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About
El Cid tells the story of Rodrigo “Ruy” Diaz de Vivar [AKA “El Cid”], a national hero of Spain, but also one of the most mysterious and complex characters in the country’s history. The series explores Ruy’s younger years when he becomes a faithful vassal, knight and hero for the crown. The story takes place in the eleventh century, one of the most fascinating periods in Spanish history, where Christians, Arabs and Jews lived together in the Iberian Peninsula, facing wars and forging alliances. El Cid is a story of love, intrigue, betrayal and the struggle between those with power and authority.
Worldwide
Sara Fernández-Velasco and José Velasco
José Velasco and Luis Arranz
Adolfo Martínez Pérez, Marco A. Castillo, Miguel Alcantud and Arantxa Echevarría
English, Spanish (Spain), German, French, Italian, Hindi, Arabic, Chinese, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Espańol
Zebra
Jaime Lorente, José Luis García-Pérez, Elia Galera, Carlos Bardem, Juan Echanove, Alicia Sanz, Francisco Ortiz Jaime Olías, Lucía Guerrero, Lucía Díez, Nicolás Illoro, Juan Fernández, Pablo Álvarez, Ginés García Millán, Dani Tatay, Dani Albaladejo, David Castillo, Adrián Salzedo, Álvaro Rico, Emilio Buale, Hamid Krim, Sarah Perles, Zohar Liba
Assets
- All Assets (64)
- KEY ART (1)
- EPISODIC PHOTOS (48)
- Gallery Photos (12)
- BTS PHOTOS (0)
- EVENT PHOTOS (3)
- VIDEO ASSETS (0)
- EPK (0)
- PRESS KIT
Show Description
El Cid tells the story of Rodrigo “Ruy” Diaz de Vivar [AKA “El Cid”], a national hero of Spain, but also one of the most mysterious and complex characters in the country’s history. The series explores Ruy’s younger years when he becomes a faithful vassal, knight and hero for the crown. The story takes place in the eleventh century, one of the most fascinating periods in Spanish history, where Christians, Arabs and Jews lived together in the Iberian Peninsula, facing wars and forging alliances. El Cid is a story of love, intrigue, betrayal and the struggle between those with power and authority.
Credits
El Cid was filmed in the Spanish provinces of Soria, Burgos, Teruel as well as in Madrid, and the city of Zaragoza; a production spanning more than 4,000m, with a production staff of more than 200 people and 11,000 extras. In addition to Jaime Lorente starring as El Cid, the series also features actors José Luis García-Pérez as King Ferdinand I The Great, Elia Galera as Queen Sancha The Beauty, Carlos Bardem as the count of León, Juan Echanove in the role of the bishop, Alicia Sanz as the Infanta Urraca, Francisco Ortiz as Sancho VII the Strong, Jaime Olías as Alfonso VI, Lucía Guerrero as Jimena, Lucía Díez as the Infanta Elvira, Nicolás Illoro as King García, Juan Fernández as Rodrigo, El Cid’s grandfather, Pablo Álvarez as Orduño, the antagonistic of Ruy, Ginés García Millán as King Ramiro of Navarra, Dani Tatay as Beltrán, the son of Ramiro, Dani Albaladejo as Master Orotz, David Castillo as the squire Lisardo, Adrián Salzedo as Alvar, Álvaro Rico as Nuño, Emilio Buale as the warrior Sádaba, Hamid Krim as the Sultan of Zaragoza Al-Muqtadir, Sarah Perles as Amina, the Sultan's daughter, and Zohar Liba as Abu Bakr.
El Cid is produced by Zebra. Sara Fernández-Velasco is the Executive Producer alongside José Velasco, who is also the creator of the series together with Head Writer, Luis Arranz. The series is directed by Adolfo Martínez Pérez, Marco A. Castillo, Miguel Alcantud and Arantxa Echevarría. The original soundtrack was composed by the Academy Award-winning Gustavo Santaolalla (Brokeback Mountain, Babel), and Alfonso González Aguilar, composer of the Academy Award-nominated animation film, Klaus.
Episode Descriptions
201 - The Conspiracy
It’s the mid-11th Century. Ruy is a young man who has just been named squire to Prince Sancho, King Fernando of León’s eldest son. One night he discovers that someone he loves is involved in a conspiracy to overthrow the King. From then on, Ruy is caught between his loyalty to duty and to his heart.
Air Date: December 18, 2020
202 - The Ordeal
Flaín is wants the man who upset the conspiracy. Rodrigo knows it was his grandson, which is why he intends to send him off to Vivar. On the other hand, Ruy resists leaving the King at the expense of Flaín, as he sees the only solution being to end the Count of León’s life. When it looks like everything is about to kick off, the Navarre troops turn up at the border and declare war against León.
