Something outside of the Modern Family star’s usual wheelhouse
Sofía Vergara is set to play an infamous drug lord in the upcoming Netflix series, Griselda, eponymously named after the real-life cartel queen that operated in Colombia from the 1980s right up till the 2000s.
Griselda Blanco was a long-serving boss in the infamous Medellín cartel, the same drug racket Pablo Escobar ran for the best part of two decades. She was an equally powerful figure in her own right, often known as ‘The Godmother of cocaine’ or ‘Queenpin’.
First look at Sofia Vergara as Griselda Blanco in @Netflix’s upcoming limited series.
The series is inspired by a Colombian businesswoman known as the “Godmother,” who created one of the most successful cartels in history. pic.twitter.com/pEoS0uh19d
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) January 19, 2022
Like its counterpart Narcos, the limited Griselda series will revolve around the life and times of Blanco, who was once considered the most dangerous woman in the world. The 69-year-old was eventually shot dead in a motorcycle drive-by back in 2012.
Entertainment Weekly reports that the show will consist of six, 50-minute episodes and will be executive produced by Andrés Baiz, Doug Miro, Eric Newman and Carlo Bernard – all of whom worked on Narcos (Baiz is also set to direct).
Vergara, a native Colombian, is said to have been attached to the project for eight years and Jennifer Lopez is also set to play Blanco in an upcoming HBO biopic, with the potential for the project to also mark the star’s directorial debut.
Before either of these Latin icons were attached to their respective projects, the role had already been played by Catherine Zeta-Jones in 2017’s Cocaine Godmother, which received mixed reviews, to say the least.
While Vergara has played somewhat darker roles in the likes of Machete Kills, Bent and the likes, she is undoubtedly best known for more light-hearted roles such as her turn in Chef (2017) and, of course, as Gloria in Modern Family. It will be interesting to see how she transforms into the most feared drug queen of all time.
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