Gael García Bernal to star in drama series about undocumented immigrants

Mexican actor and director Gael García Bernal attends the 2018 Vanity Fair Oscar Party following the 90th Academy Awards at The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, California, on March 4, 2018. Image: AFP/Jean-Baptiste Lacroix

The as-yet untitled series, created by Jonás Cuarón, is based on Karla Cornejo Villavicencio’s upcoming book “Undocumented America.”

The plot will revolve around Marco, a Mexican-American family man living as an undocumented immigrant in the United States. When his wife is detained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, a desperate Marco poses as an immigration officer to rescue her.

Gael García Bernal (“Coco”) will star as Marco, as well as executive-produce the project.

“Lie To Me” creator Sam Baum will also serve as executive producer, along with journalist Karla Cornejo Villavicencio, whose book “Undocumented America” (out June 2019) inspired the series.

Jonás Cuarón, who co-wrote 2013’s “Gravity”, has previously worked with Bernal on the 2015 feature thriller “Desierto” which saw Bernal play a Mexican migrant worker trying to cross the U.S. border in search of a better life. Bernal will also be seen in Cuarón’s reworking of Zorro, titled “Z”.

Bernal’s previous TV outings include the Golden Globe-winning series “Mozart in the Jungle”. He will next be seen in the English-language remake of Israeli film “The Kindergarten Teacher”.

“Chicuarotes”, Bernal’s second directorial effort, is expected to be released in 2019. JB

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