Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera series is officially underway at Netflix
A series exploring the turbulent relationship between legendary Mexican artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera is in the works at Netflix, with Patricia Riggen and Gabriel Ripstein confirmed to direct the episodes.
According to an exclusive Variety report, the still-untitled show will dive into their lives, exploring how changes in political, social, and artistic spheres ultimately shaped their relationship as well as their art.
Mónica Lozano of Alebrije Producciones is producing the Netflix series, which will be an adaptation of French writer Claire Berest’s novel Rein n’est noir, translated to The Award-Winning Novel About the Colourful and Captivating Life of Frida Kahlo. María Renée Prudencio, best known for Los Adioses and Club Sandwich, serves as head writer.
“The ambition of this project is unprecedented. We want to show a real Frida – a Frida who seems to step out of the screen and take you by the hand so you can live her story alongside her, during one of the most significant eras in this country: a Mexico that Frida and Diego placed on the world map,” said Carolina Leconte, content VP, Netflix Mexico.
The Netflix series captures the most intimate spaces of the two artists, which they believe have been “exhausted by myth.” But still, people haven’t dared to face their true story directly. “At Netflix, we believe in local stories, and few are as Mexican, as overflowing, as the love – and toxicity – between Frida and Diego.” Leconte went on to express her gratitude for the opportunity of working alongside Riggen and Ripstein to “create a Frida and a Diego who unsettle, seduce, and feel more alive than ever.”
The upcoming project doubles down on Netflix’s objective to invest $1billion in Mexican production over the next four years. The news also comes on the heels of Mexico finally announcing a landmark 30% film production incentive to spike national and international projects. It adds to the existing 16% VAT recovery option and the Jalisco State’s incentives.
Salma Hayek, who accompanied Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum to announce the news, produced and starred in the Oscar-winning 2002 biopic, Frida.
Meanwhile, Riggen shared just how meaningful it is to return to film in Mexico after these many years. “I’ve been a fan of Frida since I was a child – of her courage and of the way she turned pain into strength. I want to tell her relationship with Diego from a feminine and Mexican perspective, but also with a global lens, exploring their love, their conflicts, and their artistic life together in a way that feels modern, intimate, and powerful for new generations.”
“One of the aims of this series is not to repeat the obvious – the things everyone already knows about Frida and Diego,” Ripstein added. “It is built around two fundamental axes: their complex love relationship and their shared artistic life.”
Although details regarding the series are scarce at this point, considering it is already in the works, it won’t be long until more updates surface. Till then, stay tuned!