The screenplay is based primarily on Guevara's trip diary of the same name, with additional context supplied by "Traveling with Che Guevara: The Making of a Revolutionary" by Alberto Granado. Guevara is played by Gael García Bernal (who previously played Che in the 2002 miniseries "Fidel"), and Granado by the Argentine actor Rodrigo de la Serna, who coincidentally is a second cousin to the real-life Guevara on his maternal side. Directed by Brazilian director Walter Salles and written by Puerto Rican playwright José Rivera, the film was an international co-production among production companies from Argentina, the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, Chile, Peru and France. The film's executive producers were Robert Redford, Paul Webster, and Rebecca Yeldham; the producers were Edgard Tenenbaum, Michael Nozik, and Karen Tenkhoff; and the co-producers were Daniel Burman and Diego Dubcovsky.