The internet Netflix has commissioned a new ten part series on the story of cocaine in Colombia and focusing on the life of drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, which will begin filming in Medellin later this year.
The new Netflix show will be named “Narcos,” and Brazilian actor Wagner Moura will take on the leading role of Escobar with Brazilian director Jose Padilha. Both men worked together previously on “Elite Squad,” one of Brazil’s most popular films which detailed the work of a unite police squad in Rio de Janeiro.
“Jose and Wagner together created one of the most sophisticated and chilling portraits of criminality and official corruption ever in their Elite Squad movies,” said Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos. “Their version of the Escobar saga will be like nothing ever seen before.”
MORE: 20 years after his death, Pablo Escobar’s myth is more alive than ever
According to official estimates, Escobar’s infamous drug cartel perpetrated 4,000 murders throughout the eighties and nineties. The drug lord died at the hands of the public forces in December 1993.
Many backpacker tourists who visit Colombia, and Medellin in particular, are keen to embark on the various Escobar tours on offer in an attempt to learn more about the son of Medellin. The constant focus on Escobar seems to perpetuate the foreigner’s impression of the country as predominantly related to cocaine, war, and Escobar himself.
MORE: Medellin’s Pablo Escobar tours cause discomfort with authorities
Netflix is an online television network that is broadcast in more than 40 countries, where subscribers pay a monthly fee and can watch as much programming as they want. In their official press release regarding “Narcos” on April 1, Netflix stated the aim of the initial first series, split into ten episodes, is to tell viewers the true story of how cocaine became such a huge problem in the U.S. and Europe, and how it began in Medellin.
Narcos begins filming in Colombia later this year, and will be available to all Netflix viewers in early 2015.
Sources
- Netflix rodará una serie sobre Pablo Escobar (W Radio)
- Netflix Orders New Original Series on Pablo Escobar from ‘Robocop’ Director Jose Padilha (Indiewire)
- Only on Netflix: Wagner Moura as Pablo Escobar in ‘Narcos’ coming in 2015 (Netflix)
