El Chapo Drama Series in the Works at HISTORY

NEW YORK: HISTORY has teamed up with writer/producer Chris Brancato (Narcos) to develop the new original drama series #Cartel, centered on drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.

Produced by ABC Signature and A+E Studios, #Cartel will chart El Chapo’s rise to power. The series will look inside the world of drug cartels, exploring how social media is used to maintain their image, recruit new members and threaten rivals. The network has ordered a first-episode script for the project.

“As we expand the canvas of topics covered by HISTORY to include events of the recent past, we are pleased to be teaming with Chris Brancato on this project,” said Jana Bennett, the president and general manager of HISTORY. “The true story of El Chapo, fraught with murder, drugs, corruption and celebrity, has been and continues to be one of the most disturbing and fascinating of the past decade. Chris is the perfect person to bring this slice of modern history to the screen.”

“I’ve long been an avid viewer of HISTORY, so it’s a thrill to work with them on this story about the intersection of technology and crime,” said Brancato. “The show is a metaphor for the lives we present on the internet, the secret selves we reveal in supposedly private communication, and the risks of not-so-humble-bragging on social media.”