Christian Serratos has pretty big, sparkly shoes to fill.
In 2019, the 30-year-old star of The Walking Dead was officially cast as the lead in Netflix's upcoming two-part biographical drama, Selena: The Series. She follows in the footsteps of Jennifer Lopez, who famously portrayed late Tejano musician Selena Quintanilla in 1997's Selena, the film that thrust Lopez into the spotlight.
So what can we expect from Serratos' performance? It looks like sheer excellence. On Tuesday, Oct. 6, Netflix released new art and a teaser trailer for its new series, officially set to premiere Dec. 4. Across several Instagram clips and photos, Serratos could pass for Selena's doppelgänger as she sports her signature deep-black hairdo, bold red lip and those gold hoop earrings. Another shot also finds her on stage, waving to fans while wearing high-waisted pants and a bedazzled bra top.
The new black-and-white teaser trailer finds Serratos' Selena stepping into the spotlight as a voiceover from her father says, "Do you trust your father? If you keep practicing, pretty soon, it's all gonna pay off. Just watch." It then flashes to the future, and he says, "When I see you on that stage, I still see the 6-year-old girl singing in our background."
Of course, the clip offers a teeny peak at other outfits Serratos is set to wear in the show, plus vocals from Selena's "Como La Flora."
According to Netflix's official description, the series is "a coming-of-age story following Selena as she chases her dreams, and the heart-wrenching and life-changing sacrifices she and her family make as they navigate the highs and lows of success, loss, love, and music." Moisés Zamora is the creator and executive producer.
In addition to new art and the teaser, Netflix also released a first look at Gabriel Chavarria and Noemi Gonzalez as Selena's siblings, A.B. and Suzette Quintanilla. The cast includes Ricardo Chavira as Selena's father, Abraham Quintanilla, Seidy Lopez as Selena's mother, Marcella Quintanilla, and Madison Taylor Baez as young Selena.
Tragically, Selena was murdered by her friend and former fan club president Yolanda Saldivar in 1995 at 23 years old.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Serratos opened up about the significance of this role. "When I was younger, I remember hearing her music in the house," she said. "When I got older, YouTube became a big thing and I discovered this video of her performing ‘Que Creias.' Whenever I would talk about Selena, that was the video I showed every one of her. I was able to perform that song on the show, and I was so nervous and so excited! I didn't want to speak to anyone because that was my special moment with her. It was really incredible!"
With Selena: The Series, Netflix is making sure her legacy never goes forgotten.
Selena: The Series premieres Dec. 4 on Netflix.