Air Date: December 18, 2020
203 - Baraka
Fernando sends his son, Sancho, with a small army to Zaragoza to confront his brother, Ramiro, the King of Aragon. Before leaving with Sancho, Ruy reveals to the King that Flaín tried to kill him. Fernando starts to investigate who betrayed him. Meanwhile, Ruy leaves León ignorant to the fact Flaín sent a hitman within the troop to kill him.
Air Date: December 18, 2020
204 - Champion
The Castile troops with Sancho and Ruy fight an outnumbered battle against the Aragonese. When all seems lost, the outcome seems totally unexpected. In León, Fernando discovered who was conspiring against him, among whom his wife, Sancha. Unbeknownst to the King, his daughter, Urraca, has also made a decision that will change the power balance forever.
Air Date: December 18, 2020
205 - Atonement
After Fernando’s subsequent illness, Sancho and his troops return to León. Ruy tells his grandfather that Flaín sent someone to kill him. Rodrigo knows his grandson’s life is in danger. Flaín, on the other hand, doesn’t give up on his mission to conspire against the dying King and decides to attempt seizing power before his death. He is unaware that Urraca still has a card to play.
Air Date: December 18, 2020
Character Descriptions
Son of an infantryman sent to protect Castile’s borders with the Arab territories, he is taught the principle of loyalty to the crown. His father falls in battle, giving his life for an ungrateful King Ferdinand I of León, in front of a young Ruy, an orphan overcome with a desire for vengeance. Inheriting his father’s sword, he comes under his grandfather’s tutelage, who hopes he will prosper at the court of León. There, his loyalty to the man he hates, his king, will be put to the test. As a squire of Prince Sancho, he fights in the battles that will eventually forge his legend.
Urraca is a woman who rebels against the future that had been decided for her. She is Ferdinand de León’s eldest child, yet she is not heir to the throne since only a male can inherit the kingdom, which she feels is very unfair. Her brother, Sancho, is their father’s successor. Urraca is very intelligent and determined and hates Sancho as he represents everything that deprives her of her rights. She will fight tooth and nail against this system that condemns women to live as puppets controlled by their fathers, brothers, and husbands, to a point that even she never could have imagined.
Once the Count of Castile, he marries the beautiful Sancha and becomes King of León, the most powerful Christian kingdom of the age. His life is marked by his rivalry with his brothers. When his brother, García, dies in a battle against him at the hands of Ruy’s father, the king is struck by an intense feeling of guilt that passes on to our protagonist. Ferdinand believes his rule is under threat since the region’s nobility do not accept him as their king and the Church turned against him after he made peace and trade agreements with the Arabs, whose taxes pay for his wars and maintain his absolute power
Her husband Ferdinand is the King of León, however, it is Sancha who has the true claim to the throne by blood. He defeats her brother and installs her on the throne, but only to make himself king. She accepts this, infatuated as she is with her husband, which is what greatly upsets her daughter, Urraca. Sancha, in fact, fears the unscrupulous determination she begins to see in her daughter, which does not align with the life in the background she had planned for her, where she might follow her own interests in the shadows. For her, ambition and power are less important than love
Heir to the throne, he has all the makings of a king worthy of his subjects’ loyalty. He is noble and fair, and always supports his allies, but he also has to make difficult decisions that can harm himself and those closest to him. He can also be too impulsive. He relies blindly on Ruy’s loyalty and would put his life in his hands without hesitation.
Jimena is Ruy’s guiding light, his first love, brought from Asturias to León by Count Flaín to marry his son Orduño. However, on arriving at court, she falls in love with Ruy, her fiancé’s bitter rival. Sensing that Ruy feels the same way will completely change the way she imagined her life would play out. Jimena is much stronger than her sweet appearance would lead you to believe. She feels a great sense of honor and duty and knows exactly how the intrigues of court work.
He is the Count of León and head of the kingdom, a proud and manipulative man. He believes King Ferdinand to be no more than a pretender to the throne of León. He knows he holds a position of power and privilege, using it to scheme against anyone who stands in his way. He despises the Castilians so he forms an alliance with the Bishop of León, who represents the power of Rome, in order to remove Ferdinand from the throne by manipulating Queen Sancha. He uses the excuse of the fight against Islamic supremacy in the peninsula.
Don Bernardo’s only objective is to expel the Arabs from the Iberian peninsula. His intelligence, political ability, and power are all dedicated to this purpose; he claims the authority of divine power to ensure that the throne of León is occupied by a fellow Christian zealot. He is untouchable and, if any nobleman intends to make a move to further their position in court, they must have his support.
A scientist more interested in the laws of physics than the laws of Allah, he hides his agnosticism for the sake of avoiding trouble. He becomes one of Ruy’s greatest allies and a mentor, thanks to his open mind and thirst for knowledge. He supports Ruy unwaveringly and sees him as the one to bring unity and peace to the three cultures.
Being the King’s second-born son is not easy because Sancho always comes first, as the heir to the throne, who was getting ready to one day become King. Alfonso was educated alongside his sister, Urraca, who he greatly admires and feels an almost incestuous dependence for. He has accepted that his older brother will inherit everything, but fate will end up sending him in a direction he never could have expected.
