Image Source: Yahoo! Sports, Wikipedia
Emmy-nominated actress Sofía Vergara is all set to portray the Queen of Cartel in ‘Griselda’.
ABC sitcom Modern Family ended in April 2020 and Sofía Vergara who played Gloria Delgado Pritchett is now all set to step into the shoes of late Griselda Blanco popularly known as Queen of Cartel or real-life ‘Black Widow’ in the upcoming limited series ‘Griselda’ on Netflix.
The official description of the series from Netflix read, "A devoted mother, Blanco's lethal blend of charm and unsuspected savagery helped her expertly navigate between family and business leading her to become widely known as the 'Godmother'."
Griselda is going to comprise six 50-minute episodes and is going to focus on the life of Griselda Blanco and her struggle as a young mother who eventually becomes the leader of a Colombian-based cartel. Sofía Vergara and Luis Balaguer, along with the hit duo behind Netflix's hit series, Narcos and Narcos: Mexico, Eric Newman and Andres Baiz will be serving as executive producers for the show. Eric and Andres are also going to direct all six episodes as well and Ingrid Escajeda and Doug Miro are also on board as co-showrunners and writers.
Griselda Blanco was known as the 'Queen of Cartel'. Image Source: Sportskeeda
According to Variety, the actress along with a Colombian producer Luis Balaguer came up with the idea over eight years ago at Latin World Entertainment. Eric Newman shared in a statement with The Wrap, "Griselda has long been a passion project for Sofía and we are grateful that she and her partners at [Latin World Enterainment] have chosen us to help her tell that story. Sofía is a brilliant talent and her passion combined with a fantastic story from Doug and Ingrid, and the amazing Andrés Baiz at the directing helm, means we have a very exciting series to share with audiences."
According to Deadline, Sofía said in a press release, “Griselda Blanco was a larger-than-life character whose ruthless but ingenious tactics allowed her to rule a billion dollar empire years before many of the most notorious male kingpins we know so much about. We are thrilled to have found the perfect partners in Eric, Andrés, and Netflix to help us bring this story of her life to the screen."
The first look of Sofía as Griselda was recently revealed that the audience’s response clearly states that the actress is gone under an impressive makeover to look authentic on-screen and do justice to the character. According to Digital Spy, “Blanco was considered one of the richest and most dangerous women in the world, having become the first-ever billionaire female criminal before she was fatally shot on September 3, 2021, at the age of 69.” Actors including Alberto Guerra, Vanessa Ferlito, Alberto Ammann, Christian Tappan, Diego Trujillo, Paulina Davila, Gabriel Sloyer, Juliana Aidén Martinez, Martin Rodriguez, and José Zúñiga will be seen in the series as well. Netflix is still yet to announce the date for the series premiere.
Sofía Vergara as Griselda Blanco. Image Source: Collider
Griselda was responsible for up to 200 murders and became the first-ever billionaire female criminal. She worked for the Medellín Cartel, the criminal organization which was founded and led by Pablo Escobar, and Griselda was responsible for introducing cocaine smuggling to the kingpin himself.
Peter Friedlander, Vice President of U.S. and Canadian scripted series at Netflix shared, “Eric Newman has deftly brought to life among the most dynamic characters and stories on screen today. We’re excited to continue on this creative path with him and for this collaboration with Sofia Vergara — a force in entertainment and a world-beloved talent. With an incredible team at the helm — we can’t wait for the world to see how Ingrid Escajeda, Doug Miro, and Andrés Baiz take on the twists and turns of Griselda Blanco’s epic story.”
Sofía Vergara has recently finished her second season as a judge on NBC’s hit summer series, ‘America Got Talent. During the pandemic, she established the Global Covid-19 Relief Fund which provided direct and efficient funds to marginalized populations across the world.
