El Tintero, gets up and walks along the promenade to appear in a flash at the Customs and makes a tour through the Cathedral, the Pasaje Chinitas, and finally, Ollerías, where a tailor shop for bullfighters was set and where SUR precisely covered this filming in November 2023. As a tourist itinerary, the walk is picturesque and perfect, but for anyone who has walked from El Palo to the center, it sounds like science fiction. Liberties of cinema and series.