Netflix has likely found its Selena.
Vulture reports that Christian Serratos, who is of Mexican and Italian heritage and currently stars as Rosita on The Walking Dead, will star as Selena Quintanilla-Perez in the streaming site’s upcoming series about the singer.
THR reports that the casting is currently in negotiations over scheduling issues with the AMC drama, which shoots in Atlanta. The Selena series will begin shooting in Mexico in the next month.
The two-part limited series, which was originally announced in December, will be developed alongside and executive produced by Selena’s family.
Per Netflix, the series is “a coming of age story following Selena as her dreams come true and all the heart-wrenching and life-changing choices she and her family have to make as they navigate success, family, and music.” It’s executive produced by Moisés Zamora.
Serratos, 28, is currently best known for TWD, but she’s also known for role as Angela in the Twilight movies, Raven on The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Suzie Crabgrass on Ned’s Declassifed School Survival Guide, and guest appearances on American Horror Story, Hannah Montana, 7th Heaven, and Zoey 101. So basically Serratos is taking her already iconic career to a whole new level of iconic.
Selena was known as the Queen of Tejano music and was one of the biggest Latin crossover artists in the world. She was murdered when she was 23 by Yolanda Saldivar, a business manager-turned-agent, who shot her after a confrontation over Saldivar having embezzled money from Selena’s fan club and boutiques.
Vinnie Zuffante/Getty Images; Rob Latour/Variety/Shutterstock
“Selena will always have a lasting place in music history and we feel great responsibility to do justice to her memory. With this series, viewers will finally get the full history of Selena, our family, and the impact she has had on all of our lives. We are excited to partner with Campanario and Netflix to give fans a never-before-seen glimpse at our story and highlight why Selena will remain a legend for generations to come.” Suzette Quintanilla, sister of Selena Quintanilla, said in a statement when the series was announced.
Jennifer Lopez famously played Selena in the 1997 movie Selena. No release date for the series has been announced.
Netflix has not yet commented on the casting.