Banijay‘s Pokeepsie Films and Amazon Prime Video continue to build out the “House of Ron,” the audiovisual empire of bestselling Argentine-born Spanish YA romance author Mercedes Ron.

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The film adaptations of her popular enemies-to-lovers Culpables romance trilogy (Culpa Mía, Culpa Tuya, Culpa Nuestra) became not only the most-watched Spanish, but also the most-watched international original, for the streamer ever, with a combined 100 million views worldwide as of the summer.

The company also made and previously premiered the English-language versions My Fault: London and Your Fault: London, with the third and final installment, Our Fault: London, just announced for a 2027 premiere exclusively on Prime Video. Plus, the first film adaptation for Ron’s Dímelo trilogy, Tell Me Softly (Dímelo Bajito), premiered on Prime Video last year. This summer, Ron signed a first-look deal with Amazon MGM Studios.

On Wednesday, Prime premiered the first of two planned films based on another one of her hit novels in more than 240 countries and territories. Drawn Together is a romantic thriller, directed by Óscar Pedraza, that stars Ester Expósito (Elite, The Wailing) and Hugo Diego Garcia (Death and Other Details, The Substance). Expósito portrays Marfil Cortés, the New York City-based scion of a rich Spanish businessman. After being kidnapped, her father hires Sebastián Moore, played by Garcia, as a bodyguard to watch her. A strong mutual attraction develops as they deal with multiple threats back in Spain. Here is a trailer for the film.

Just like the Culpables trilogy, Drawn Together is produced by Pokeepsie, founded by Spanish director Álex de la Iglesia and actress-producer Carolina Bang, who is also de la Iglesia’s wife.

In between promotional activities, Ron and Bang caught up with THR about Drawn Together, the importance of onscreen chemistry, and what else is next for the “House of Ron.”

What elements does Drawn Together have that Mercedes Ron fans will enjoy — and is there anything different that maybe we didn’t see as much in the Fault trilogy or in Tell Me Softly?

MERCEDES RON Yes, I think this story is really different from My Fault. Drawn Together was the second story that I published, and I really wanted to bring something different to the table. I think this story is more mature, more adult. It has a lot of action in it, and the story is more complex.

It was a challenge for me, and I really enjoyed that. I’m really happy that a lot of people who have read all of my books have said, “This is your best book.”

No pressure?

RON So yeah, the pressure is there, but I think it was the best book to take to screen because of all the action components, all the thriller [elements] and the darkness and everything else. And I think the movie turned out really, really, really good.

How actively do you work on the film adaptations?

RON I’m very involved in the whole process, mostly in casting and the script, where I feel I can give more input.

How do you approach casting for your films? Is it all about romantic or sexual chemistry between the lead stars like Ester and Hugo, or what are you looking for?

RON I knew that I wanted Ester in the movie to play Marfil. She was amazing. I talked to Prime Video and asked, “Can we have Ester? Can you talk to her? Maybe she could be interested in doing this movie.” She was doing completely different movies, but she said yes. So that was a huge achievement.

And then we started casting Sebastián and [picked] Hugo. He is an amazing actor; he’s good-looking, and he knows how to fight in real life. So that was something that came with him that was brilliant. And yes, there is the chemistry between the two. When we saw that, we knew straight away that he was Sebastián.

Your stories are often described as attracting younger female audiences. Do you see your novels and films as being for them or for a broader audience?

RON I write for everyone. The audience is mostly female; I think 85 percent or 90 percent. But there are a lot of men who also really enjoy these kinds of movies. The action component, especially in this film, helps.

When I do a book signing and guys come in and say that they love my books, I’m really happy. I think now everything is changing, and maybe there are a lot of guys who really want to read romance and now they feel the confidence to say, “I love romance, and I enjoy it.” So that’s really good.

Tell me a bit about your creative partnership with Álex and Carolina at Pokeepsie! How did you first connect and why do the results look like such a natural collaboration?

RON They were the first ones to be interested in buying the book rights to My Fault, which was amazing. And I found out later that Álex’s daughters were really fans of my books, so I think I owe them everything because they were the first ones to go to their dad and tell him, “You have to make this movie!”

