‘The Bridge’ alum will play the male lead in the project.
Demian Bichir is headed to broadcast television.
In his first network TV role, the Oscar nominee has been cast as the male lead in ABC’s drama pilot Grand Hotel. Based on the Spanish series Gran Hotel, the project is described as a soapy drama set against the backdrop of a Miami Beach hotel. It centers around the family who owns the business, the staff who run it, and the explosive secrets they hide under the perfect exterior.
Bichir will play Gonzalo Cardenas, the handsome and charismatic owner of the Grand Riviera Hotel. Gonzalo’s super-power is his charm. He is one of those people who can talk to anyone and make them feel like fast friends, has built himself up from nothing, and will do anything to keep what he has. Roselyn Sanchez has already been cast as his wife, Gigi.
“There was no one else I could envision in the role of Gonzalo,” said Eva Longoria, who executive produces the project. “I’ve done two movies with Demián and he acts with a quiet force that conveys the strength this character needs. I am so excited to be assembling this all-star cast that reflects the world in which we live.”
Devious Maids‘ Brian Tanen penned the script for Grand Hotel and will executive produce alongside Longoria and her ABC Studios-based Unbelievable banner topper Ben Spector. Ramon Campos, the creator of the original Spanish show, and Teresa Fernandez-Valdes, together with Campos the showrunner on the original Grand Hotel, will executive produce. Ken Olin will direct the pilot.
Bichir won an Academy Award for his performance as Carlos Galindo in the 2011 drama A Better Life. His other onscreen credits include Alien: Covenant, Che, Savages and The Hateful Eight. He recently wrapped production on Corin Hardy’s The Nun for Warner Bros and Doug Liman’s Chaos Walking for Lionsgate. Elsewhere on TV, he starred in the Showtime series Weeds and FX’s The Bridge.
Bichir is repped by CAA.
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