Entertainment · Film · 1 day ago
Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem star as a couple in ‘Bunker’
In Bunker, Javier Bardem plays an architect considering a job building a survival bunker, and Penélope Cruz plays his wife.
The offer draws the fictional couple into a world of wealth, fear and distrust.
Cruz said she and Bardem were cautious about acting together, but trusted director Florian Zeller not to use their real relationship in the film.
The story explores how pressure can strain a long-term relationship.
Director Florian Zeller and actor Penélope Cruz discussed their psychological thriller Bunker at Deadline’s Contenders event in London.
Cruz stars as Sofia, the wife of Miguel, a successful London architect played by Javier Bardem, Cruz’s real-life husband.
Miguel considers an offer to build a survivalist bunker for a tech billionaire, prompting Sofia to question their 17-year relationship.
Cruz said she and Bardem had generally avoided working together to protect their relationship, but chose to make the film after reading it and speaking with Zeller.
Zeller described an almost 11-minute fight scene as central to the film’s emotional and thematic story.
Stephen Graham, Paul Dano and Patrick Schwarzenegger are also in the cast.
- Who
- Florian Zeller, Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem
- What
- They discussed Bunker, a psychological thriller directed, written and produced by Zeller.
- When
- October 10, 2026
- Where
- Deadline’s Contenders event in London
- Why
- To discuss the film and Cruz and Bardem’s decision to portray a fictional couple together.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
We knew that Florian was never going to manipulate anything or try to force anything from our real relationship into the movie.
It encapsulates thematically and emotionally everything the film is about.
We are old enough to not let that affect us, but it did affect us.
This story does not have a timeline yet.
- Film
- Bunker
- Director
- Florian Zeller
- Main characters
- Javier Bardem plays Miguel; Penélope Cruz plays Sofia.
- Relationship in the story
- Miguel and Sofia have been together for 17 years.
- Fight scene
- An almost 11-minute scene shot across three days.
- Additional cast
- Stephen Graham, Paul Dano and Patrick Schwarzenegger.
Sources
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