Hold on to your bustier—Netflix just dropped the first teaser for the Selena series we’ve all been waiting for! The two-part series is set to release in 2020, but since we first heard about it late last year, Latinx lovers of the Tejana queen have been wondering who would be portraying the late singer and how this story would measure up to the 1997 film starring Jennifer Lopez.
Today, Netflix announced that Selena Quintanilla will be portrayed by Christian Serratos from The Walking Dead. Serratos, who is nowhere as curvaceous in the Bidi Bidi Bom Bom, does strike a resemblance to Selena in the teaser with the iconic red lips, feathered bangs, and legendary purple stoned jumpsuit.
For those of us who were alive at the time of Selena’s untimely and tragic death, Selena remains a memory of when Chicanx/Latinx culture was at the forefront of cross-over into the mainstream as Selena was at the height of her career with a cross-over album. For those who only know Selena as a pop culture figure, she continues to live on as a beacon of kindness and joy that shines on through music and film and now television. Millennials and Gen-Xers fawn over the diva and her contagious music.
Netflix shares:
Selena: The Series is a coming of age story that follows Selena Quintanilla as her dreams come true and all the heart-wrenching and life-changing choices she and her family have to make as they navigate success, family, and music.
Serratos will be joined by Ricardo Chavira as Selena’s father Abraham Quintanilla; Gabriel Chavarria as Selena’s brother and family’s music producer A.B. Quintanilla; Noemi Gonzalez as Selena’s sister and first female drummer in Tejano music, Suzette Quintanilla, Seidy Lopez as Selena’s mother, Marcella Quintanilla; and Madison Taylor Baez will play Selena as a child.
The series is already in production and is being produced by Jaime Dávila, Rico Martinez, Suzette Quintanilla, Simran A. Singh, and Moisés Zamora.
Dávila shared in a statement:
Selena is an inspirational figure who’s transcended generations. At Campanario, we’ve always known it was crucial for this series to find actors with the right mix of talent, charisma, and passion to honor Selena’s legacy and the story of her family. Our casting director Carla Hool and her team have found an amazing cast to depict the Quintanilla family, and we’re sure fans everywhere will be captivated yet again by Selena’s incredible life.
I’m not screaming, you’re screaming!
Me siento muy—excited! All you little fan girls and gay boys, get your devices ready for those Selena-themed binge parties in 2020!
Here’s the first teaser for Selena: The Series:
