The life of Celia Cruz, known by many to be the “Queen of Latin Music,” is getting adapted for the small screen for a second time, this time for the English language television market. Kenny Ortega, best known for his work on High School Musical and Dirty Dancing, will serve as one of the project’s directors and producers.
The series will be primarily based on Celia: My Life, the singer’s autobiography, as well as 500 hours of taped interviews Cruz made for the Smithsonian before her death at the age of 77 in 2003. For those unfamiliar with Celia Cruz, the Cuban native is arguably the most influential figure in the history of Latin music, recording over 70 albums throughout her well-documented career. In October 2015, an 80-episode docudrama based on Cruz’s life, appropriately named Celia, premiered on Telemundo.
Flavio Morales, the executive vice president of Endemol Shine Latino, will also executive produce with another production partner in Major TV. No release date has been announced for the TV project, but we hope the producers get the casting of Celia Cruz right.