The extradition of Joaquín Guzmán, otherwise known as “El Chapo,” to the United States in mid January brought the international celebrity criminal back into the spotlight. (After all, the maximum security Manhattan prison where he was being held was enough to generate Internet finger-wagging about the possibility of another escape.) Yet news of two different El Chapo-centric television series over the summer suggested the Mexican drug lord’s time in the spotlight would probably never die, and thanks to a new press release from Univision and Netflix, it seems audiences will be getting one of these sooner than they think.
“This series pulls back the curtain on one of the most captivating criminals of our time by combining the world-class reporting and insights from Univision News’ investigative team with an outstanding team of talented storytellers and producers,” said Camila Jiménez Villa, President and Chief Content Officer of Fusion Media Group, in an official statement. “We are thrilled to be partnering with Netflix to share this boundary-breaking new series with a global audience.”
Based on Guzmán’s life story, El Chapo is set to air on Univision sometime in April 2017. A date for the Netflix premiere is to be determined. It will premiere in the rest of the world exclusively on Netflix. As for the History Channel’s rival series #Cartel, a release date has yet to be announced by the network that once entertained the machinations of this guy.
We’re convinced Sean Penn should not only star in both shows, but he should also make the Lifetime Original about the Ancient Aliens figurehead’s life.