Netflix announced today that “Selena: the Series” will premiere on the streaming platform on December 4, just in time for a holiday vacation binge.
🌹Every legend begins with a dream🌹
Selena: The Series (@selena_netflix) arrives December 4th, only on Netflix. pic.twitter.com/2yVevJSvAA
— Con Todo (@contodonetflix) October 6, 2020
The series is a coming-of-age show that focuses on the Tejano singer as she and her family make tough choices to hold on to love and music while pursuing her dreams. It features six 1-hour episodes.
“Elena’s career achievements are legendary, but our scripted series will focus on the incredible story of a Mexican-American family and how an extraordinary young woman transcended categories and borders to become a global star,” Jamie Dávila said, president of Campanario Entertainment, which produced the show.
Passing down Selena’s story
“Selena: The Series” will introduce the legendary Selena Quintanilla to a whole new generation (if they don’t know her already). By the age of 10, the Texas native became the lead singer in her family’s band, kickstarting a career where she became the Queen of Tejano. Known by her mononym, Selena had seven number one hits and 14 others in the top 10 of the Hot Latin Songs Chart. “Dreaming of You,” the namesake of her first English-language album, reached number 22 on the Hot 100 charts. However, the album was released after her death. At 23, Selena was murdered by her fan club president.
“Selena will always have a lasting place in music history and we feel great responsibility to do her justice to her memory. With this series, viewers will finally get the full history of Selena, our family and the impact she had on all her lives,” Suzette Quintanilla, Selena’s sister, said.
The Quintanilla family has been a part of the entire television project and are serving as executive producers. Moises Zamora, the show creator, explained to Very Good Light how Selena’s family blessed his vision.
“[The show is] also about the pursuit of the American dream, because the Quintanillas are American,” he said. “They are of Mexican descent, but they’re also third-generation. We need to get used to the idea of the American Dream [coming] in different colors and shapes and journeys.”
Development of Selena: The Series
Zamora said he hired 14 different Latinx writers from varying backgrounds and that women directed most of the episodes.
I moved to Los Angeles on December 25, 2013 to start a career as a writer in film and television.
In July 2019 I became a staff writer for a show that tells the story of a musician (ICON) that means so much to me. https://t.co/VWCZlowFmT pic.twitter.com/4caEPTQVMj
— Raymond Arturo Perez (@byraymondarturo) October 3, 2020
“The Walking Dead” veteran Chrisitan Serratos will play the superstar in the Netflix series. Looking at Selena’s impact, Serratos says “she paved the way for Latinas and inspired so many to continue in the face of adversity.”
Other notable roles include Abraham Quintanilla, who will be played by Ricardo Chavira of Desperate Housewives fame. Jesse Posey (brother of “Teen Wolf’s” Tyler Posey) will play Selena’s brother A.B., who played bass in their band “Los Dinos.” A.B. wrote, produced and played for successful singles like “Como la Flor.”
“Selena: the Series” is the latest iteration of the late singer’s life. Cult movie “Selena” hit theaters in 1997, catapulting Jennifer Lopez to stardom. The biopic was Lopez’ first leading role and landed her a Golden Globe for best actress. Because “Selena” was released just two years after the singer was murdered, the new series may offer a distanced and deeper perspective on the singer’s life. This past March commemorated the 25th anniversary of her death.
