Netflix Releases First Look at Reset ‘Narcos: Mexico’

Netflix has released a first look at the reset Narcos: Mexico, which sees the show’s focus move further north.

While the first three seasons of Narcos focused on the Colombian drug trade during the time of Pablo Escobar, the new series is turning a spotlight to the drug war surrounding Mexico’s Guadalajara cartel.

Originally planned as a fourth season of Narcos, in recent weeks Narcos: Mexico has been defined as more of a companion series to the original rather than a continuation, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The new series will star Michael Pena (Ant-Man and The Wasp) and Diego Luna (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) as co-leads.

Narcos: Mexico will specifically address “the origins of the modern drug war by going back to a time when the Mexican trafficking world was a loose and disorganized confederation of independent growers and dealers.”

Peña will star as Kiki Camarena, “a family man and an undercover DEA agent who garnered valuable intel through a series of informants around Félix and his newly minted Guadalajara Cartel, but who quickly realizes that he has underestimated the sophistication of Gallardo’s system.”

Luna takes the antagonist role, starring as Félix Gallardo — the Guadalajara Cartel leader — who “is one of the biggest narcos in the history of Mexico and the founder of the modern Mexican drug trade.

Gallardo is described as “quiet but bold, inscrutable but sharp-minded, and a benevolent leader who is loyal to his friends, associates and employees — but whose ambition comes before all else.”

Narcos star Pedro Pascal, who was a series lead for all three seasons of the show, spoke to THR in 2017 about his role and where the series was at the time.

“By the end of season one, Escobar is escaping from prison,” he explained. “We can’t manipulate the timeline too much from there, so we knew that we would be messing with the authenticity and experience of the show if we tried to stretch out Pablo beyond season two.”

“I knew the characters Steve Murphy and Javier Pena were very much threaded into that two-season outline, but beyond that I had no idea. So I kind of had to feel it unfold while we shot season three,” Pascal added. “I didn’t really know if I’d be stuck behind a desk, if I’d be chasing anybody, if I would go completely good or completely bad, or stay alive like the real Pena.”

“It was totally open territory as far as what my character was doing because he wasn’t there,” He continued. “Though they did implement him into real events and actual actions of those that were, which is cool. But I had to find that out as it went along. I would ask, ‘So somebody did do this?’ And they said, ‘Yeah.’ “

Netflix has not announced a premiere date for Narcos: Mexico at this time, but speculation suggests it will air sometime in 2018.