Penélope Cruz and Glenn Close‘s next Netflix movie just got a huge boost. Their upcoming movie has recently received major Oscar buzz. The film, La Bola Negra, is directed by Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo.

In a latest update on X, Netflix revealed that La Bola Negra has now been chosen as Spain’s official entry for the 99th Academy Awards. The post reads, “LA BOLA NEGRA is Spain’s Official Selection for the 99th Academy Awards. From Cannes-winning directors Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi.”

Cruz’s latest project made its world premiere at the 79th Cannes Film Festival on May 21, 2026. The film received positive reviews from critics. While La Bola Negra bagged a Palme D’Or nomination, both Ambrossi and Calvo clinched the Best Director award. The movie will be initially released in theaters on October 16, 2026. After its theatrical run ends, fans can watch the film on Netflix starting December 2, 2026.

What to know about Penélope Cruz & Glenn Close’s Netflix movie

The 2026 film is structured as a non-linear queer epic. The story narrative brings together three timelines that have remained crucial to Spanish history. Three queer characters from 1932, 1937, and 2017, respectively, are portrayed to explore themes of queer identity, suppression, and art across a century.

The synopsis of the Spanish drama, according to IMDb, reads, “Explores what it means to be gay throughout different eras, focusing on ‘three existences’ that are connected through themes of sexuality, desire, pain, and inheritance.”

The film is based on Federico García Lorca’s unfinished four-page manuscript and Alberto Conejero’s play La piedra oscura. Alongside Penélope Cruz and Glenn Close, the 155-minute film also features Miguel Bernardeau, Guitarricadelafuente, Lorenzo Zurzolo, Daniel Ibáñez, Julio Torres, Lola Dueñas, Milo Quifes, among others.