Alice Braga 'La Reina Del Sur' Remake: USA Finds 'Queen Of The South' Star For Telemundo Telenovela Adaptation

Alice Braga has been cast as the lead of USA's remake of "La Reina del Sur," according to The Hollywood Reporter. The 31-year-old Brazilian actress that was born in São Paulo will give life to Teresa Mendoza in the "Queen Of The South" adaptation of the Arturo Pérez-Reverte best-seller. The novela had been succesfully adaptated by sister network Telemundo as a 63-episode telenovela with Kate del Castillo as the titled character. The story follows Mendoza, who after her drug-dealing boyfriend is unexpectedly murdered in Mexico, is forced to go on the run and seek refuge in America. There, she teams with an unlikely figure from her past to bring down the leader of the same drug trafficking ring that has her on the run. In the process, she learns the tools of the trade and strategically positions herself to become the leader of the cartel.

The script for "The Queen Of The South" will be written by M.A. Fortin and Joshua John Miller and executive produced alongside David Friendly ("Little Miss Sunshine") and Pancho Mansfield ("Damien"). "We are excited to bring this global best-selling thriller to our viewers,” USA president Chris McCumber said. "'Queen Of The South' is a suspenseful twist on a dramatic tale of love and betrayal that examines the desperate choices people make when lives are on the line." News of this comes months after NBC and USA announced they would be developing adaptations of "El Señor De Los Cielos" and "Señora Acero," respectively. The former finished off a successful sophomore season on the Spanish-net, with a third season already underway. The latter series just premiered this with with Blanca Soto as the star, and has had a healthy launch.