García is the youngest brother, who nobody takes seriously since he does not show the same amount of ambition as the rest of his family. He is an introvert and is not as physically strong as his brothers, however, he makes up for this with his intelligence and character that allow him to surprise all those who had underestimated him.
Elvira is the most carefree of all the King’s children and the one who most wants to enjoy the privileges she was born with. Her only ambition is to find a good husband. She is a hopeless romantic, naively in love with Ruy. She is afraid of her sister, Urraca, but this doesn’t stop her from resisting Urraca’s attempts at manipulation.
If there is anyone who can tell Ruy what he doesn’t want to hear, it’s his best friend, Álvar. He’s always ready to do whatever it takes, but preferably involving wine, women, and gambling. As Ruy moves up in the world, he will end up becombing his most faithful lieutenant.
Ruy’s gang of friends is completed by Lisardo, a young man with a more poetic nature who is less interested in war than his friends, although this doesn’t stop him from being the best crossbowman in the kingdom. He is naive and cheerful, and represents Ruy’s connection with his emotions andhis more human side.
Sádaba is an Arabic warrior, and Al Muqtadir's personal hitman. He is cold-hearted, elegant, a little eccentric and possibly the greatest solo dueling warrior in the peninsula. Both his skill and dark skin make him a legend, both hated and feared by all. From the outest, his relationship with Ruy was one of respect and admiration, however, this does not prevent them from fighting each other.
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Amina is the daughter of Al Muqtadir. She is an open-minded woman who feels no need to hide her femininity. She is both confident and independent. Ruy is not used to this type of woman, and is drawn in by it. She is made exotic by her aura of mystery, and her sensuality is by far her greatest weapon. Amina can be calm and understanding, but when betrayed becomes fearful.
He is García's right-hand man. According to the squire, Nuño is one of Ruy’s best friends, together with Álvar and Lisardo. Having grown up together in the castle, they are like brothers to one another. He is a good warrior and friend. His funny and warm nature mamkes all those around him feel at ease, including his aster.
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Credits
El Cid was filmed in the Spanish provinces of Soria, Burgos, Teruel as well as in Madrid, and the city of Zaragoza; a production spanning more than 4,000m, with a production staff of more than 200 people and 11,000 extras. In addition to Jaime Lorente starring as El Cid, the series also features actors José Luis García-Pérez as King Ferdinand I The Great, Elia Galera as Queen Sancha The Beauty, Carlos Bardem as the count of León, Juan Echanove in the role of the bishop, Alicia Sanz as the Infanta Urraca, Francisco Ortiz as Sancho VII the Strong, Jaime Olías as Alfonso VI, Lucía Guerrero as Jimena, Lucía Díez as the Infanta Elvira, Nicolás Illoro as King García, Juan Fernández as Rodrigo, El Cid’s grandfather, Pablo Álvarez as Orduño, the antagonistic of Ruy, Ginés García Millán as King Ramiro of Navarra, Dani Tatay as Beltrán, the son of Ramiro, Dani Albaladejo as Master Orotz, David Castillo as the squire Lisardo, Adrián Salzedo as Alvar, Álvaro Rico as Nuño, Emilio Buale as the warrior Sádaba, Hamid Krim as the Sultan of Zaragoza Al-Muqtadir, Sarah Perles as Amina, the Sultan's daughter, and Zohar Liba as Abu Bakr.
El Cid is produced by Zebra. Sara Fernández-Velasco is the Executive Producer alongside José Velasco, who is also the creator of the series together with Head Writer, Luis Arranz. The series is directed by Adolfo Martínez Pérez, Marco A. Castillo, Miguel Alcantud and Arantxa Echevarría. The original soundtrack was composed by the Academy Award-winning Gustavo Santaolalla (Brokeback Mountain, Babel), and Alfonso González Aguilar, composer of the Academy Award-nominated animation film, Klaus.
Bios (18)
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Jaime Lorente
Ruy Díaz, El Cid
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Alicia Sanz
Urraca, The Rebel
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José Luis García-Pérez
Ferdinand, The King
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Elia Galera
Sancha, The Queen
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Francisco Ortiz
Sancho, The Strong
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Lucía Guerrero
Jimena, Ruy's love interest
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Carlos Bardem
Flaín, The Schemer
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Juan Echanove
Don Bernardo, The Bishop of Leon
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Zohar Liba
Abu Bakr, The Arab Doctor
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Jaime Olías
Alfonso, The Overshadowed
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Nicolás Illoro
García, The Youngest
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Lucía Díez
Elvira, The Innocent
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Pablo Álvarez
Orduño, The Wry Mouthed
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Adrian Salzedo
Álvar, the Faithful Friend
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David Castillo
Lisardo, The Poet
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Emilia Buale
Sábada, The Assassin
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Sarah Perles
Amina, The Power of Sensuality
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Alvaro Rico
Nuño, The Faithful Gentleman
