Comic book artist Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez isn’t going to wait around for opportunities to come knocking at his door. He’s taking the initiative and letting Netflix know what he wants.
On Sunday (Feb. 28), Miranda-Rodriguez pitched Netflix on the idea of producing a live-action TV series based on his Afro-Latina superhero creation, La Borinqueña, with an all Latinx cast and shot on location in Puerto Rico. His tweet comes days after the streaming giant released a study that showed its Latinx representation was sorely lacking across the board.
Act 27, also known as the Puerto Rico Film Industry Economic Incentives Act, was passed in 2011. It gives tax exemptions and tax credits to film and TV production companies.
While the incentives are there, Miranda-Rodriguez said the problem in Hollywood when it comes to diversity in storytelling always comes back to the same thing. Most studios are run by predominantly white men who decide what to produce. If it doesn’t resonate with them, it doesn’t get green-lit.
“U.S. born Latinx have been consuming content for generations that doesn’t reflect our experience or stories,” Miranda-Rodriguez told Remezcla during an interview earlier this week. “Until we are seen as valued storytellers, we will continue to be left out.”
Now, however, with the power of social media, consumers have a platform to articulate what they want to see on the big and small screens. Creators like Miranda-Rodriguez, too, have a voice to make sure studios like Netflix know that he is out there and ready for their call.
When Miranda-Rodriguez posted his comment on Twitter a few days ago, it didn’t take long for others in the industry, like actress Rosario Dawson (Sin City), to take notice. She followed Miranda-Rodriguez’s strategy by reaching out to tell him she wanted to be a part of the project. Dawson is the voice of La Borinqueña when the character is animated for social campaigns.
“La Borinqueña is a brilliant character that has already generated so much goodwill in the world,” Dawson told Remezcla this week. “I’ve been a huge fan and grateful collaborator for years and am seeking to continue supporting her by producing and hopefully directing the pilot of a La Borinqueña series.”
Also, throwing her name into the ring this week was 16-year-old Madison Reyes (TV’s Julie and the Phantoms) who is pitching herself to play the title superhero. On social media, she got her fans to post #MadiAsLaBorinquena.
“To bring this character to life in live action, hopefully embodied by the incredibly talented Madison Reyes, would be a dream come true,” Dawson said. “We all need to experience representation on this level.”