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Steven Soderbergh Has One More Che Guevara Movie in Mind

by Alex Billington
October 1, 2008
Source: The Playlist

Although most moviegoers haven't even had the chance to see either of Steven Soderbergh's two Che Guevara films yet, we've already started to talk about ideas beyond both of them. The Argentine focuses on Guevara's revolution in Cuba in 1956, and Guerrilla focuses on his attempted revolution in Bolivia in 1967 and eventual death. However, none of Guevara's escapades in the Congo, Venezuela or Mexico were documented in either of the films. So when an attendee at the NYFF Q&A asked Soderbergh about Che's African expedition, his answer was jokingly "well, if this film makes $100 million dollars, I'll make the third one." We all know that won't happen, but the bigger question is if there is really a need for a third movie?

This intriguing story comes to us today from our friends at The Playlist, who were in attendance at the Q&A. Before we even get to that, however, let's recap with a statement that Soderbergh made during Cannes. "Even though we've made two parts we still haven't shown everything. There's actually another movie, I think, to be made about what happens between these two parts but we didn't have enough money." That makes a lot of sense, so let's here what Soderbergh had to say at this recent Q&A.

"We (writer Peter Buchman and I) talked about [the third film]. The story of Che in the Congo was absolutely fascinating. We actually sort of sketched an idea for a small film, that would take place in the Congo and Prague, where he went after fighting in the Congo to sort of lick his wounds and write a very self-critical book on what happened [there]."

That sounds like it's worthy of being retold on film, so why didn't they shoot that, too? "The [real] answer is that we didn't have enough money to do that. Also, it's a fascinating chapter, but it didn't really fall into the bookend idea we ended up with." So if these films continue to gain buzz and by some miracle make $100 million, we might eventually see another Che Guevara film about his expedition in the Congo. However, that seems highly unlikely and I think the most we'll ever see are these two. Considering they're both exhaustingly intimate portraits of Guevara, I think we'll have seen enough of the man. He's undoubtedly a brilliant person, but on film there's only so much of his story that can be told before audiences lose interest.

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Napoleon Dynamite

Can't wait, could be great!
http://killsmedead.com Liz

Truthfully, after seeing this at TIFF, I didn't feel there was a second film beyond The Argentine.
scar

YES more Che the better!!! Bring it, stupid Capitalist.
vegeta

Gonna be one heck of a controversial movie. Hope at least a few parts are factual.
D-9

"CUT!!!!!!!!!!!!! Umm Miss, while you please STOP LOOKING AT THE CAMERA!!!!!"
Juan

In Bolivia where I am from we pray to Saint Ernesto "Che" as equal to Mary or Jesus. Google: "The Final Triumph of Saint Che" to read more about it. Hasta la Victoria Siempre !
Dr. Guevara

--- Some Relevant Quotes About the Heroic CHE --- "Che's life is an inspiration for every human being who loves freedom. We will always honor his memory." ~ Nelson Mandela “Che is not only an intellectual, he was the most complete human being of our time – our era’s most perfect man.” ~ Jean Paul Sartre "I could write a thousands years and a million pages about Ernesto Che Guevara." ~ Gabriel Garcia Marquez, (Nobel Prize Winner) “This secular saint (Che) was ready to die because he could not tolerate a world where the poor of the earth, the displaced and dislocated of history, would be relegated to its vast margins.” ~ Ariel Dorfman, Time Magazine "There was no person more feared by the company than Che Guevara because he had the capacity and charisma necessary to direct the struggle against the political repression of the traditional hierarchies in power in the countries of Latin America." ~ Philip Agee, CIA Agent “Che's life is a shining example for youth whose struggles are moved by the desire to build a new world.” ~ Graham Greene "You may cut the flowers, but it will not stop the spring." ~ (A saying about El Che's legacy written on many walls throughout Latin America)
John

Since we are talking about quotes, here is my favorite one by Che Guevara - "At the risk of seeming ridiculous, let me say that the true revolutionary is guided by a great feeling of love. It is impossible to think of a genuine revolutionary lacking this quality... We must strive every day so that this love of living humanity will be transformed into actual deeds, into acts that serve as examples, as a moving force."
Marcos

