Creator/Producer Kalinda Vazquez Signs Deal with Netflix and Launches with YA Thriller

Latinx representation in Hollywood is still a work-in-progress but streaming giants like Amazon and Netflix are partnering with Latina powerhouses to change that. One Day at a Time showrunner Gloria Calderón Kellett inked a deal with Amazon for exclusive rights to her content for three years, Deadline reported. Now Netflix has signed a deal with creator, writer, and producer Kalinda Vazquez (Star Trek: Discovery, Fear The Walking Dead). She also previously worked on Once Upon a Time (2011), Nikita (2010) and Prison Break (2005) so with a resume that leans heavily on thrillers and fantasy, her first project developing a young adult mystery is right in her element.

 Arbor Hall, is an original YA mystery/thriller centered on a Latina teenager investigating the mysterious disappearance of her best friend on the campus of their exclusive boarding school. Along the way, she discovers an underbelly of her school that is far darker than just money and privilege.

Tonight an all new ep of #OnceUponATime written by myself and @AndrewChambliss airs @ 8/7c! Rumple is very excited! pic.twitter.com/G0MkEIUlMW

— Kalinda Vazquez (@KalindaVazquez) November 2, 2014

“Kalinda is a rare talent with a passion for genre storytelling and a trove of ideas and original concepts,” Alex Sapot, director of overall deals at Netflix, said in a statement. “We’re thrilled and privileged to support her vision and bring her distinctive voice, characters and stories to the forefront.”

She is currently writing an untitled Star Trek movie for Paramount and Bad Robot in addition to adapting Roger Zelazny’s science-fiction novel Roadmarks as a series for HBO, with George R.R. Martin (Game of Thrones author) producing.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled to be joining the Netflix family – it is a huge honor and joy to have a creative home at a place where originality is trumpeted and creators’ unique visions are fostered. I am so excited for what is to come,” Vazquez said in a statement.

Some of the prominent Latinx shows on Netflix right now include Gentefied, On My Block — which ended this year — and Maya and the Three which features Indigenous history from Latin America. The network was also home to One Day at a Time before it was canceled after three seasons. The cancellation caused an uproar after fans of the show used the hashtag #saveodaat to revive the show. The network didn’t but with shows like Gentefied there’s been a growing focus at the streaming network on Latinx stories so this deal with Vazquez and the development of Arbor Hall it’s good to see that continues to be the case.

There’s no word yet on a release date for Arbor Hall or who will be a part of the cast.