Killing Castro (2026)

Killing Castro is a 2026 American historical political thriller directed by Eif Rivera in his feature-film debut. Set in New York in 1960, the film dramatizes Fidel Castro's visit to the United Nations and his stay at Harlem's Hotel Theresa, where his presence brings together revolutionary politics, Cold War tensions and a dangerous web of surveillance. The story follows the growing threat against Castro as the CIA, FBI and organized crime become involved.

The film features Diego Boneta as Fidel Castro, with Al Pacino, Xolo Maridueña, KiKi Layne, Alexander Ludwig, Ron Livingston, Kendrick Sampson, Nicole Beharie, Logan Marshall-Green, Titus Welliver and Paul Ben-Victor in supporting roles. Blending historical drama with thriller elements, Killing Castro explores the uneasy intersection of American intelligence operations, the Cuban Revolution and the Black liberation movement represented by Malcolm X.

• Killing Castro premiered at the 2026 Tribeca Festival on June 9, 2026, in the Spotlight Narrative section.
• Eif Rivera directed the film from a screenplay by Thomas DeGrezia and Leon Hendrix, with Colin Bateman also credited in production materials.
• Diego Boneta portrays Fidel Castro, while Kendrick Sampson plays Malcolm X and Paul Ben-Victor portrays organized-crime figure Sam Giancana.
• The film was produced by Romulus Entertainment, Fourth and Twenty-Eight Films and CaliWood Pictures, with Brad Feinstein and Christina Weiss Lurie among the producers.
• Killing Castro was filmed in New York, with principal photography beginning in December 2023, and cinematography was handled by Zak Mulligan.