USA Network on Tuesday announced the series pick-up of the drama Queen of the South, starring Alice Braga (“City of God”). The series is based on the literary page-turner “La Reina Del Sur,” the top-selling novel by the internationally acclaimed author Arturo Pérez-Reverte, which also yielded a Telemundo series that became one of the most popular telenovelas of all time for USA’s sister network.
“From script to inception, Queen of the South had us hooked,” said Chris McCumber, President of USA Network. “Alice Braga does an outstanding job playing Teresa Mendoza, a determined woman who defies all odds, to not only survive, but to thrive in an unfamiliar world. The novel has been embraced around the globe, and the telenovela broke records — now we’re looking forward to sharing this unique version of her story on USA .”
Queen of the South tells the powerful story of Teresa Mendoza (Braga). When her drug-dealing boyfriend is unexpectedly murdered in Mexico, Teresa is forced to go on the run and seek refuge in America, where she teams with an unlikely figure from her past to bring down the leader of the very drug trafficking ring that has her on the run. In the process, she learns the tools of the trade and strategically positions herself to become the leader of the Cartel.
Queen of the South is slated to premiere in 2016.