Chespirito Media Universe in Development From Grupo Chespirito, Thr3 Media Group
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Mexican production companies Grupo Chespirito and Thr3 Media Group have come to terms on a deal to co-produce multi-media content and create the Chespirito Media Universe based on the characters and world of Mexico and Latin America’s most iconic TV creator, director, producer and actor, Chespirito.
Thr3 Media Group was launched in January 2018 by Grupo Telefilms executives Tomás Darcyl, Ricardo Costianovsky and former Televisa vice-president Bruce Boren to create high-commercial value content for Spanish-speaking markets in film, TV, VOD and other digital platforms.
Chespirito, real name Roberto Gómez Bolaños, created, wrote, produced and starred in iconic series “El Chavo del Ocho” from 1971-1980. He first gained recognition in the ‘60s for his performances in the era-defining series “Los Supergenios de la Mesa Cuadrada,” and went on to find further success in films and series such as “El Chapulín Colorado,” “La Chicharra, Chespirito,” and “El Chanfle.”
The Chespirito canon includes more than 100 well known characters ripe for exploitation, and it’s Thr3 and Grupo Chespirito’s intention to do so through TV, film, comics and more.
Chespirito Media Universe phase one will kick off with a bioseries based on the life and experiences of Gómez Bolaños, setting the groundwork for any future projects, fiction or factual, stemming from it.
There is also an animated feature currently in development at Grupo Chespirito, tentatively scheduled to go into production in 2020, now with Thr3 Media on board.
Grupo Chespirito was founded 15 years ago by Bolaños and his son Roberto Gómez Fernández to preserve the Chespirito legacy and promote his work to new generations of potential fans.
“We are talking primarily about two things,” Bruce, Thr3 Media Group CEO explained to Variety at Mipcom. “The first is to develop and design a cinematic universe based on the characters of Roberto that have grown and enjoyed stellar distribution and success worldwide due to the high level of production, the family values demonstrated and the type of comedy very easy to understand and resonates with all cultures.”
“When I would talk to my father about a doing a biography series or film before he died, he always expressed two concerns,” Gómez elaborated. “One: he didn’t like homages and was uncomfortable being recognized in that way while he was still alive. And two: he was uncompromising about the quality of his content. He would only except the absolute highest international level of quality, which at the time was difficult to achieve in Mexico.”
He went on to say, “When I met the team at Telefilms and Thr3 Media, I knew I’d found what we wanted. They are brave enough to meet the challenge of making this series, and any other future projects, as good as any production in the world.”
Tomás Darcyl, CEO of Grupo Telefilms, which has an exclusive agreement with Thr3 Media Group that will see them participating as a third party in the Chespirito Media Universe, said via press release: “With this ambitious universe, we are going to validate our position in the Latin American industry. Telefilms’ vision today is to offer high demand content that audiences ask for every day. Chespirito’s biopic is a clear example.”
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