Ritchie Valens’ story is headed back to the big screen. Mucho Mas Media and Sony Pictures have teamed up to develop a remake of the 1987 Golden Globe-nominated film “La Bamba,” based on the life of the rock and roll legend.
Luis Valdez, the writer and director of the original film, is on board as an executive producer. Oscar-nominated writer José Rivera (“The Motorcycle Diaries,” “On the Road”) will pen the script.
The original Columbia Pictures movie, starring Lou Diamond Phillips as Valens, depicts the 17-year-old Mexican-American’s rise to fame, from field laborer to rock star with a string of hit singles. Fueled by Valens’ hit songs performed by the Grammy-winning Los Lobos and classic ’50s tunes, “La Bamba” recreates the thrilling early days of rock and pays homage to the enduring legacy of a remarkable talent whose music crossed all borders.
“La Bamba” was nominated for a Golden Globe for best drama and for song of the year at the 1988 Grammys. In 2017, it was added to the National Film Registry of the U.S. Library of Congress, recognizing its cultural, historic and/or aesthetic importance.
Valens is considered an icon of rock and roll, known worldwide for his hit songs “Donna,” “We Belong Together” and “La Bamba.” His meteoric ascent was cut short when he died at age 17 in a plane crash with Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper, in what was dubbed “The Day the Music Died.”
“Together with the rock and roll classics of Ritchie Valens, my 1987 biopic ‘La Bamba’ has graciously withstood the test of time. And yet, the tragically short life and career of Richard Valenzuela continues to inspire new generations of fans the world over,” Valdez said. “As new biographical details have come to light, a new cinematic look at his eternally young seventeen years on earth can only add to his undying legend.”
Javier Chapa will produce for Mucho Mas Media, while Sherrese Clarke Soares, Phillip Braun, Robert Muñoz, Simon Wise, Vincent Cordero and Bruce Barshop will executive produce. Sony Music Mexico will serve as a creative partner on the music for the film.
“We’re honored and humbled to be retelling Ritche’s story — the story of an incredible young Latino man who inspired so many people through his music and prodigious talent,” said Chapa. “We look to uphold and celebrate the original film in ways Luis Valdez and the filmmakers of ‘La Bamba’ made it a classic.”
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