Selena Quintanilla, queen of Tejano music, Latinx crossover hits and mi corazon, is getting a scripted television series on Netflix. Don’t worry, her family is on board.
According to Deadline, it’s titled Selena: The Series and is “the official story of Tejano music legend, Selena Quintanilla,” covering her origin story, rise to fame and, presumably, her tragic death.
Selena’s sister Suzette Quintanilla, an executive producer on the project (Abraham Quintanilla Jr., Selena’s father and manager, is also an EP), shared a statement:
“Selena will always have a lasting place in music history and we feel great responsibility to do justice to her memory. With this series, viewers will finally get the full history of Selena, our family, and the impact she has had on all of our lives. We are excited to partner with Campanario and Netflix to give fans a never-before-seen glimpse at our story and highlight why Selena will remain a legend for generations to come.”
This appears to be good news after a history of the entertainment industry trying to make money off Selena’s memory against her family’s wishes. There was the Selena Gomez duet. And there was the battle between Selena’s father and her widower, Chris Perez, the latter of whom attempted to greenlight a television series based on his memoir (Selena’s father called it “unauthorized”).
A release date for the Netflix series has yet to be announced, and the 15-second promo leaves much to be desired, but it’s real. It has been 21 years since Jennifer Lopez’s career was swung all the way open with her portrayal of the iconic singer in the 1997 biopic Selena and I’m ready for more.
Mi reina por vida: