Sofia Vergara is taking over the position of late Colombian drug lord Griselda Blanco – and the son of the real-life “Cocaine Godmother” isn’t blissful.
The previous “Modern Family” actress is starring in Netflix’s “Griselda,” the place she additionally serves as an government producer. The collection explores the rise and downfall of Blanco, a single mom of 4 who rose to infamy as a cartel chief earlier than she was gunned down in 2012 at age 69. Blanco, who led a cocaine-fueled empire with an iron fist in the course of the ‘70s and ‘80s, has often been labeled as “the female Pablo Escobar.”
Blanco’s surviving son slammed the collection, labeling it “disrespectful.”
COCAINE GODMOTHER’S SON EXPLAINS WHY HE’S PURSUING REALITY TV FAME WITH ‘CARTEL CREW’
Sofia Vergara stars as late drug lord Griselda Blanco in “Griselda.” (Netflix)
“Sofia Vergara did not consult with any members of the Blanco family as a sign of respect or elicit family details in portraying my mother,” Michael Corleone Blanco claimed to Fox Information Digital.
“When I learned of the ‘Griselda’ project, my staff reached out to Sofia’s camp and provided my session companies,” the 45-year-old alleged.
Michael additionally alleged that following an invite to sit down with Vergara’s staff, he was advised “there was no room on the project.” He claimed the collection was made with out involvement from any members of his household.
Griselda Blanco was killed in Colombia in 2012. (ALAMY)
“Sofia’s camp and the Netflix creators were disrespectful and ultimately produced the ‘Griselda’ project on their own for commercial gain, without key details from the Blanco family,” he claimed. “After the sit-down at the table, my lawyers formally sent a cease-and-desist letter to Netflix and Sofia’s camp. As of today, Netflix nor Sofia’s camp has made any attempt to reconcile.”
“Regardless of public information, basic respect is warranted,” Michael continued. “I am Griselda’s only living son that has life rights agreements signed by Griselda herself in which she intended I carry out her life story. I am a businessman in the entertainment industry and comprehend the importance of motion pictures as I have a book to be released, based on the real story.”
Michael has written a memoir, “My Mother, The Godmother.” He additionally introduced a YouTube podcast, “The Real Griselda with Michael Corleone,” which goals to inform “the true story.”
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Sofia Vergara reportedly underwent two hours’ price of prosthetics to rework into Griselda Blanco. (Netflix)
A spokesperson for Vergara, 51, and Netflix didn’t instantly reply to Fox Information Digital’s request for remark.
In an interview with the U.Ok’s Every day Mail, Michael hit out on the present for portraying his mom as “ugly.” In accordance with the outlet, Vergara needed to bear two hours’ price of prosthetics to rework into the matriarch.
“My mother was a beautiful woman, and it’s crazy that a lot of people say, ‘No, you’ve got to look more like a drug addict’… The fact that they called her ‘ugly,’ that really offends me. People see the mug shots and just go from that, but when you read my book, you’ll see that my mother was called the porcelain doll in her youth.”
Griselda Blanco was among the many first Colombian girls to site visitors cocaine to america within the Seventies and Eighties. She had been deported again to Colombia in 2004 after serving almost 20 years behind bars within the U.S. for drug trafficking and three drug-related killings. She was a topic of the 2006 documentary “Cocaine Cowboys,” which centered on the Miami drug commerce. (ALAMY)
“All I have to say is that if my mother was alive, she wouldn’t have got away with it,” he mentioned, referring to Vergara. “No matter what, you need to respect my mother enough to seek the consultation of [her] youngest son – her best friend who visited her five times a week during her… incarceration.”
Michael beforehand claimed he turned his life round after his mom was killed by a motorcycle-riding murderer. He has spoken about his mom through the years and appeared within the VH1 actuality TV collection “Cartel Crew” in 2019.
