Three-time Golden Globe nominee Sonia Braga is headed for the small screen. The “Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands” actress has signed on to star in “Las Reinas,” a new ABC detective drama, The Hollywood Reporter confirms. Liz Friedlander (“The Following,” “Pretty Little Liars”) is set to direct the pilot, while Chris Brancato (“Narcos”) will serve as showrunner.
“The drama revolves around Detective Sonya De La Reina, who is forced to confront her past when a case compels her to reconnect with her estranged family — the most powerful criminal outfit in Miami,” THR summarizes. “Thrust back into the world she thought she had left behind, Sonya must walk the murky line between the law and her family and question her true destiny as a De La Reina.”
Braga will play Gabriella De La Reina, Sonya’s grandmother. Gabriella took over the business after her husband was killed, and transformed the small enterprise into “a multinational, multimillion-dollar behemoth of illegal and legal interests,” THR writes. “She has it all — except the one thing she wants more than anything: to bring her estranged granddaughter, Sonya, back into the fold.”
The pilot was penned by Dean Georgaris (“The Manchurian Candidate,” “Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life”).
Braga earned rave reviews for her performance in 2016’s “Aquarius,” a portrait of Dona Clara (Braga), a woman who refuses to sell her apartment to developers despite immense pressure.
When an interviewer observed how rare it is to see a woman in her 60s play such a rich role, Braga responded, “At one of the film festivals, a girl asked why we don’t see women like Clara in the movies. And she was right. We don’t see them in movies but we see them in life,” Braga explained. “The industry doesn’t like to show them. But women like Clara aren’t fictions. You find them in life. In that way, ‘Aquarius’ is almost closer to a documentary because it shows what’s actually there in life.
Braga has received Golden Globe noms for her roles in “The Burning Season,” “Moon Over Parador,” and “Kiss of the Spider Woman.” She’s had arcs on “Luke Cage,” “Royal Pains,” “Brothers & Sisters,” and “Alias.”
