Filmmaker Gigi Saul Guerrero Is Set to Direct
By Xavier LeBlanc
The 2021 Latin Heat Rising Star Award recipient, Annie Gonzalez, is living up to that title as she has now officially been cast in the lead role of iconic Mexican-American singer Jenni Rivera in the aptly titled film Jenni. The film is being directed by fellow Mexican actress and filmmaker Gigi Saul Guerrero, who is currently signed to a first-look deal with Blumhouse Productions. Jenni is the first feature film to be authorized by Rivera’s estate, and is being produced by Mucho Mas Media and De Line Pictures.
This will be Gonzalez second lead role in a feature film and she is doing it up in a big way. She will not only star in the title bio-pic she will also executive produce for Greenlit At Vix. Filming began in Bogota, Colombia and will wrap up in Los Angeles and is set to premiere exclusively via ViX and in select movie theaters in the United States and Mexico later this year.
Jenni will center on Rivera’s rise as a Spanish singer who successfully crossed over to U.S. and global audiences, as well as her work as a women’s rights activist. Rivera’s unprecedented, groundbreaking career as a female entertainer within an industry formerly dominated by men, made her one of the best-selling regional Mexican artists of all time. Rivera earned 15 gold and platinum selling records, top-drawing international tours and in 2012 she was named one of the top 25 most powerful women by People en Español.
Gonzalez is a talented young Latina actress who first began her career as a child with appearances on shows such as ABC’s Without a Trace, and has rapidly established an impressive resume for herself in recent years. This includes her most notable breakout role on the 2020 Netflix series Gentefied, in which she played the character of Lidia Solis. The show’s themes revolved around gentrification, family and dreams of three Mexican-American cousins in the East L.A. As a Mexican-American woman herself, Gonzalez identifies as being proudly Chicana.
Most recently, Gonzalez wrapped production on her starring role in the upcoming Searchlight Pictures film Flamin’ Hot as Judy Montañez, the wife of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos’ inventor Richard Montañez. The film, which also stars Jesse Garcia as the inventor, is being directed by the multi-talented Eva Longoria, who was recently signaled out by Variety as one of 20 Directors To Watch in 2023. Gonzalez previously credited Longoria and others for opening up doors for Chicanos in Hollywood, and is now primed to do so herself after landing such a coveted role in Jenni.
Gonzalez’ work on Gentefied may have uniquely prepared her to take on the role of a legend like Rivera. In the past, Gonzalez described her role of Lidia Solis as “a woman anyone can relate to, who feels pain, has weaknesses, shows vulnerabilities, who has gone through so much and done a lot.” Her upcoming role as Rivera is likely to reflect many of those very same characteristics, and it shows that Gonzalez is very well suited to embody the fascinating traits that made Rivera a beloved figure around the world.
Jenni is set to premiere on TelevisaUnivision’s premium streaming tier VIX+ and in select theaters throughout the U.S. and Mexico. A release date has not been announced yet for the highly anticipated biopic. Augusto Rovegno, the senior VP of acquisitions and SVOD programming at TelevisaUnivision was previously quoted as saying “This original film will celebrate her (Rivera’s) life and share how she inspired women and young generations in general to overcome obstacles and live their best lives.”
Gonzalez has always seen herself as a performer, and at an amazingly mere 7 years of age, imagined herself as an actress one day receiving prestigious Oscar and Tony Awards. She has openly expressed her desire to “demonstrate the full range of my acting chops”, and thanks to this groundbreaking new role she may very well be on her way to accomplishing all of this and more. The future is indeed bright for this gifted Chicana actress, and viewers everywhere are undoubtedly in for quite the treat when Gonzalez graces screens as the cultural and music icon that is Rivera.
She is repped by Innovative Artists and Silver Lining Entertainment
