Back in May we found out that Sony Pictures Television had reached an agreement to produce a Spanish-language version of Breaking Bad titled Metastasis for Colombian television. Now, finally, we have the first photos of the cast, and a little background information. For example, that man in the banner picture? Walter Blanco. And yes, he is in a pair of tighty-whities, as you can see in the full picture below. (UPDATE: And in the trailer.) I appreciate their devotion to the source material.
“Breaking Bad is a fantastic series that wasn’t widely seen in Latin America, partly because cable doesn’t yet have full penetration in the region,” says Angelica Guerra, SPT senior vp and managing director of production for Latin America and the U.S. Hispanic market. “[But] there is a universality to the story and its characters that we recognized could work very well.” [THR]
There’s no word yet on whether they’ll go all-out with the nationality flipping — an American Gomie who the Colombian version of Hank repeatedly calls a gringo, a Canadian Gus Fring who uses his chain of poutine restaurants to smuggle cheap prescription drugs into Bogotá, a mustachioed version of Saul Goodman who encourages Walter Blanco to consider sending his enemies “on a trip to Denmark,” etc. — but we do know there will be at least one notable change.
Guerra assures Breaking Bad devotees that producers have consulted with Gilligan and his team and that Metastasis will be true to its twisted source material. But a few minor details have been tweaked. “Motor homes are not popular in Colombia,” she says, “so audiences will see Walter and Jose cooking up their first several batches of methamphetamine in an old, barely drivable school bus.”
That settles it. We are all learning Spanish and watching this show. Puta.
And here’s the trailer:
