If you were a teenager in the mid-2000s and were exposed to Spanish-language radio and/or television, it’s impossible that you weren’t aware of Mexican pop group RBD. Their reach was nearly inescapable for several years. If you didn’t watch their telenovela (Rebelde), you certainly heard their songs or encountered young people trying to imitate their style. It was a craze.
Ten years after their final performance in Madrid the moneymaking puppet master behind them, producer Pedro Damián, is creating a documentary encompassing the phenomenon’s entire story. Although the project seems to be in its early stages, a recently released teaser serves as proof of concept for what he envisions.
Assembled from more than 200 hours of never-before-seen material that includes backstage footage, confessionals, interviews with heartbroken fans, and everything in between, the film hopes to capture what it was like to be part of such a high profile group right before social media became what it is today. RBD’s fame was developed through the television machinery and promoted through traditional avenues for incredible results: they sold over 50 million albums (most of them still physical).
For years, fans have begged for a reunion tour, but even if that is unlikely, the doc will help quench their nostalgic thirst for now. A decade after their separation, Alfonso Herrera is the only one of the six members that has fully managed to outgrow his RBD days and launch his acting career internationally with the inclusive Netflix show Sense8 and Fox’s The Exorcist. The other five continue to create music and star in novelas with varying degrees of success.
There is no release date set for the documentary yet, but you can start dusting off your preppy school uniform now.