Former federal deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro (PL-SP) claimed that the budget for the film “Dark Horse”, which will portray former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL), is not “expensive” by Hollywood standards. The production gained notoriety last week, after the leak of an audio of senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ) demanding sponsorship money from banker Daniel Vorcaro, from Banco Master, who signed a contract to invest R$134 million in the film. As GLOBO showed, despite Eduardo’s statement, the amount is higher than what was spent on 15 of the last 20 Oscar winners.
— It’s a film that, for those who don’t know it, will think it’s super expensive. No. By Hollywood standards, no. And yet, what I know is that everything that the project initially envisaged was not captured — said Eduardo, this Sunday, in an interview with the program “Paulo Figueiredo Show”. — The value (R$ 134 million) is not exorbitant, it is even cheap by Hollywood standards — he added.
The former deputy explained that the American director Cyrus Nowrasteh, chosen to write the film’s script, is “highly sought after”. He also argued that actor Jim Caviezel, who will portray Bolsonaro in the film, is “the main star of the conservative scene”.
— You don’t make a $50,000 film with Jim Caviezel, for God’s sake — said Eduardo, remembering the actor’s work in the 2004 film “The Passion of the Christ”.
Despite this finding, Eduardo highlighted that he “never talked” to Vorcaro. Documents obtained by Intercept Brasil show that he even signed a contract as executive producer of the film, which he claims was a “provisional and old” agreement. According to the former deputy, he used US$50,000 from his own pocket to “insure” Nowrasteh, but was not part of the resource management for the film.
— If there are conversations between me and Vorcaro, stop following me (supporters). There is no possibility. I did not participate in any meeting with him, not even in the context of the film — said Eduardo, also in the interview given today.
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Amount surpasses award-winning films
According to a column by journalist Malu Gaspar, from GLOBO, Vorcaro transferred R$62 million of the R$134 million expected between February and May 2025, an amount that exceeds the R$28 million spent on “The Secret Agent” and the R$45 million on “I’m Still Here”, the last national films nominated for an Oscar.
The transfers were interrupted after the arrest of the banker and the fraud scandals involving Banco Master. The collection of resources made by Flávio — who highlighted the existence of “a lot of installments behind” — took place on September 8, 2025, at a time when those involved in the production were having difficulties honoring commitments for editing the film.
With US$24 million (converted value), it would be possible to produce 15 of the last 20 feature films that won the Oscar for best film. The amount only considers the contract signed with Vorcaro, although Bolsonaro parliamentarians also sent parliamentary amendments to a company linked to the film’s producer, which led to the opening of an investigation at the Federal Supreme Court (STF).
Productions with lower value:
- ‘Anora’: $6 million
- ‘Everything everywhere at once’: US$20 million
- ‘To the beat of the heart’: US$ 10 million
- ‘Nomadland’: $5 million
- ‘Parasite’: $11.4 million
- ‘Green Book: The Guide’: $23 Million
- ‘The Shape of Water’: $19.5 million
- ‘Moonlight’: $1.5 million
- ‘Spotlight: Secrets Revealed’: $20 million
- ‘Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)’: $18 million
- ’12 Years a Slave’: $22 million
- ‘The Artist’: $15 million
- ‘The King’s Speech’: $15 million
- ‘War on Terror’: $15 million
- ‘Who wants to be a millionaire?’: US$15 million
‘Brother, I will be with you always’
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The resources requested by Bolsonaro’s son 01 and PL’s pre-candidate for the Presidency of the Republic are part of a negotiation involving Vorcaro and Flávio, in which the former would have committed to paying for part of the film’s production.
— It’s a very decisive moment here in the film and as there is a lot behind, man, everyone is tense and I’m worried about the opposite effect to what we dreamed of for the film — says the senator, in an audio sent to the banker.
Another contact was also made two months later, one day before Vorcaro was arrested for the first time in Operation Compliance Zero, which investigates an alleged billion-dollar fraud scheme, passive and active corruption, money laundering and crimes against the financial system.
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“Brother, I am and will be with you always, there’s no such thing as half a conversation between us. I just need you to give me some light! Abs!”, Flávio wrote.
Contradictory versions
As GLOBO showed, parliamentarians and companies linked to the project began to present divergent explanations about the origin of the resources, the contracts signed and the structure used to operationalize the payments. The sequence of statements led the Federal Police (PF) to further investigate the fate of the money.
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The main line of investigation attempts to clarify whether the amounts sent to the Havengate Development Fund LP, based in Texas and managed by Eduardo Bolsonaro’s lawyer, were used exclusively in the production of the film or whether they also helped pay for the former congressman’s stay in the United States.
— Anyone who says that Eduardo Bolsonaro received money from Daniel Vorcaro is a liar. Anyone who says that Eduardo Bolsonaro received money from this fund from the United States is lying to you — said the former deputy, in a statement published on his social networks, on Friday.
The amount of US$50,000, according to him, was returned by the production company GoUp, but did not go through the Texas fund:
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— I received the money back due to the producer’s contract, but it didn’t go through the fund, and I received the money that was mine. I don’t even think it was corrected, (it was) 100% of the risk. I need fifty thousand dollars, and that’s why we were able to make this film,” he added.
