Colombian actress Sofia Vergara portrays the notorious drug lord Griselda Blanco in an upcoming Netflix series.
The creative team behind Netflix’s hit series, Narcos, including Eric Newman, Doug Miro, Andrés Baiz, and Carlo Bernard, are set to be involved with producing the six-part limited series.
Eric Newman served as showrunner for five seasons of Narcos and Narcos: Mexico. In addition, he continues the role as an executive producer on the third and final season of Narcos: Mexico.
Andrés Baiz will direct all six episodes of the series.
The showrunner Ingrid Escajeda, the writer, and executive producer, previously worked on the hit series Justified and Empire.
Sofia Vergara talks playing Griselda Blanco
The Modern Family star released a statement about her upcoming role in the Netflix series.
“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,” Vergara said, according to Deadline. “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.”
This series will have no relation to Narcos, nor is it a spin-off of the series despite Eric Newman’s involvement in the series.
While Griselda Blanco worked with Pablo Escobar’s Medellin cartel, she was not featured or referenced in the Narcos series.
Newman revealed Blanco’s story is a passion project for Modern Family star Sofia Vergara.
Griselda Blanco is considered a drug smuggling pioneer and first-ever female billionaire in the illicit drug trading business.
She ran her empire from Miami in the ’80s through to the early 2000s. Blanco was featured in popular documentaries Cocaine Cowboys and Cocaine Cowboys 2.
What is the Griselda Blanco series about?
The limited series will chronicle the life of Blanco and how she was a pioneer in the drug trade better known for her male counterparts such as Pablo Escobar despite her success in the illicit trade before them.
The synopsis for the series from Netflix reads, “Griselda chronicles the real-life of savvy and ambitious Colombian businesswoman Griselda Blanco, who created one of the most profitable cartels in history. A devoted mother, Blanco’s lethal blend of charm and unsuspecting savagery helped her expertly navigate between family and business, leading her to become widely known as the Black Widow.”
Sofia Vergara is making a TV comeback with the Blanco series following her departure from the hit series Modern Family.
The Colombian actress played Gloria Delgado-Pritchett in about 250 episodes from 2009 to 2020.