Gina Rodriguez entered the hearts of millions with her role in CW’s Jane the Virgin, but over the last couple of years she’s been making moves on the big screen with supporting performances in Deepwater Horizon and Annihilation. But now she has a chance to really step up on her own in the action thriller Miss Bala, a remake of the acclaimed Mexican film from 2011.
This version of Miss Bala is directed by Catherine Hardwicke in her first film since 2015’s Miss You Already, and largely follows the plot of the original. Rodriguez plays a young beauty who witnesses a murder in Tijuana, and is forced to do whatever it takes to survive a deadly situation involving a Mexican cartel and the DEA. The film co-stars Anthony Mackie and Ismael Cruz Cordova.
The original movie debuted at Cannes and went on to become Mexico’s entry for the 2012 Best Foreign Language Oscar. Hardwicke’s movie doesn’t look like it has the same lofty aspirations, but a solid, fast-paced crowd pleaser that could be the start of something great for Rodriguez.
Miss Bala opens February 1st 2019.
