Fauda’s Assaf Bernstein Working on Narco Drama with Mediapro Studio

The Mediapro Studio US and Paraiso Pictures are co-producing the new spy thriller El Medico, which will be executive produced and directed by Assaf Bernstein, who was director on the first season of Fauda.

The English-language series puts a spin on the narco genre by telling the true story of a drug trafficker who became a government spy, not against the cartel, but to bring down a terrorist mastermind. It centers on El Medico, a drug boss whose plea deal with the government evaporates after one of his former partners is linked to the September 11 attacks. Accused of terrorism, El Medico is forced to cooperate with a series of law enforcement and intelligence agencies in an increasingly dangerous political game—one filled with inter-governmental backstabbing, CIA mischief and an American desire for retribution in the wake of the worst terrorist attack in history.

“El Medico is the style of fiction that we are developing at The Mediapro Studio: strong, innovative and powerful stories developed by great storytellers, such as Assaf Bernstein and Michael Nozik, and suitable for audiences around the world,” said Laura Fernandez Espeso, corporate and TV director at The Mediapro Studio.

“I am excited to be working once more with Assaf and Michael, two of the most talented people I have had the pleasure of collaborating with in the past. I am confident in their vision for translating this unique and untold story to the screen,” added Daniel Burman, head of content for The Mediapro Studio US.

Santiago Díaz, CEO of Paraiso Pictures, said, “El Medico is not a story about drug traffickers. It is the story of a unique drug trafficker who is forced to move away from the local universe that other series have portrayed so well to save his life and that of his family by entering a game that at first seems to be too big for him, but that by the end, he will dominate with great ease and dexterity.”