Benicio Del Toro Death Hoax: Puerto Rican Actor Not Dead

Death hoaxes have become strangely common occurrences on Twitter, the most recent celebrity to fall victim to the social media supposed death hype is Puerto Rican actor Benicio del Toro. Twitter has exploded with users tweeting about the death of the well-known actor, with some users even claiming to know the intimate details of his death. Reports claimed that the 47-year-old actor had died after suffering a tragic drug overdose.

While the reports are fake and Benicio del Toro is alive and well the hoax comes at a very interesting time. The actor’s latest project “Escobar: Paradise Lost” is set to be released on November 26 in the United States and tells the infamous story of Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar. The film is a French-Spanish romantic thriller film and is written and directed by Andrea Di Stefano, with del Toro starring as Escobar in the title role. However the film is not just a one-dimensional take on the well-known story, according to the film synopsis the story begins in 1991 with a seemingly unrelated Canadian surfer Nick, played by Josh Hutcherson.

Nick is asked to meet with the Colombian cartel and is surprisingly tasked with committing a murder on the drug lord's behalf. Nick is much more involved in the plot than the audience originally realizes, while setting off to complete the life or death mission the audience and Nick experiences a flashback to 1983 when Nick first encountered the cartel. Nick and his brother, who is described as eager, arrived on the Colombian coast with the hopes of running a surf camp, however Nick meets Maria, the niece of Escobar and quickly falls in love with her. The synopsis reveals, “the sunny beaches provide a notable visual contrast to the murkier scenes that follow, as Nick gradually realizes the extent of Escobar's power. At social gatherings, Escobar's domineering personality leaves Nick in a confused state about his priorities.”