“Cassandro” Biopic Taps El Paso Artist For New Downtown Mural

A new mural just popped up in downtown El Paso for the upcoming biopic of Mexican wrestler Cassandro El Exotico.

Once again, Jesus “CIMI” Alvarado is being tapped for his impressive artistic skills and has collaborated with Mexican visual artist Fabián Cháirez in a new mural featuring Cassandro El Exotico.

CIMI's artwork can be seen all over downtown El Paso especially in Segundo, and most recently, was featured in the latest installment of The Purge film franchise.

Working on a deadline of five short days, CIMI worked with famed artist Fabián Cháirez, who created an amalgamation of both Cassandro's and actor Gael Garcia Bernal's faces, who is portraying the Mexican wrestler in the upcoming film.

The larger-than-life mural depicts Cassandro El Exotco wearing a red singlet, silver boots, and a cape grappling in the air moments before taking down a masked opponent in a headlock in the ring against a yellowish/orange background.

The initial plan was to have the mural painted over once the crew completed filming, but the building owner loved it so much that he asked them to leave the mural as it was.

Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal has signed on to star in the upcoming true story of Saúl Armendáriz, a gay amateur wrestler from El Paso and Juarez who rises to international stardom after he creates the character Cassandro El Exotic.

Garcia Bernal is best known for his roles in The Motorcycle Diaries, Amores Perros, Y Tu Mamá También, and voicing the beloved character of Héctor Rivera for the English and Spanish versions of Disney's animated film Coco.

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Earlier this month, a very blonde Bernal was spotted in El Paso after local restauranteur of Don Carbon and entrepreneur Tania Peregrino shared a photo of the Golden Globe-winning actor revealing that he had been filming at her home.

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While the movie is still in production, El Pasoans can head downtown for a picture-perfect selfie with Cassandro boasting bragging rights before the movie even gets released.

Where To Find The Cassandro Mural:

• The new mural is up on the corner of Stanton and 1st Street in downtown El Paso.