According to Variety, Sony Pictures Television’s (SPT) Latin America unit will bring forth a historical drama series titled El Comandante (The Commander). The series will depict the life and times of Hugo Chavez, the late Venezuelan president.
Sony has already ordered 60 hourlong episodes. Angelica Guerra, SPT’s senior VP and managing director, production, Latin America and U.S. Hispanic stated “It is our most ambitious series on many levels, in terms of budget, cast – some 600 cast members – locations and the recreation of 30 major events in Chavez’s life.” SPT will launch international sales for the show towards the end of this month during its LA screenings showcase.
Andres Parra who played drug lord Pablo Escobar in Caracol TV’s 2012 series Pablo Escobar, El Patron Del Mal (The boss of evil) will portray Hugo Chavez.
The series will focus on Chavez’s humble origins and his controversial rise to power while also including both fictional recreations and documentary footage of major events.
For those unfamiliar with Chavez, he was a mysterious figure in global politics during time as the head of the oil-rich nation, where he was elected president and served from 1999 until 2013 (yikes!).
El Comandante is expected to be picked up in the U.S. by a Spanish-lingo outlet and by a cable network, with an English-dubbed version. Guerra also added that production will be filmed “100% on location” but she did not specify where exactly. The SPT production offices are in Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia. The bio-teleseries will have a similar format to a telenovela and will air Monday to Friday.
In regards to El Comandante, Guerra stated that “It’s been our pioneering content strategy for the past two, three years to identify recognizable, relatable people and make a series about their lives.”
The executive producers for Sony’s upcoming drama series are Andrea Marulanda (Lady, The Rose Seller, Metastasis) and Luis Eduardo Jimenez (Search Bloc, Amor en Custodia).