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So, I met them six years ago now. Working with them has been amazing, and they understood completely how this whole world works. And I wanted to repeat that with Drawn Together. It’s easier when you know the team and the people, so it’s been it’s been really, really good.

Carolina, do you remember how, and at what age, your daughters first mentioned her works?

CAROLINA BANG We have a very big family and spend a lot of time around teenagers, so Mercedes’ books were always lying around the house. I couldn’t tell you exactly how old they were, but I remember Culpables being everywhere and everyone talking about the trilogy. One day, I got curious, read the books and immediately thought, “There’s a movie here.”

After that, I kept reading Mercedes’ books just like any other fan. The next one that really caught my attention was Drawn Together. I could see a movie in that. It had the feel of the great romantic comedies of the ’90s, but with a lot of action. It was a genre I really wanted to explore, and it reminded me of the movies I grew up watching.

What’s different in Drawn Together from Culpables?

BANG For me, Drawn Together grows up alongside the fans of Culpables. Many of those readers are women now, and we’re going on that journey with them. It still has everything they love about Mercedes’ world — the passion, the impossible love, the intensity — but the characters are at a different stage in their lives, and the story is told from a more adult perspective.

Mercedes, do you still find time to write more?

RON A few months ago, the fourth book of the Culpables “trilogy” was out. I was writing the story while I was traveling the world because I’ve been traveling nonstop with all the movies and all the promotion and everything. Right now, I’m not writing anything, but I really want to write another book, maybe for next year. I don’t know. I have a lot of ideas.

Will we maybe see a film based on that fourth book?

RON That book was kind of a gift to my readers. My life changed because of the Culpables series. So I really wanted to give something back, and my fans were asking for this book for so long. It’s been almost 10 years since I published the first one. So, there’s not a movie in the making right now, but who knows, maybe one day.

Let me return to Drawn Together for a moment. Is the second film in that duology already being shot or in the works?

RON Yes, we did them both together. I think that was better. It’s amazing that the second movie is already finished. It’s already wrapped up. So it’s just about seeing when it’s going to be released. I don’t know yet when it’s going to be released, but yes, most of my movies are already filmed.

Carolina, what was the benefit of shooting both Drawn Together films in one go for you?

BANG It made a huge difference. First of all, you have the same crew and cast throughout the entire shoot, which allows you to approach the two movies as one story told in two parts. You’re not making one film and then coming back two years later, when you’re in a completely different place and barely remembering what it felt like to shoot the first one. This way, we were able to maintain the same energy, tone and connection between the characters.

And from a production standpoint, of course, it helps enormously. You can make much better use of the crews, locations and all the resources you need to make both movies

What else is next for the “House of Ron”?

RON Actually, Tell Me With Kisses [the third film in the Tell Me series] was finished, I think, a month ago. And what’s coming next, apart from the films that are already filmed, is 30 Sunsets to Fall in Love [(30 Sunsets Para Enamorarte) from Ron’s Bali duology as the first U.S. adaptation of her work]. That’s going to happen in the U.S. So, I’m really, really excited.

I really want to keep working with Prime Video and bringing them ideas and maybe work on [material] from other authors.

Could your fans maybe even see you write a film or story directly for the screen?

RON Yeah, I would love to. There are so many good stories out there that could make amazing movies, so yeah, that’s one of the things that I would love to do.

How do you explain the popularity of Mercedes’ stories, Carolina?

BANG I think her success speaks for itself. Mercedes connects with her readers in a very direct way because she writes about feelings and concerns that really resonate with a generation.

At the same time, her stories reach across generations. Culpables hasn’t connected only with younger audiences; a lot of adults have responded to it too. That’s something I love about her books, and I think we’ve managed to bring it to the movies. They’re intense, romantic and also a lot of fun. You can watch them with your mother, your sister, your friends, or on your own.

Before I let you get back to your busy schedule, Mercedes, is there anything else you’d like to highlight?

RON Something I want to share is that Drawn Together, the book, came out three weeks ago in the English-speaking world. I’m so happy for that. So if you want to know how the book is, go check it out. And yeah, we have the movie coming out.

So, I’m excited for Drawn Together. And I am loving what I do. So, it doesn’t feel like work.

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