Sofia Vergara will star in Netflix’s upcoming limited series Griselda, playing the series’ eponymous Colombian drug lord. Griselda will be Vergara’s first role since the end of the five-time Emmy Award-winning show Modern Family.
Consisting of six 50-minute episodes, Griselda will follow Griselda Blanco, one of the most powerful drug traffickers of the 1980s. Also going by ‘Black Widow’, ‘La Madrina’ and the ‘Cocaine Godmother’, at her height Blanco was considered the most dangerous woman in the world. She earned her nicknames for her gruesome approach to business; as the top drug lady of the Medellín Cartel, she is rumoured to have ordered between 200 and 2,000 murders. Former homicide detective, Nelson Abreu, spoke of the fearful reputation that preceded her, citing Griseda as, “Worse than any of the men that were involved in [the drug trade].” She is also credited for inventing drive-by motorcycle shootings, which ironically is how she died earlier this year, at age 69.
Blanco’s savage business approach matched her success; the Columbian cartel-leader was the first-ever female to reach billionaire status, long before her infamous male counterparts. Despite being in close proximity to Pablo Escobar, Griselda never featured in Narcos and, although speculated to be a spinoff, the upcoming series will exist separately from the award-winning franchise.
While existing in a distinct fictional universe, Griselda and Narcos share more than a streaming platform; Griselda writer and producer, Eric Newman, also served as showrunner for five series of Narcos and Narcos: Mexico. Griselda is one of many projects under the remit of Newman’s multi-year TV and film deal with the streaming giant. Future Netflix projects also include True Story, and The Upper World starring Daniel Kaluuya.
Many additional members of the Narcos creative team will assist in the creation of Griselda, including Columbian director Andrés Baiz and executive producers, Doug Miro and Carlo Bernard. In addition to the Narcos talent, Ingrid Escajeda (Justified, Empire) will act as showrunner/writer/executive producer. Luis Balaguer and Vergara will also serve as executive producers.
Griselda will not be the first time Blanco’s story has graced our screens; previous work includes the Netflix documentary series Cocaine Cowboys: Kings of Miami (2021) and the fictionalized Drama Cocaine Godmother (2017), starring Catherine Zeta-Jones. Coincidentally, Jennifer Lopez is also developing a biopic centering on Blanco, directed by Reed Morano.
Words by Elina Ganatra
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