Gato Grande, an Amazon MGM Studios company, has unveiled the next project from its recently launched English-language division: mystery satire “Miami Spice.”
Cuban-American showrunner Art Alamo, best known for his work on “Law & Order,” will be writing and producing “Miami Spice,” which is based on the novel “Mango, Mambo and Murder”from author Raquel V. Reyes’ lauded Caribbean Kitchen Mystery book series.
“Miami Spice” revolves around Cuban-American chef Miriam Quiñonez, who, after a career-ending scandal in New York, moves back to Miami with her husband and 5-year-old son. She’s keen for a fresh start but gets caught up in a murder mystery that rocks her rich, mostly white neighborhood. Miriam learns that her new community can be as cutthroat as any five-star restaurant.
Said Emmy-winning Gato Grande CEO Carla Vargas Gonzalez:“‘Miami Spice’ will play on the riveting mystery and biting wit that fans loved in ‘Big Little Lies’ and ‘only Murders in the Building.’ Raquel V. Reyes’ brilliant book series is exactly the type of Latin American IP that will hook mainstream audiences.”
Vargas Gonzalez (“Wednesday,” “Luis Miguel: The Series”), who founded Gato Grande, serves as executive producer while the company’s Megan Espinoza will lead the creative team.
This latest series is in keeping with the new division’s mandate to produce English-language series and films sourced from Latin American intellectual properties.
Just last week, Vargas Gonzalez announced a multi-million-dollar budget to draw on more Latin American IP for mainstream audiences worldwide, a strategy that more Iberoamerican-led companies are also following, given the wealth of untapped globally appealing stories from Latin America.
“Our expansion into English-language film and television is a natural progression for our business,” said Gonzalez Vargas then. “In doing so, it will allow us to advance storylines that include Latino-based characters that are not limited to Spanish-speaking territories or storylines,” she added.
Its first project announced, “Clipperton,” is inspired by best-selling Colombian author Laura Restrepo’s debut novel “The Isle of Passion.”
The bi-cultural company with offices in Los Angeles and Mexico is 50% owned by MGM, which was acquired by Amazon for $8.5 billion in 2022. The company has produced Latin-American hit: “Luis Miguel: The Series” (Netflix), “Libre de Reír “(Amazon Prime) among several others.
Gato Grande is represented by Brian Dobbins and Kimberlin Belloni at Artists First. Alamo is represented by Soctt Seidel and Daniela Federman at WME.
