Gabriel Luna (Bernie) has landed the lead role in the new action drama TV series, Matador. The series was created by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman (Alias, Fringe) for Robert Rodriguez’s El Rey Network, and will also feature Nicky Whelan (Hall Pass) as the female lead.
The TV show will follow popular soccer star Antonio ‘Matador’ Bravo (played by Luna), using his successful sports career as a cover for his real role as a skilled CIA operative, expertly executing covert missions for an ultra-secret branch of the intelligence organization. Described as ‘a Latino take on James Bond,’ the show will boast a pilot directed by Robert Rodriguez, and is slated to begin production in Los Angeles in late March.
The El Rey Network, which is set to broadcast the show, was launched by Robert Rodriguez in December 2013 as an English language TV channel whose programming choices target Latino audiences in particular. It is available on ComCast, DirecTV and Time Warner Cable, and is already building an impressive roster of new shows. Chief among these is From Dusk Til Dawn: The Series – expanding upon characters and storylines made famous by Rodriguez’s 1996 cult hit feature film From Dusk Til Dawn. With three episodes directed by Rodriguez himself, the first season cast list will feature Don Johnson, Robert Patrick, Jake Busey and Wilmer Valderrama, among others. Rodriguez will executive produce, along with Carlos Coto, Cristina Patwa and John Fogelman.
From Dusk Til Dawn: The Series will premiere on March 11 2014. While no specific air date for Matador has been officially announced, it is rumoured that the show will be broadcast on El Rey Network after the World Cup in July 2014.
