Perhaps best known for her stint as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett in Modern Family, Sofia Vergara is poised to return to our screens as a very different character.

The Colombian actor will portray notorious drug queenpin Griselda Blanco – often referred to as the ‘Black Widow’ – in Griselda, a new Netflix limited series. The six-episode series will chronicle Griselda’s life as a devoted mother and engineer of a billion-dollar drug empire throughout the 80s. 

Now, we finally have our first look at Vergara as the titular character and we have to say, grasping her cigarette and giving some serious side-eye, Vergara embodies the kind of spine-chilling attitude we’d expect of Griselda.

Watch the trailer for Griselda below:

Vergara and executive producer Luis Balaguer had been developing this project for eight years at Latin World Entertainment before bringing it to Netflix. The series has been co-written by Empire and Justified writer Ingrid Escajeda, as well as Eric Newman, Doug Miro, director Andrés Baiz, and Carlo Bernard – the creative team behind Netflix hit drama Narcos.

Here’s everything we know about the series so far.

What is Griselda about?

Aside from being one of the world’s most notorious drug traffickers, Griselda Blanco was one of the only women operating in Colombian cartels.

The official Netflix synopsis states: “Griselda chronicles the real life of savvy and ambitious Colombian business woman, Griselda Blanco, who created one of the most profitable cartels in history. A devoted mother, Blanco’s lethal blend of charm and unsuspecting savagery helped her expertly navigate between family and business leading her to become widely known as the ‘Black Widow’.”

What is the true story of Griselda Blanco?

Blanco established one of history’s most profitable cartels back in the 80s, which trafficked illegal substances between Colombia, New York, Miami and California. 

Known as La Madrina, the Black Widow, the Cocaine Godmother and the Queen of Narco-Trafficking, Blanco was a drug queenpin in Pablo Escobar’s Medellín cartel. She also orchestrated an entire Miami-based cocaine drug trade and underworld from the 80s through to the early 2000s.

Blanco was one of the richest and most dangerous women in the world – and one of the most powerful drug criminals – in the world. She became the first-ever billionaire female criminal, but was shot and killed on 3 September 2012 at the age of 69.

Who stars in Griselda?

Aside from Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG-nominated actor Sofia Vergara playing the titular role,  we have the following performances to look forward to:

• Juliana Aidén Martinez as June, the first female intelligence analyst in the Miami PD
• Martín Rodríguez as Rivi, Griselda’s right-hand man and hitman
• Karol G (aka Carolina Giraldo) as Carla, a young woman who works for Griselda and becomes one of her most important employees
• Vanessa Ferlito as Carmen, who used to work with Griselda in her former trafficking circle
• Paulina Dávila as Isabel, Griselda’s friend from Colombia
• Alberto Guerra as Dario, the man tasked with finding Griselda and bringing her back to Colombia
• José Zúñiga as Amilcar, the sophisticated cartel boss of Miami

Orlando Pineda, Jose Velazquez, Martín Fajardo, Christian Tappan, Camilo Jiménez Varón, and Alberto Ammann also star.

What are people saying about Griselda?

On getting the opportunity to play Blanco, Vergara says: “Griselda Blanco was a larger-than-life character whose ruthless but ingenious tactics allowed her to rule a billion-dollar empire years before many of the most notorious male kingpins we know so much about. We are thrilled to have found the perfect partners in Eric, Andrés and Netflix to help us bring this story of her life to the screen.”

Executive producer and writer Eric Newman, who is also part of the Narcos team, says: “Griselda Blanco has long been a passion project for Sofia and we are grateful that she and her partners at LatinWe have chosen us to help her tell that story. Sofia is a brilliant talent and her passion combined with a fantastic story from Doug and Ingrid, and the amazing Andrés Baiz at the directing helm, means we have a very exciting series to share with audiences.”

And Peter Friedlander, vice president of UCAN scripted series at Netflix, adds: “Eric Newman has deftly brought to life among the most dynamic characters and stories on screen today. We’re excited to continue on this creative path with him and for this collaboration with Sofia Vergara – a force in entertainment and a world-beloved talent. With an incredible team at the helm – we can’t wait for the world to see how Ingrid Escajeda, Doug Miro, and Andrés Baiz take on the twists and turns of Griselda Blanco’s epic story.”

When will Griselda be available for streaming on Netflix?

The limited series will premiere on Netflix on 25 January.

Image: Netflix