Televisa & Sony Unveil Donnie Brasco Series Adaptation

MIAMI: Sony Pictures Television (SPT) and Televisa have announced the second co-production under their previously established partnership, El Dandy, a new original teleseries based on the film Donnie Brasco.

The 70×1-hour drama is currently in production in and around Mexico City. The series will air across multiple Televisa platforms in Mexico as well as on UniMás in the U.S. El Dandy is being sold across Latin America and U.S. Hispanic markets by Sony Pictures Television, while Televisa holds distribution rights for the east and south of Europe. The two are jointly distributing the series throughout the rest of the world.

“This is an auspicious time for our production business in Latin America as we look to produce an unprecedented number of scripted prime-time series in 2015,” said Angelica Guerra, the senior VP and managing director of production for Latin America and U.S. Hispanic for SPT. “El Dandy is one of our most ambitious projects to date and we have worked very closely with Televisa to put together some tremendous talent behind it.”

“As part of the long-term co-production agreement between Sony Pictures Television and Televisa, we are pleased to announce the launch of El Dandy, which shows the joint capabilities of both companies,” added Fernando Perez Gavilan, the VP of Televisa International. “In a competitive environment, the production values, edgy stories and continuity offered by our series distinguish us in the market and certainly earn the audience's preference.”

“As we have seen with Senorita Polvora, there is a strong appetite across the region for high-caliber, locally produced teleseries,” commented Alexander Marin, the senior VP of distribution for Latin America and U.S. Hispanic at Sony Pictures Television. “El Dandy is a fast-paced and edgy drama that taps into a well-known story and characters, so we are confident it will draw similar interest.”