Selena Gomez is staying booked and busy as of late. The singer and actress is developing a new series for Peacock that will take a twist on John Hughes’ beloved 16 Candles, and it’s going to star an all Latina cast.
Gomez, Tanya Saracho and Gabriela Revilla Lugo are set to develop a new single-camera comedy that is a “reconfiguration” of the beloved 1984 coming-of-age movie 16 Candles, according to Deadline. The new series, 15 Candles, will follow four high school freshman Latinas as they overcome obstacles and “leave childhood behind” and get ready for their quinceañera.
Tanya Saracho with her Ojalá Production banner, Selena Gomez under her July Moon Productions and Gabriela Revilla Lugo will executive produce the series for Peacock. Saracho and Lugo will also serve as writers.
Currently there is no news on who will be cast in the series, as it’s still in a development stage. 16 Candles is the latest classic movie to get a modern twist, so it’s a definite hit or mess on whether it will do good or not. Hopefully more news is revealed soon, including whether we can expect any of the original cast members to make an appearance.
16 Candles starred a young Molly Ringwald as Samantha, whose upcoming 16th birthday is overshadowed by her sister’s upcoming wedding. While pining for older guy Jake (Michael Schoeffling), she tries to avoid any affections from nerdy Ted (Anthony Michael Hall). The film marked John Hughes’ directorial debut and one of Ringwald’s many beloved roles.
Tanya Saracho created Starz drama Vida, that lasted for three seasons. She was also the showrunner and executive producer on the series. Saracho co-founded Untitled Latinx Project, which aims to increase Latine representation across platforms through content created by Latine writers.
Gabriela Revilla Lugo, on the other hand, is known in the dramedy television and movie world and is a former undocumented immigrant herself. She’s worked on projects such as Whiplash and Palm Springs, and is working with Saracho for her TV series Brujas.
Meanwhile, Selena Gomez is not slowing down. While she is currently, and still, working on her next album, she is also filming the second season of Hulu’s breakout comedy hit, Only Murders In the Building alongside Steve Martin and Martin Short. She also has her own beauty brand, Rare Beauty, that has been expanding internationally.
15 Candles is not the first series Gomez has had a hand in developing or producing. She served as the executive producer for Netflix’s controversial series 13 Reasons Why, as well as her HBO Max series Selena + Chef and currently Only Murders, among others. As for the all Latina twist, Gomez has always been one to talk about her background and advocate for diverse representation. She co-executive produced 2019 Netflix docuseries Living Undocumented that followed eight undocumented immigrant families.
Fingers crossed we get more news on 15 Candles soon, because it is definitely a series that can be used right now. But in the meantime, be sure to check out what upcoming projects to catch Selena Gomez in, as well as previous projects, and stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates!
