Annie Gonzalez to star and produce Jenni Rivera biopic

Annie Gonzalez has her next big project line up. The actress will star and produce in a biopic based on Jenni Rivera’s life. Rivera was one of the most iconic Latin artists, crossing over to a male dominated field and making hits that blurred the line between Mexican Regional and pop music.

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Deadline broke the news of the film, which is currently shooting in Colombia and will be wrapped up in Los Angeles. The film will follow Rivera’s career, including her beginnings in music in Long Beach, California, and her rise to fame, where she became the leading female artist in her genre. The film will reveal some of the personal struggles she faced in her daily life and will fill in viewers up to the days before her unexpected and tragic death in a plane crash near Monterrey, Mexico in 2012.

The film is made with the approval of Rivera’s estate. “My siblings and I are very excited about this biopic and we know our mother’s story will impact generations to come,” said Jacqie Rivera, Jenni’s daughter, in a statement. “It has been an uphill battle, but we are happy to see one of our mom’s dreams come to fruition. Although we still haven’t gotten used to seeing someone portray our mother, we have faith Annie will do a great job.”

Gonzalez released a statement of her own expressing how honored she was to have a hand in sharing Rivera’s life and story. “Jenni’s messages of feminism, civil rights, and nonconformity within her music were well before her time and made space for all of us to feel empowered. With the support of the Rivera family, I cannot wait to help tell the beautiful story and the impactful legacy of what Jenni means to me personally and what it will mean to women and Latinas everywhere,” she said.

The film will co-star Manuel Uriza, Cinthya Carmona, Chiquis Rivera (Jenni Rivera’s oldest daughter), Jero Medina, and Miguel Angel Garcia. The biopic will premiere on TelevisaUnivision’s streaming service, ViX.