Pablo Escobar’s brother, Robert De Jesus Escobar Gaviria, has issued an ominous warning to Netflix, telling the company to keep out of Colombia because it is too dangerous.
The 71-year-old made these comments in the wake of the death of Carlos Munoz Portal, a location manager that was looking for places to shoot the upcoming new season of “Narcos.” After being asked whether Colombia and Mexico were too dangerous for Hollywood to use as locations, Gaviria insisted that studios should only make content about him or his brother after their request is granted by Escobar Inc.
“I don’t want Netflix or any other film production company to film any movies in Medellin or Colombia that relates to me or my brother, Pablo, without authorization from Escobar Inc. It is very dangerous. Especially without our blessing. This is my country,” he declared.
The Hollywood Reporter also asked Gaviria what precautions and extra security measures “Narcos” could implement to keep their crew safe, to which he responded, “You have to eliminate all threats. When I was walking in the jungle one day, I had a bag with $2 million (£1.5m) in $100 (£74) bills. The army was searching for me and Pablo at this time. Suddenly, we are being shot at.”
“Both me and Pablo, along with a few security people, start running towards a small channel of water, we swim away. This was all done without guns. If you have the intellect, you don’t need to use weapons. If not, you have to. In this case, Netflix should provide hitmen to their people as security.”
Gaviria also previously demanded $1 billion from Netflix in 2016 because they’d used Pablo Escobar’s likeness and story without permission from the family. Gaviria’s update on the legal dispute was also threatening, because even though he admitted that the two parties are still in discussions about the case, he added, “If we don’t receive it, we will close their little show.”
Even though “Narcos” season 4 has already been confirmed, Netflix still hasn’t announced its release date. If Gaviria has his way, they never will.
