Former The Young and the Restless star Eva Longoria (ex-Isabella Braņa) amped up the Latinx representation on ABC with her drama Grand Hotel, and the popular star is at it again. ABC has signed on to develop Chicano, which boasts Longoria and Hollywood actor Forest Whitaker as its executive producers.
Queen of the South alum Natalie Chaidez is set to pen the script for the potential series, which is described as an "epic, multigenerational saga of the Sandovals, a Mexican-American family that immigrates to Los Angeles in pursuit of the American dream."
Chicano, which was inspired by the classic novel by Richard Vasquez, follows the Sandoval family's struggles and triumphs from 1920 through present and explores the question of what it means to be American.
Longoria and her UnbeliEVAble Entertainment partner Ben Spector will executive produce alongside Whitaker and his Significant Productions partner Nina Yang Bongiovi. Doug Pray will also executive produce.
"Chicano is just the first of many projects that we expect from Eva and Ben as we look to ramp up our slate of Latinx programming," said ABC Entertainment president Karey Burke. "As part of our studio family, they are valuable partners in helping us expand our commitment to compelling stories for underrepresented communities. With Forest, Nina, Natalie, and Doug also at the helm of this project, we know we have the perfect powerhouse team to bring this Mexican-American family's story to life and cultivate the next generation of Latinx storytelling."
As Y&R viewers have seen in some of the recent throwback episodes that have aired during the COVID-19 pandemic, Longoria played the role of Isabella Braņa, a woman who tried -- but ultimately failed -- to come between Paul (Doug Davidson) and Christine (Lauralee Bell). Her run on the show lasted from 2001 to 2003, after which she went on to series like Dragnet, Desperate Housewives, and Telenovela. She's now an accomplished director, producer, and businesswoman with producing credits like Devious Maids, Grand Hotel, and John Wick to her name.
What do you think about ABC developing Chicano with Longoria at the head? What are your thoughts on the premise of the potential series? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
