Here’s a Sneak Peek of Netflix’s New Series Based on the Life of Selena Quintanilla
Credit to Author: Alex Zaragoza| Date: Tue, 12 Nov 2019 18:39:32 +0000
Get your sparkly purple jumpsuit and your worn-out copy of Amor Prohibido ready, because Netflix just released their first peek at their upcoming series Selena: The Series, starring Christian Serratos.
The series, which began principal photography in October, is a biographical, coming of age story about Tejano superstar Selena Quintanilla, who was poised for a U.S. crossover career in pop when she was murdered by the president of her fan club, Yolanda Saldivar. Quintanilla was only 23 when she was killed outside of a Days Inn motel in her hometown of Corpus Christie, Texas.
In the sneak peak, released on Tuesday, Serratos dons the iconic purple jumpsuit Selena wore during her televised 1995 concert at the Houston Astrodome and walks through the set, taking a moment to pet Madison Taylor Baez, who plays the young Selena in the series. The Walking Dead star steps into a role also made famous by Jennifer Lopez in the 1997 film Selena; pretty big shoes to fill.
The rest of the cast includes The Purge's Gabriel Chavarria as Selena's brother, A.B. Quintanilla, East Los High's Noemi Gonzalez as her sister, Suzette Quintanilla, Scandal's Ricardo Chavira as family patriarch and manager, Abraham Quintanilla and Mi Vida Loca's Seidy Lopez as mother Marcella Quintanilla.
The Quintanilla family has previously used Selena's image and music for numerous projects, including a MAC makeup collection and a clothing collection with Forever 21. Some have argued that the family has been exploiting her memory and important place in the Latinx community by repeatedly licensing her image and name for financial gain. The series, which lists Suzette Quintanilla as an executive producer, may feel like another instance of wringing the singer's legacy for more profit. In 2017, Abraham Quintanilla won a lawsuit against Selena's husband Chris Perez, blocking the production of a series based on his book To Selena with Love. The book and series, Abraham Quintanilla argued, breached a contract Perez signed two months after his wife's murder, giving Abraham exclusive rights to Selena's name, voice, photographs, her story, and other rights in perpetuity.
Still, the series will likely be streamed by millions of the "Como La Flor" singer's fans as she's remained, more than 20 years after her death, a vital figure within Latinx culture.
Watch the clip below.
This article originally appeared on VICE US.