Selena: The Series Officially Casts Christian Serratos—See Her In Character Now

The Netflix drama about Selena Quintanilla will star The Walking Dead's Christian Serratos and drop in 2020

By Chris Harnick Nov 12, 2019 2:00 PMTags

It's official: The Walking Dead star Christian Serratos is Netflix's Selena. After months of rumors, Netflix confirmed Serratos will star as late singer Selena Quintanilla in Selena: The Series.

The series, which has members of the Quintanilla family as executive producers, is described as, "A coming of age story following Selena Quintanilla as her dreams come true and all the heart-wrenching and life-changing choices she and her family have to make as they navigate success, family, and music."

Netflix revealed a first look teaser of the Serratos, who is of Mexican and Italian decent, getting into character and performing. See it below.

Desperate Housewives veteran Ricardo Chavira will play Selena's father Abraham Quintanilla; Gabriel Chavarria is A.B. Quintanilla, Selena's oldest brother and the family band's music producer; Noemi Gonzalez will play Suzette Quintanilla, Selena's sister and best friend who is also the first female drummer in Tejano music history; Seidy Lopez plays Marcella Quintanilla, Selena's mother; and Madison Taylor Baez will play young Selena.

"Selena is an inspirational figure who's transcended generations. At Campanario, we've always known it was crucial for this series to find actors with the right mix of talent, charisma, and passion to honor Selena's legacy and the story of her family," Jaime Davila, president and co-founder of production company Campanario Entertainment, said in a statement. "Our casting director Carla Hool and her team have found an amazing cast to depict the Quintanilla family, and we're sure fans everywhere will be captivated yet again by Selena's incredible life."

Netflix

When Serratos' casting was first reported in August, there were reportedly delays in nailing down a deal due to her schedule with The Walking Dead. No word on what her casting in the series means for her role in the AMC zombie drama. Serratos' other credits include the Twilight movies, Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide and The Secret Life of the American Teenager.

Executive producers on the series include Jaime Dávila, Rico Martinez, Suzette Quintanilla, Simran A. Singh, and Moisés Zamora. The two-part limited series drops its first part, six episodes, on Netflix.

The story of Selena's life and tragic death at the hands of her manager, Yolanda Saldívar, was previously told on the big screen with Jennifer Lopez in the lead role. The movie was released in 1997, two years after the singer's death.

"Selena will always have a lasting place in music history and we feel great responsibility to do justice to her memory. With this series, viewers will finally get the full history of Selena, our family, and the impact she has had on all of our lives. We are excited to partner with Campanario and Netflix to give fans a never-before-seen glimpse at our story and highlight why Selena will remain a legend for generations to come." Suzette Quintanilla, sister of Selena Quintanilla, said in a statement when the show was announced in 2018.