First some facts on Che: (1) Che was named one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century by Time Magazine, (2) Che's famous image entitled: "Guerrillero Heroico" has been declared the most famous and reproduced image in the world, (3) In September of 2007, Che was also voted "Argentina's greatest historical and political figure", and (4) they this Summer erected a giant statue of him in Rosario, (5) In Argentina schools are named after Che, (6) In Cuba, Che is on the 3 dollar Peso, and school children begin every morning reciting "we will be like Che". (7) Che oversaw the revolutionary tribunals of convicted War criminals from the U.$. Supported Batista dictatorship. These rapists, torturers, and goons ran Batista's dungeons and killed 20,000 people. Che simply reviewed the appeals of those sentenced to death. A decision supported by 93 % of Cubans at the time. (8) Cuba under Batista was a Mafia ran casino and whore haven for American sex tourists, where US companies owned 70 % of the arable land. This is the context that Fidel and Che rose to power in. (9) Che's radicalism was spawned from living in Guatemala during the 1953 overthrow of Jacobo Arbenz by the CIA at the behest of the United Fruit Co. (10) Later, U.S. Imperialism would follow this practice up by overthrowing Mossadeq, Allende etc and propping up Brutal dictators like the Shah, Suharto, Marcos, Pinochet, and Saddam Hussien (Just like they did with Batista).
bobo

Viva Che ! F#CK Amerikkkans & the CIA
TMoneyz

i'm not a fan of fidel but i love che and his heroic stance against imperializm.
Alejandro

I live in Miami and get so tired of the lies told about by Che by Batista's former henchmen, goons, rapists, torturers, and murderers who escaped Che's justice. I wish they did show the revolutionary firing squads in this movie because thousands of Cubans were torturered to death by U.$. puppet Batista and Che was just to have them shot. These Gusanos in Miami who were and still are part of the Mafia now make $ by smearing the heroic legacy of Che and everytime I see one of these traitorous white cubanos bad mouthing Che, I want to punch them in the face.
Eddie Rivera

When does the movie come out ?
james

This film should make the Canadians who romanticize Che very happy. And F@CK BOBO and his SH!TTY third world cesspool that he calls a country.
PELIGROso

This man personally ordered the execution of hundred of cuban from a list provided to him by the kgb. oh yeah, with no trial, no charges filed. the bodies were never returned to thier families. This man deservs only to be remembered as an enemy of freedom. you all you stupid rocker poseur kids out there would do well to research the fact that that communist assasin had thousands of young cubans imprisoned for YEARS just for the heinous crime of possesing a beatles album. I wonder if such suppresion of culture is even lightly hinted at in the film. HEY KIDS, WANT TO GET TO KNOW THE REAL CHE? watch THE LOSTCITY directed by Andy Garcia. you'll love it. get a climpse of what that killer destroyed, the lives he ruined, learn the story from the people who lived it, not the propagandizers all too happy to profit off of your ignorance but young kids should'nt be expected to know better. churchill himself said, '' if your not a socialist when your 20, you havn't got a heart. If your still a socialist at 30, you havn't got a head'' most of them grow out of it Mr sonderbug, it is acceptable and even commendable to produce films on controversial subject matter, but sir, propegating the lie that this man was anything but a freedom-hating totalitarian thug is an insult to the intellegnce of anyone with even a cursory knowlege of the historical fact. If you choose such men as your idols, you yourself, mr. millionare-communist loving the cont oractions of your nature should be tearing your soul apart. not that you and your fellow cohorts deserve any less
Carlos

Sons, inhabitants and martyrs of the revolution have a first hand account of who Che really was (Zoe Valdes, Reinaldo Arenas, Juanita Castro-Fidel's own sister, Cabrera Infante). It seems that a lot of the people commenting here have a vehement hate of capitalism and the countries (US) that represent it. Therefore, I deduct that they hate Pinochet with a passion. And, yes Pinochet did commit many summary executions, but guess what? They're not even close to the people (human beings) who succumbed to the firing squads led by Ernesto Guevara). Some, political enemies from the Batista government, others (most of them) were simply expressing their dissagrement to Fidel and the revolution which many of them fought for. Then, I ask you this? If we can agree that Pinochet was a murderer and Che killed much more people (some argue up to 18,000), why then is it pollitically correct for some people to wear a Che T-shirt and why is it not right to wear a Pinochet T-shirt. And I'm not even counting how many people are rotting in Cuba's prisions, simply because they dissagree with Fidel. I see a lot of Caucasian and European names on this page, really if you don't come from a Latin American country or an ex communist country, you have no right to show an objective opinion. As a Colombian, I tell you, we've had a Che inspired Guerrilla for more than 40 years and the vast majority of our country hates them, they have planted our jungles with land mines, widows, orphans, kidnappings, drugs and missery. Luckily we've overturned the balance and are now secure enough to visit our nation. Some of you could be romantic useful idiots for the modern day terrorists of FARC, Naive (not to say stupid), or just not good human beings. I am really glad Che is not around anymore, but I do feel intimidated and uncomfortable when I see someone wearing a Che shirt, sort of what a jewish person would feel if someone was wearing a Hitler or a swastika shirt. If you're willing to wear said shirt, it would help to risht on the back the names of the victims and prisioners at his hand