How did a Martin McDonagh film end up being shot on an island in the Pacific, starring John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell, with a story about CIA agents in 1973?
The answer begins years before filming, with the director’s visit to Rapa Nui and the horses he could not get out of his mind. What followed brought actors, producers and island residents together in an experience that left them with plenty of stories beyond those we will see on screen.
The story follows Chris and Lee, two veteran CIA agents sent from Santiago to Easter Island by their superior, MJ, played by Steve Buscemi. There, amid a secretive mission, Chris meets two young students played by Mariana di Girolamo and Ailín Salas, and things begin to unravel.
The film is set shortly before the September 11, 1973 coup that overthrew Chilean president Salvador Allende. Although Chris and Lee are fictional characters, their story unfolds against a real political backdrop that also involved the United States.
Those familiar with McDonagh through In Bruges, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri or The Banshees of Inisherin will recognize something in the trailer: awkward conversations, sharp replies and humor that surfaces even in very dark situations.
Amid secrets, threats and absurd arguments, Chris and Lee seem to have as much trouble understanding each other as they do keeping their mission under control. It is a glimpse of McDonagh’s humor, where an apparently serious conversation can take an entirely unexpected turn.
Wild Horse Nine had its world premiere on September 3, 2026, at the Venice International Film Festival. The film received an extended standing ovation, and John Malkovich won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor.
Its US theatrical release is scheduled for November 6, 2026, with early screenings in selected theaters beginning October 30.
From the production: See a post by Searchlight Pictures on X ↗.
MARTIN MCDONAGH, JOHN MALKOVICH AND SAM ROCKWELL: A STORY YEARS IN THE MAKING
Martin McDonagh visited Rapa Nui years before making this film. The mōai, the island’s distance from the mainland and, above all, the horses roaming the landscape left an impression he never forgot.
It was not the first time a journey had sparked a film idea for him. Something similar had happened with Bruges, the Belgian city that would inspire In Bruges, released in 2008.
The idea for Wild Horse Nine took shape when McDonagh connected the landscapes of Rapa Nui with the CIA’s involvement in Chile’s political events of 1973.
In an interview with Fred Film Radio, the director explained that this connection allowed him to explore guilt and regret through Chris and Lee, two agents forced to confront their past.
McDonagh cast John Malkovich y Sam Rockwellas Chris and Lee; the two had worked together before.
Sam Rockwell had worked with McDonagh on Seven Psychopaths and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
John Malkovich, meanwhile, has an extensive career in film and theater, including Dangerous Liaisons, In the Line of Fire and Being John Malkovich.
Rockwell had admired Malkovich since he was young, when he saw him perform onstage. Years later, they appeared together in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2005).
HOW THE CAST PREPARED FOR WILD HORSE NINE
JOHN MALKOVICH AND SAM ROCKWELL: REHEARSING BEFORE REACHING THE ISLAND
Before traveling to Rapa Nui, Malkovich and Rockwell met McDonagh at the Public Theater in New York to work through their scenes and the relationship between Chris and Lee.
In an interview with Esquire, Rockwell recalled the director asking Malkovich to perform a scene with even greater anger. His co-star’s transformation impressed him: Malkovich went from calm to an intensely charged performance.
Rehearsals continued during filming, as they prepared scenes for the following days.
MARIANA DI GIROLAMO AND AILÍN SALAS: PERFORMING IN ANOTHER LANGUAGE
Mariana di Girolamo, known for Ema, took on her first English-language film. Ailín Salas, an Argentine actress who made her debut in XXY, also performed in English and worked on a Chilean accent for her Spanish-language scenes. La Tercera confirms this was Mariana’s first role in English.
Mariana told La Tercera that she practiced her dialogue with Penny, an English-language coach, and rewatched McDonagh’s films to get familiar with his humor and pacing.
To understand 1973, she spoke with her parents, who were students at the time, and discussed the background of her character, Mónica, with the director.
RAPA NUI THROUGH THE ACTORS’ MEMORIES
Beyond scenes and rehearsals, the actors shared memories of the weeks they spent on Rapa Nui. Some spoke about long working days; others remembered conversations, people they met and the time they enjoyed off camera.
JOHN MALKOVICH: LONG WORKDAYS AND MISSING HIS FAMILY
In The Guardian, John Malkovich recalled spending around six weeks on Rapa Nui, with long days and scenes to prepare.
