Raul Mendez has landed a Godmother of a role…
The 42-year-old Mexican actor will star in Lifetime’s original movie Cocaine Godmother, starring Catherine Zeta-Jones.
Directed by Guillermo Navarro, Cocaine Godmother is based on the life of Miami drug lord Griselda Blanco (Zeta-Jones), one the original “Cocaine Cowboys” who pioneered the drug trade between Colombia and the U.S. in the 70s and 80s.
Mendez will star as Dario, an associate of Pablo Escobar and Griselda’s third husband.
In addition to Mendez, the list of recent cast additions includes Jenny Pellicer (The Bridge) as Carolina, one of Griselda’s female lovers; Jose Julian (A Better Life) as Uber, Griselda’s second-oldest son (she had 4 boys); Juan Pablo Espinosa (La Fan) as Alberto, one of Griselda’s criminal associates, and her second husband; and Warren Christie (The Catch) as Jimmy, the DEA agent who hunted her down.
Blanco was living in Queens, NY, when she became embroiled with local drug runners. After moving to Miami to expand her empire, the death of her second husband gave rise to her nickname The Black Widow. She later moved to California, was deported to Colombia and was gunned down in 2012. In her lifetime, Griselda’s drug distribution network spanned across the United States and she was suspected of ordering over 200 murders.
The film will go into production this year and premiere in 2018 on Lifetime.
Mendez’s credits include major recurring roles on Narcos and Sense8.
Cocaine Godmother is produced by Asylum Entertainment for Lifetime.
Navarro (Pan’s Labrynth, Narcos) will direct from a script written by David McKenna (American History X).