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Pablo Escobar, the godfather of the Medellín Cartel in Colombia in February, 1988. Escobar reportedly took inspiration from Griselda Blanco. (Eric Vandeville/Gamma-Rapho)
In accordance with the community, the collection aimed to take a look at the lives of eight cartel descendants “as they navigate adulthood and the effects the legacy has had on their upbringing.”
Blanco, who grew up within the slums of Medellín and was murdered there, commanded a ruthless crew that shipped a median of three,400 kilos of cocaine per thirty days to the U.S., the Miami Herald reported. She is alleged to have inspired and even groomed Pablo Escobar.
Blanco’s reign of terror began within the ’70s, Newsweek reported, noting that unofficial tallies hyperlink her group with no less than 250 murders. She is believed to be the mastermind behind the drive-by motorbike capturing and earned the nickname “Black Widow” for allegedly killing her three husbands. Two of her sons had been later assassinated.
A gaggle of vacationers go to the grave of Griselda Blanco, generally known as the “Godmother” of cocaine. (Daniel Romero/image alliance)
Police caught up together with her in 1985, leading to Blanco spending 19 years in U.S. prisons earlier than chopping a deal in 2004 and being deported. She reportedly saved a low profile in her last years earlier than her demise.
Shortly earlier than the premiere of “Cartel Crew,” Michael advised Fox Information Digital that he wasn’t fearful about placing his life in entrance of cameras.
“As far as being worried, there’s a certain element you always have to factor in,” he defined on the time. “We were trained to always be in situations where you have to be alarmed. That’s just life. That’s how we grew up, that’s how I grew up. That being said, we’re living in a new time. We’re living in a new era. This is the era of social media. This is the era of TV shows, and movies, of ‘Narcos’ on Netflix. So I think that anybody’s entitled to tell their story.
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Catherine Zeta-Jones previously portrayed Griselda Blanco in a Lifetime film. (Chelsea Lauren/Variety/Penske Media)
“Concern? No, worry doesn’t dwell right here. I worry the wrath of God, that’s what I say.”
In 2012, the Miami New Times reported mother and son sold the rights to their life stories to First Born Films after Blanco was the subject of a 2006 documentary, “Cocaine Cowboys.” In 2016, The Hollywood Reporter announced Jennifer Lopez was poised to play Blanco in an HBO movie. Then in 2017, Catherine Zeta-Jones starred as Blanco in the Lifetime TV film, “Cocaine Godmother.”
“I’m all for J. Lo taking part in my mom,” said Michael. “She was certainly one of my authentic selections. Catherine Zeta-Jones’ undertaking was nice as properly. I’m all for it. Something that I can lend session on my life. So long as it’s a profitable undertaking.… So long as the story is advised accurately from the horse’s mouth. That means from myself and different relations.”
In 2016, it was reported that Jennifer Lopez was set to star as Griselda Blanco in an upcoming HBO biopic. (Gilbert Flores/WWD)
Michael was given the middle name “Corleone” after Al Pacino’s character in “The Godfather.” The film, which premiered in 1972, chronicles how an aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his empire to his reluctant son.
“I’m not going to sugarcoat it,” said Michael. “My mom wasn’t a saint, I’m conscious of that. However the reality is, she was my mom. She took care of me.”
Michael mentioned he was 5 years previous when he realized his household was totally different.
SOFIA VERGARA GETS HONEST ABOUT DIVORCE IN THE PUBLIC EYE: ‘THAT’S PART OF BEING A CELEBRITY’
Sofia Vergara said she saw Griselda Blanco as Tony Soprano from the HBO series “The Sopranos.” (Netflix)
“I understood we had greater than anyone,” he recalled. “I understood my father wasn’t the boss. My mom was telling everyone what to do and that she was the boss. We might transfer after she moved. I understood my mom was the queen of the citadel. I understood she wasn’t a daily individual.”
According to reports, Blanco first became involved in the drug trade as a desperate means to support her children. Vergara told “CBS Mornings” that she noticed Blanco like Tony Soprano from “The Sopranos.”
“A personality that folks didn’t hate,” said Vergara. “Despite the fact that he was a nasty man.”
The Related Press contributed to this report.
