The story of notorious Mexican drug lord El Chapo, who successfully escaped from jail three times, is heading to the small screen.
The History Channel is in the works of developing a drama series called Cartel about the true story of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, arguably the most powerful kingpin in history. The show will be centered on his 25-year reign as the ruler of Mexican drug cartels, which involved power, sex, money and violence. Unlike drug lords of the past, El Chapo has a fan base and relationships in the media and entertainment industry.
El Chapo made huge headlines in January this year because he was caught after a six-month manhunt. Sean Penn and Mexican actress Kate del Castillo secretly met up with him to interview him and help develop his story into a movie. Neither Penn or del Castillo will be involved in Cartel, however Narcos co-creator Chris Brancato will pen the script.
Brancato describes the show in the following statement:
The show is a metaphor for the lives we present on the internet, the secret selves we reveal in supposedly private communication, and the risks of not-so-humble-bragging on social media.
Brancato’s attachment will no doubt do the show justice because he was involved in the creation of the original Netflix series Narcos, which also tackles drug cartels from another infamous Colombian drug lord, Pablo Escobar.