The late Vicente Fernández’s life story is headed to the small screen…
Univision and Televisa are joining forces to produce a biopic series inspired by the legendary Mexican singer, actor and film producer.
The new series will be based on the book El Último Rey, penned by journalist Olga Womat, for which Televisa reached an agreement with Editorial Planeta to acquire the rights, according to a statement from Univision and Televisa.
Without revealing many details about the series, like the release date or cast, the announcement comes a month after the death of the ranchera icon, who died December 12 in a hospital in his native Guadalajara. The cause of death was complications following surgery for a cervical spine injury after a fall last August. Fernández had remained hospitalized since then in stable but serious condition.
Univision and Televisa’s series on Fernández isn’t the only one that will see the light of day.
The Idol of the People, starring Mexican singer and actor Jaime Camil, is a Caracol TV production that will air on that Colombian television network and for which Netflix has acquired world rights outside of Colombia.
A cultural icon to generations, the Jalisco-born artist was known for his swooning rancheras, like “Hermoso Cariño” and “Acá Entre Nos,” and timeless folk anthems that he serenaded fans with for decades. The Mexican cultural icon also holds the record for the most top 10s on Billboard’s Regional Mexican Albums chart to date, with a total of 49.
Over on the all-metric Hot Latin Songs tally — a blend of airplay, streams and digital sales — Fernández holds the record for the most entries for a regional Mexican solo act, with a total of 61.
Following his death, the catalog of songs by the man known as the “Charro de Huentitán’s” increased 721% globally in the days, according to reports to MRC Data. Collectively, his songs generated 97.3 million on-demand streams on December 12 and 13, compared to the 11.9 million streams accrued on December 10 and 11.
Born February 17, 1940, Fernández began his career singing on the streets of his hometown Guadalajara and went on to record more than 50 albums, starred in more than 2 dozen telenovelas and Mexican films, and became a touring titan always going onstage with his iconic traje de charro that included ornate sombreros and embroidered jackets.
