HBO's "City of God: The Fight Rages On" rages dramatically in it's debut

August 31, 2024

Courtesy: HBO

City of God: The Fight Rages On is the riveting HBO original series set in Brazil, a sequel to the 2002 award-winning film City of God. Adapted by Bráulio Mantovani from the novel by Paulo Lins, it continues the story of conflicts between police, traffickers, and militias. The series debuted on HBO Latino and MAX on August 25, 2024, to critical acclaim and has been renewed by HBO for a second season. The six-episode first season will continue to debut new episodes weekly on Sundays at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

Directed by Aly Muritiba and Bruno Costa, The Fight Rages On is produced by Miramax and O2 Filmes. The series brings back memorable characters from the first film, such as Rocket (Wilson), Berenice, Bradock, Cinthia, Barbantinho, and Melonhead. The ensemble cast includes Alexandre Rodrigues, Thiago Martins, Roberta Rodrigues, Sabrina Rosa, Marcos Palmeira, Andréia Horta, Kiko Marques, Edson Oliveira, Andréia Horta, Eli Ferreira, Luellem de Castro, Jefferson Brasil, Otávio Linhares, Rafael Lozano, Leandro Daniel, and Luiz Bertazzo, adding a new dimension to the story.

Courtesy: HBO

The first film, set in Rio de Janeiro's infamous favelas, "City of God," between the 1960s and 1980s, followed the escalating war of organized crime, drugs, and gangs with rising tensions with the police. Wilson "Rocket" (Alexandre Rodrigues) narrates as he dreams of becoming a photographer. City Of God was internationally and critically acclaimed, receiving four nominations at the 76th Academy Awards for Best Cinematography, Best Director, Best Film Editing, and Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay).

In The Fight Rages On, 20 years after the events of the first movie, the release of a young trafficker from jail puts the favela City of God back into the midst of a power struggle. Residents find themselves trapped between traffickers, militia, businesspeople, and the government, but the need to break free from this cycle causes the community to unite around a project to confront the oppressor.

Courtesy: HBO

Wison, who was last seen in the first film, had the choice to expose the corruption of the police and become famous or publish a picture of one of the many victims, which would get him an internship at the newspaper. He now has a 15-year-old promiscuous daughter and has become a famous, if not respected, photojournalist. Continuously caught in the middle of the escalating violent carnage, his estranged daughter forces him to face the hard truth. She accuses him of being part of the problem.

The Fight Rages On authentically captures the grit of the favelas and the impoverished communities that are subjected to the prevalent drug violence and rampant police corruption while the residents continue to suffer. It continues to lay the dramatic foundation for its characters to change or continue to be a product of their environment, making it must-see TV.

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Screenplay by Sérgio Machado, Renata Di Carmo, Armando Praça, Estevão Ribeiro, Rodrigo Felha and Muritiba. Andrea Barata Ribeiro and Fernando Meirelles are producers, and Cris Abi and Gustavo Gontijo are coproducers for O2 Filmes. Mariano Cesar, Anouk Aaron, and Mônica Albuquerque are executive producers on behalf of Warner Bros. Discovery.

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City of God: The Fight Rages On is currently airing on HBO Latino and Max.