Bolivar, the most ambitious super series produced by Caracol Television, debuted September 18th in Colombian prime time. 6 million Colombians tuned in to this mega-production, which led its time slot with an 11.7 rating and 37.6 share, according to IBOPE.
Written by Juana Uribe (The Girl), and directed by Luis Alberto “Peto” Restrepo (Surviving Escobar, Alias JJ) and Andrés Beltrán (Undercover Law), boasts a cast of more than 500 internationally renowned actor and around 8 thousand extras, and stunning locations and natural landscapes in Colombia, Spain and Ecuador. It was shot with two units, in the 4K format with ultra-prime optics.
“We want to touch the hearts of viewers, open their minds and plant the spark of curiosity in their past, for these characters and their heroic feats that seem impossible to us today. We want the story to trend so that the present makes sense. If we achieve that, our work will have been worth the effort,” noted Gonzalo Córdoba, president of Caracol Television.
“Bolívar is our great bet for 2019 and Caracol Television’s most sweeping project ever. We worked in numerous countries, on locations where we had never filmed. It has a multicultural cast that lends credibility to Bolivar’s extensive travels throughout America. It is a series that delves into the Liberator’s sentimental relationship with his family and with his true loves,” said Asier Aguilar, executive producer of Bolívar.
“We worked hard analyzing the character of Bolívar and the circumstances surrounding him from childhood. Understanding what it means to have it all and lose it until he found a larger goal than could be imagined in which to pour his pain and rage. Biographies deal a lot with the facts, but don’t often look into those aspects,” commented Juana Uribe, VP of the Caracol Television Channel.
Bolívar stars Luis Gerónimo Abreu, as the adult Bolivar, José Ramón Barreto as the young Bolívar and the well-known Ecuadorian actress, Shany Nadan, as Manuelita Sáenz. They are joined by a cast of great talents such as María José Vargas, Rosmeri Marval, Nohely Arteaga, Abril Schreiber, Mauro Donetti, Irene Esser, Patricia Tamayo, Carlos Gutiérrez, Álvaro Bayona, Ernesto Benjumea, Hans Martínez, Erick Rodríguez, Margoth Velásquez, Jefferson Quiñonez, and Quique Mendoza.