Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's life and times are to be brought to television screens across the United States later this year, in a new series that is surely a dream come true for one of the world's most wanted men.
Colombian writer and ex-drug trafficker Andres Lopez Lopez, the man behind hugely popular television series Cartel of the Snitches (Cartel de los Sapos) and Lord of the Skies (El Señor de los Cielos), has penned the script for new drama "The Drug Lord" (El Varon de la Droga) based on El Chapo's exploits. The series, which will go out on US channel Univision in October, will not be a biography but will aim to recreate the Sinaloa Cartel leader's history and influences using infomartion Lopez has gathered from people close to Guzman, reported Milenio.
Lopez argued there was nothing wrong with putting drug traffickers on screen, saying their stories "had to be told because it is a reality which affects all of us." He promised to go further than just showing the inside of the drug trafficking business and also illustrate the consequences of such activities on criminals' personal lives and the lives of those around them, reported Proceso.
InSight Crime Analysis
The news of the show must be music to the ears of "El Chapo," who has already made himself a living legend by making a mockery of US and Mexican authorities for years. A show immortalizing his exploits, undoubtedly heightening their drama, will only further the myth surrounding him and his kudos in the eyes of the general public.
The show will undoubtedly find an eager audience -- The Boss of Evil, a soap opera based on the life of Pablo Escobar broadcast last year, became one of the most popular Colombian shows of all time and has been sold to more than 60 countries around the world.
SEE ALSO: El Chapo Profile
What sets this show apart from its predecessors is its focus on a drug lord who is still alive and free, and whose life story remains highly contentious. This raises questions as to how the series will treat disputed myths -- such as the commonly accepted but dubious story of how El Chapo escaped prison in a laundry cart -- and how it will portray characters that continue to operate in the real world at the same time as they appear on the screen.
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