Sofia Vergara is taking on a new role as Netflix announced the former Modern Family star would lead its forthcoming limited drama series Griselda from the creative team behind its Narcos franchise.

The actress will take on the titular part of Griselda Blanco in the project from writer Eric Newman as part of his overall deal with Netflix. Vergara and Newman are set to executive produce alongside showrunner and writer Ingrid Esajeda as well as Luis Balaguer, Doug Miro, Andrés Baiz, and Carlo Bernard.

The show chronicles the real life of Columbian businesswoman, Griselda Blanco, who was responsible for creating one of the most powerful and profitable cartels in history. Known as the “Black Widow,” Griselda’s a devoted mother with a lethal blend of charm and savagery that helped her navigate between family and business-leading.

(Credit: Courtesy of Netflix)

“Griselda Blanco was a larger-than-life character whose ruthless but ingenious tactics allowed her to rule a billion dollar empire years before many of the most notorious male kingpins we know so much about,” Vergara said in a statement. “We are thrilled to have found the perfect partners in Eric, Andrés, and Netflix to help us bring this story of her life to the screen.”

The series is a passion project of Vergara’s who has been developing the series with Luis Balaguer for the past eight years at Latin World Entertainment before bringing it to Netflix. The standalone drama is not a spinoff and has no direct ties to the Narcos franchise.

“Griselda Blanco has long been a passion project for Sofia and we are grateful that she and her partners at LatinWe have chosen us to help her tell that story,” Newman shared in a statement. “Sofia is a brilliant talent and her passion combined with a fantastic story from Doug and Ingrid, and the amazing Andrés Baiz at the directing helm, means we have a very exciting series to share with audiences.

Ordered for six 50-minute episodes, Griselda‘s installments will be directed by Columbian native Andrés Baiz. Stay tuned for more details as the series takes shape at Netflix.

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