He missed his granddaughters and, with his dry humor, mentioned that he could swim with turtles in his spare time.
SAM ROCKWELL: CONVERSATIONS, PISCO SOUR AND LONG DAYS
Sam Rockwell remembered evenings together and Chilean wine. When he tried to name a drink he had forgotten, Leslie Bibb stepped in to help: it was pisco sour.
MARIANA DI GIROLAMO: DISCOVERING THE ISLAND FOR THE FIRST TIME
Mariana di Girolamo told La Tercera that it was her first visit to Rapa Nui. She was struck by the landscape, life close to the sea and the islanders’ relationship with the Rapa Nui language and culture.
She also spoke about the time she spent with John Malkovich off camera, whom she greatly admired. They talked about literature, cinema and Chilean history, helping her feel more at ease working with him.
STEVE BUSCEMI: A SUNDAY THAT BECAME HIS FAVORITE MEMORY
Chilean producer Cristián Donoso told Diario Financiero that Steve Buscemi’s favorite day on Rapa Nui was a Sunday by the sea with a Rapa Nui family, fishing and swimming among the rocks.
FILMING WILD HORSE NINE ON RAPA NUI: PRODUCERS, COMMUNITY AND CHALLENGES
So far, we have heard about the actors’ experiences. Bringing an international production to an island around 3,500 kilometers from the mainland also required the work of many others.
According to executive producer Cristián Donoso, around one hundred Rapa Nui residents worked in different roles on the production, both in front of and behind the camera.
THREE SHIPS, VINTAGE VEHICLES AND A STORM
To recreate 1973, the team transported period vehicles, camera equipment and setsfrom the mainland aboard three ships and in multiple containers, according to Donoso.
A storm disrupted communications before a day of filming planned near the mōai quarry. The crew changed locations within hours and was able to continue the following day.
MA’U HENUA AND THE AGREEMENTS TO FILM IN THE PARK
Filming in the park required coordination with Ma’u Henua, the Indigenous Rapa Nui community organization that manages Rapa Nui National Park.
Under the rules of Ma’u Henua, commercial filming requires prior authorization and measures to protect archaeological sites.
The interesting part is what changed in practice. In El Mostrador, producer Alejandro Wise explained that discussions with Ma’u Henua and other island representatives led to changes in schedules, crew movements and even how some scenes were handled. The production also established limits on the number of people at certain archaeological sites, while other crew members worked from Hanga Roa.
Among the filming locations are sites connected to centuries of Rapa Nui history. Yet one of the things that most caught the director’s attention was not a monument at all: it was the horses roaming the island.
THE HORSES, MŌAI AND PLACES OF RAPA NUI
There is something fitting about the name Wild Horse Nine: horses were among the things that surprised McDonagh on his first visit.
Years later, they became part of the filming experience itself. Donoso remembered the animals crossing the roads used by the crew.
Horses arrived on Rapa Nui long after its first Polynesian inhabitants. Over time, they became part of livestock farming and the island’s social history.
Today, horses are part of the landscape of Rapa Nui and a history connected to its people, their activities and the ways the territory has changed over time.
Rano Raraku, the volcanic quarry where many mōai were carved, still holds around 400 statues at different stages of carving, according to the Rapa Nui Museum. At Ahu Tongariki, restoration after the 1960 tsunami brought back its group of fifteen mōai. Both sites were associated with the filming.
TWO WAYS TO EXPERIENCE RAPA NUI
Rano Raraku, Ahu Tongariki and Anakena are among the places you can experience on Rapa Nui. Choose a six-day visit to the island or an eighteen-day journey that also takes in Santiago, Atacama, the Lake District and Aysén.
Rapa Nui photographs: archive supplied for the blog. Routes and activities correspond to each itinerary.
These sites are part of Rapa Nui National Park, where entry is subject to the access and protection rules administered by Ma’u Henua.
THREE PLACES TO DISCOVER ON RAPA NUI
Tahai, Rano Raraku and Ahu Tongariki are among the landscapes associated with the production. Each place has its own history.
Images: archive supplied for the blog. This is an editorial sequence, not a confirmed scene order or operational route. Click a photograph to enlarge it.
ONE ISLAND, MANY STORIES TO REMEMBER
A film can introduce us to a place even before we travel there. With Wild Horse Nine, that curiosity begins with two CIA agents, continues through the stories of the people involved in filming and opens a door to Rapa Nui.