According to E! News, Disney Media Distribution Latin America, BTF Media, Moconoco y Latin WE just announced that they are planning to produce a TV show about the life and death of the late entertainer, Selena Quintanilla. The star was murdered at the height of her career, leaving her legions of fans completely heartbroken. She was an amazing Tejano singer, fashion designer, songwriter, and performer.
You may not be old enough to have been a Selena fan when she was living. But it’s very possible that you’ve seen the story of her life, career, and tragic death via the popular biopic that launched Jennifer Lopez’s career. Selena was thee pop culture biographical film of my generation (followed very closely by Angela Bassett’s Tina Turner in What’s Love Got to Do With It).
If you’re still in the dark about Selena's impact both on and off television, you may be in luck. The series will be based on the best-selling book, El Secreto de Selena by María Celeste Arrarás. Arrarás spent years looking into the death of Selena and conducted interviews with those closest to her during her final years. If the show sticks to the book’s premise, we’ll get a glimpse of Selena that we didn’t get to see in the 1997 movie.
But the important question that remains is this: Who will play Selena in this remake? There are going to be tons of actresses vying for this role and some serious pressure on the casting directors to get it right. Here’s a pro-tip: Don’t cast a white woman.
[Cough, Gina Alvarez, cough]
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