If you and your crew haven’t already been following the epic real life saga of Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán, Univision’s television dramatization of the crime lord’s story returns for season two in September. In the latest teaser for El Chapo, the critically acclaimed series picks up on the notorious Mexican outlaw as he plans his escape from prison and plots his revenge.
El Chapo’s exploits have made him a figure of global fascination. Mexican law enforcement has accused him of running the “largest drug trafficking organization in the world” and he long evaded authorities after a successful prison escape. He was recaptured in early 2016 after a now infamous meeting with actors Kate Del Castillo and Sean Penn, who were invited to meet Guzmán to discuss a project Castillo wanted to produce about his life. Castillo’s account of El Chapo – that he treated her with courtesy, had deep care for his family and “love inside there somewhere” –drew huge public interest, given its incongruity with the drug lord’s violent role in Mexico’s narco conflict. By some estimates, Guzmán is considered responsible for the deaths of about 34,000 people.
While “the real” El Chapo has always been a subject of much debate and intrigue, he is unquestionably a dangerous and powerful man running an international criminal enterprise – and the Univision series from Silvana Aguirre Zegarra and Carlos Contreras doesn’t shy away from this. But the show also creates a character who contains multitudes. Actor Marco de la O (Tanto Amor) undertakes the challenge to completely turn himself into this figure of infamy, which like most dramatic undertakings probably takes some liberties with the real life Chapo. Is he the romantic who tries to woo one of Mexico starlets? Is he a family man? Does he have more integrity than the corrupt governments he functions alongside?
Season one of El Chapo drew a large audience to the show, feeding into the mass intrigue have about the figure who has done so many unthinkable things. Seriously, he took a bathroom break in prison, moved a wall piece and dropped into a tunnel with a motorcycle on a track ready for his escape. It honestly writes itself. And while season two will premiere in September, Netflix now has the first season streaming to binge before the premiere.