Gina Rodriguez Executive Producing Netflix Adaptation of ‘Princess Of South Beach’
If you’re a fan of the telenovela podcast Princess of South Beach or telenovelas in general, get your hearts ready
Photos: Dominick D./ courtesy of I Heart Radio
If you’re a fan of the telenovela podcast Princess of South Beach or telenovelas in general, get your hearts ready. Gina Rodriguez, who currently stars in the new acclaimed ABC series Not Dead Yet, is confirmed to be executive producing a television adaptation for Netflix of the popular bilingual scripted telenovela-inspired podcast.It currently stars Rachel Zegler (West Side Story, Shazam 2), Raul Esparza (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit), Gina Torres (Fireflly, 9-1-1:Lone Star), Danny Pino (Lucy), and Sheryl Rubio (The House of Flowers) in the main roles but it has yet to be announced if the voice actors will reprise their roles for the TV series or if Rodriguez will star. For now, she will be developing the project through her production company I Can & I Will Productions, along with the podcast streamer Sonoro, iHeart’s My Cultura Network, and Jasmine Romero, according to Deadline.
Princess of South Beach follows twin sisters Maria del Carmen and Gloria, both voiced by Zegler, who were separated at birth and as a result, lead radically different lives in a convent and a rich, well-do-to family. When Gloria is killed in a freak accident, Maria takes on her sister’s identity and infiltrates her family, uncovering dramatic secrets and numerous twists and turns along the way. The series was recently renewed for a second season, which will follow characters Raul (voiced by Esperza) and Estrella (voiced by X Mayo) as they “set off on a road trip to figure out the whereabouts of Estrella’s long-lost high school sweetheart, Gabby, and in turn, uncover the dark past behind Esteban Calderon,” according to Deadline. Since its initial release, the podcast has been one of the most popular titles at iHeart’s My Cultura Network and even received an Ambies nomination for Best Fiction Podcast.
“The Princess of South Beach is the realization of my ‘Guilty Pleasure Dream Come True’!! I grew up watching nighttime soaps and telenovelas with my mother. So I jumped at the chance to play the over the top matriarch of the Calderon family, Luisa,” Torres previously told HipLatina. “Along with an amazing cast of Latinx actors, we will take you on an unforgettable ride of scandal, intrigue, romance and plenty of humor.”
No release date for the TV adaptation has been announced yet but it will be available to stream on Netflix. In the meantime, the second season of the podcast series will be available on iHeart Radio and Apple Podcasts.
