Deadline is reporting that Jacqueline Grace Lopez (East Los High, Light as a Feather) has been cast in the lead role for The CW’s Jane the Novela, the Jane the Virgin spinoff pilot.
Jane the Novela is envisioned as a soapy, telenovela-inspired anthology series in the tradition of Jane the Virgin, where each season is based on a different fictional novel “written by” Jane Villanueva and narrated by the author herself.
The first installment takes place at a Napa Valley Vineyard, where family secrets (and family members) don’t stay buried for long. It centers on Estela (Lopez), an up and coming art curator who has spent years playing it safe and coloring within the lines. But a shocking secret changes everything and forces her to live a double life.
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Jane the Telenovela mirrors the setup of the original series. It too follows a driven, imaginative twenty-something Latina woman (Lopez) who is torn between her boyfriend, Luen, and Felix, a handsome, rich guy. In this case, Luen is head of security while Felix co-owns a winery vs. Jane Villanueva’s (Gina Rodriguez) cop boyfriend Michael and rich love interest Rafael, co-owner of the Marbella hotel.
Jane the Virgin’s Gina Rodriguez will executive produce the project alongside Jennie Snyder Urman and Joanna Klein of Sutton Street Productions; Emily Gipson of Rodriguez’s I Can and I will banner; Ben Silverman of Propagate Content; Jorge Granier; and Gary Pearl. Brad Silberling will direct and executive produce the CBS Television Studios pilot. Jane the Virgin writer Valentina Garza will pen the pilot.
