Sofia Vergara will be front and centre of your Netflix trending early next year as she stars in the Andrés Biaz directed biopic, ‘Griselda.’ The six-episode miniseries, produced by Eric Newman, Ingrid Escajeda, Carlo Bernard and Doug Miro, depicts the life of crime of the fearless Griselda Blanco otherwise known as ‘Black Widow’ or ‘Cocaine Godmother.’
Blanco, the world’s first female criminal billionaire, was a notorious drug lord born in 1943 in Cartagena, Colombia and played a significant role in the rise of the powerful Medellín Cartel, a formidable drug trafficking organisation based in Colombia and commonly recognised as the cartel managed and operated by Pablo Escobar. Blanco was most notably known for her involvement in drug smuggling, distribution, and ruthless means of violence. Blanco’s criminal empire extended to the United States, where she established a vast drug distribution network, particularly in Miami and New York City in the 70’s and 80’s and became intensely monitored by the US Government.
The limited series will highlight how Griselda helped build the largest and most profitable drug cartel ever while simultaneously raising three children. It is widely rumoured that Pablo Escobar was mentored by Griselda Blanco on the cocaine trade, which ultimately led to Escobar becoming the sole leader of the multi-billion dollar Medellín empire. Blanco was regarded as a ruthless and cunning leader, willing to do everything and anything to protect her drug regime. Griselda was labelled of her ‘Black Widow’ nickname for murdering her 3 different husbands, all of which she saw as a threat of compromising the success of the Medellín cartel. Blanco was born in poverty-stricken Colombia where she was raised into the life of crime, clocking in her first kill at 11 years old and rumoured to have murdered a minimum of 250 people in her lifetime. She was widely feared in due to her lack of emotion, compassion and willingness to murder anyone standing in her way.
Blanco was said to have invented the drive-by shooting method, efficient in the world of crime resulting in swift and anonymous murder. Ironically, Griselda Blanco was assassinated on September 3rd, 2012 via a drive-by shooting. ‘Griselda’ is set to release on Netflix on January 25, 2024.
Watch the official teaser from Netflix below: