Prime Video Mexico is firing up a new original series, “Mentiras,” based on the popular Mexican stage musical.
Singer-actor Belinda and Luis Gerardo Méndez (“Club de Cuervos,” “Narcos”) lead a stellar cast that includes Mariana Treviño (“A Man Called Otto”), Diana Bovio (“Lecciones para canallas”) and Regina Blandón (“Maquíllameotra vez”).
Gabriel Ripstein, whose credits include series “An Unknown Enemy” (“Un extraño enemigo”) and Berlin best first feature winner “600 Miles,” created the series and will serve as director and showrunner.
“In this adaptation, we will pay tribute to a story and characters that the audience adores and expand their universe, thanks to a completely innovative visual narrative,” Ripstein said. “To bring this story to life, told with more than 30 of the most successful songs of the ’80s, we have assembled a spectacular cast and crew.”
The move comes despite system-wide cutbacks announced in January that have seen layoffs across Prime Video, Amazon MGM Studios and livestreaming platform Twitch. Prime Video in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa changed their content strategy to focus on licensing deals instead of original productions.
“Mentiras,” which means “Lies” in English, follows four women who meet at a funeral and discover that the deceased had a relationship with each of them before being murdered, making them all prime suspects.
Through a blend of comedy and melodrama, the series delves into themes of identity and stereotypes, providing a social commentary on machismo and gender norms prevalent in the 1980s.
Said Méndez, who is also an executive producer: “When my partner Gerardo Gatica and I founded our production company Cine Vaquero, we made a commitment to make innovative, risky, and exciting projects. I became an actor in theater and musicals and always wanted to find a way to pay tribute to them on the screen.“
He continued, “Five years ago, I realized that the answer had always been in front of me with the extraordinary work that José Manuel Lopez Velarde had done with ‘Mentiras.’ We were certain that in Mexico, we were ready to bring a musical of this size to television. Today, finally, supported by our team at Amazon, ‘Mentiras’ is a reality, and doing it hand in hand with all these accomplices makes me smile.”
“We are sure that ‘Mentiras’ will be a memorable event for audiences across Mexico, especially for the millions of fans that the play has attracted for over 14 years,” said Alonso Aguilar Castillo, who leads the original content team for Prime Video Mexico.
Ripstein, Ilse Apellaniz and Natalia García Agraz are co-writers of the series.
“Mentiras” is a co-production between Cine Vaquero and Andrea Gamboa’s Pez Caja (“A Million Miles Away”).
Velarde, the creator of the successful musical on which the story is based, is on board as artistic director.
“Mentiras” will launch exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories.
Other Prime Video Originals made in the region include “De Viaje con los Derbez,” “El Juego de las Llaves,” “Un extraño enemigo,” “Harina,” “La Caída,” “Maradona: Sueño Bendito,” “Jalas o te Rajas” and Daytime Emmy winners “LOL: Last One Laughing” and “Pan y Circo.”
