Jenni Rivera Enterprises partners with Mucho Mas Media and De Line Pictures to develop and produce the Untitled Jenni Rivera Project
Javier Chapa and Simon Wise (Mucho Mas Media) and Donald De Line (De Line Pictures) have announced they have secured from Jenni Rivera Enterprises the life rights of the iconic Mexican-American singer-songwriter, actor, producer and women’s rights activist Jenni Rivera. Rivera was one of the most influential Latin artists whose tremendous impact in entertainment, culture and social good continues to be felt many years after her tragic passing. The feature film will focus on the famed life of the Banda Ranchera mega-star who touched not only her Spanish-speaking fan base, but also successfully crossed over into the U.S. and global markets. De Line Pictures will produce the film with Mucho Mas.
The film will be written by Kate Lanier, who penned one of Rivera’s all-time favorite films, What’s Love Got To Do With It, and is also known for writing the feature Set It Off.
Rivera – born in Long Beach, California, her mother just having crossed the border on foot while pregnant with her – was an extraordinary talent who encouraged and inspired her fans worldwide through her music and philanthropic endeavors, including being a spokesperson for the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Rivera was very open about her life and the challenges of being a woman in the male-dominated world of music and entertainment, along with her own personal experiences dealing with domestic and sexual violence. The film will depict a story of perseverance and drive which drove her successes.
As an award-winning artist – including multiple Billboard Music Awards, 22 Billboard Latin Music Awards, 18 Lo Nuestro Awards, and four Latin Grammy nominations – Rivera is not only known as one of the best-selling regional Mexican artists of all time, but also for her role in disrupting cultural precedent by crossing into Banda, a male-dominated music genre, and eventually into pop-music, where her presence posthumously continues to shine within the entertainment sphere.
“My sister dreamt of a biopic of her life for many years, we are thrilled it will come to fruition,” states Rosie Rivera, Jenni Rivera’s sister. “We never imagined such an amazing producing and writing team like Donald De Line and Kate Lanier would join together with us to help make her dream a reality. We are overjoyed and excited to begin this process. It’s taken time to get here because we had to trust Jenni’s story in the right hands – and we are confident that we made the best partnership with Mucho Mas Media and this creative team.”
“Jenni’s story is one that deserves to be told and will resonate not only with those who continue to call themselves fans, but with those who are passionate about stories that address the struggles and triumphs of women – across cultures – who are pursuing their best lives,” states De Line. “Jenni’s story is universal in themes of love, loss, success, and cultural change. As shared by many who knew Jenni well, her motto of ‘The number of times I’ve fallen down is the number of times I’ve gotten up’ exemplifies the depth of the story of her life,”
“We are honored to be joining Donald and the Rivera family in developing and producing one of the most extraordinary life stories of an artist and activist,” comments Mucho Mas Media partners Chapa and Wise. “Jenni’s impact was felt during her life and continues on in her legacy. The film will honor her artistry and commitment to inspire and help people of all cultures to accomplish their dreams.”
The project was negotiated between Anjelica Cohn on behalf of Jenni Rivera Enterprises, her family and the producers. Lanier is represented by Bob Hohman of The Gersh Agency.
