Scripted

The U.S. Spanish-language premium streaming service Pantaya and STARZPLAY, the international streaming service from STARZ, announced today it has started production on Señorita 89 in Mexico City. The Pantaya and STARZPLAY Original series is helmed by showrunner Lucía Puenzo and co-produced by Fremantle and the award-winning Chilean production company Fabula. The series will debut on Pantaya in the U.S. and Puerto Rico and on STARZPLAY in Spain, Latin America and Brazil.

Señorita 89 is a sophisticated dramatic thriller set in the dark glamour of 1980s Mexico following the contestants’ training for the country’s Miss Mexico pageant as they vie not only to win—but to make it out of the final contest alive.

“At the heart of ‘Señorita 89’ are unforgettable characters. The cast and creative team bringing these characters to life are some of the most talented players working in film and television today,” said Mario Almeida, Pantaya Head of Content. “Pantaya is proud to bring this level of storytelling to the Latinx audience.”

“The level of talent from all elements of this production is truly impressive and I am excited to see how our fantastic creative team and actors bring this page-turning script onto the screen,” said Superna Kalle, Executive Vice President of International Digital Networks for STARZ. “We look forward to delivering a sophisticated premium story for an unforgettable experience to our audiences in Spain, Latin America and Brazil.”

“‘Señorita 89’ is very special for us because it’s the first production by our Mexican office; hopefully the first of many,” said Juan de Dios Larraín, Producer and Fabula’s CEO. “Lucia Puenzo has shown herself to be a great leader and she’ll be backed up by a very talented team of professionals, both on the screen and behind the scenes. We’re very confident that she’s the one to take this content and make it extraordinary.”

“This is a very Mexican series that takes place in a universe and time period that everyone will recognize: namely, the world of beauty pageants,” said Ángela Poblete, Executive Producer at Fabula. “It deals with interesting and challenging issues such as the commodification of women’s bodies, beauty standards and sexual harassment. It’s quite incredible to look back today on where we were a mere 30 years ago. Our team has really put together a thrilling series and we’re so excited to bring this period to life”.

The cast includes Ilse Salas (Güeros, Las niñas bien), Ximena Romo (This Is Not Berlin, Como si fuera la primera vez), Natasha Dupeyron (La boda de mi mejor amigo, La vida inmoral de la pareja ideal), Bárbara Lopez (Desenfrenadas, Amar a muerte), Juan Manuel Bernal (Monarca, Obediencia perfecta), Luis Ernesto Franco (Falsa identidad, La boda de la abuela), Edwarda Gurrola (Luciérnagas, Soy tu fan) and Ianis Guerrero (Nosotros los Nobles, Tigers Are Not Afraid).

Also joining the cast are Coty Camacho (Desenfrenadas), Mónica del Carmen (Asfixia, Babel), Mabel Cadena (Monarca, El baile de los 41), Aida López (Monarca, El Candidato), Leidi Gutiérrez (Chicuarotes, Las Elegidas), Ari Brickman (El Chema, El señor de los cielos), Marcelo Alonso (Neruda) and Getsemani Vela (Veinteañera, Divorciada y Fantástica).
“Señorita 89” is executive produced by Juan de Dios Larraín, Pablo Larraín, Ángela Poblete and Mariane Hartard from Fabula and Christian Vesper at Fremantle. The eight-episode series is written by Lucía Puenzo, who is also a director, María Renée Prudencio and Tatiana Mereñuk and directed by Nicolás Puenzo, Sílvia Quer and Jimena Montemayor. Fremantle will handle international distribution of the series.