Films and documentary television
Escobar has been the subject of numerous feature films, documentaries, and television shows. Two major feature films on the Colombian drug lord, Escobar and Killing Pablo, were announced in 2007,[47] around the same time.
The Infiltrator
Escobar: Paradise Lost, (2014) Benicio del Toro played Escobar.
Blow (2001), is a George Jung biopic featuring Escobar (portrayed by Cliff Curtis) as a supporting character.
In the film Clear and Present Danger (1994), the fictional character Ernesto Escobedo (portrayed by Miguel Sandoval) was based on Escobar.[48]
The 2008 film, Pablo, Angel o Demonio (English title: Pablo, Angel or demon) by Jorge Granier explores the mixed legacy of a man hailed in the Barrio as a saint while despised elsewhere as a demon. It is the highest grossing documentary of all time in Colombia.
Escobar (2009) has been delayed because of producer Oliver Stone's involvement with the George W. Bush biopic W. (2008). The release date of Escobar remains unconfirmed.[when?].[49] Regarding the film, Stone said: "This is a great project about a fascinating man who took on the system. I think I have to thank Scarface, and maybe even Ari Gold."[50]
In the ESPN broadcast 30 for 30 (2010), a series of sports-themed documentaries timed to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the Entertainment and Sports Network, The Two Escobars, by directors Jeff and Michael Zimbalist, looks back at Colombia's World Cup run in 1994 and the relationship of sports and the country's criminal gangs—notably the MedellÃn narcotics cartel run by Escobar. The other Escobar in the film title refers to former Colombian National Team defender Andrés Escobar (no relation to Pablo), who was shot and killed one month after an own goal that cost Colombia in the 1994 FIFA World Cup.[51]
Killing Pablo (2011), in development for several years and directed by Joe Carnahan, is based on Mark Bowden’s eponymous 2001 book, which in turn is based on his 31-part Philadelphia Inquirer series of articles on the subject.[43][44] The cast was reported to include Christian Bale as Major Steve Jacoby and Venezuelan actor Édgar RamÃrez as Escobar.[52][53] In December 2008, Bob Yari, producer of Killing Pablo, filed for bankruptcy.[54]
Caracol TV produced a television series, Pablo Escobar: El Patrón del Mal (Pablo Escobar, The Boss Of Evil), which began airing on 28 May 2012 and stars Andrés Parra as Pablo Escobar, Mauricio MejÃa as a young Pablo Escobar, and Juan Pablo Franco as Gen. Miguel Maza Marquez.[55]
RTI Producciones produced a television series for RCN TV, Tres CaÃnes, which began on March 4, 2013 and stars Juan Pablo Franco as Pablo Escobar, but his character was crictized for looking like a stereotype.
John Leguizamo is to portray Escobar in the upcoming biopic El Patron, based on a Blacklisted screenplay by Matthew Aldrich.[56]
Animal Planet aired a documentary called Drug Kingpin Hippos that featured Escobar, although the real subject was one of his illegally imported Hippopotamus that was running amok.
Television
In the HBO television series Entourage, actor Vincent Chase (played by Adrian Grenier) plays Escobar in a fictional film entitled Medellin.
In the NCIS episode "Deliverance" (2009), it is implied that NCIS Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs killed a Colombian drug lord in 1992–1993 and was wounded in Colombia. It is not mentioned if the drug lord was Escobar, but it is strongly implied that it was either the killing of Escobar, or a similar situation.
The RCN TV Spanish-language telenovela series Tres CaÃnes (2013) tells the story of the brothers Castaño Gil, with Juan Pablo Franco portraying Pablo Escobar.
In a season three episode of Breaking Bad, Walter, Jr. explains to his father how he is reading a book about Escobar given to him by his uncle Hank, who is recovering from a shooting at the hospital.
A Netflix television series depicting the story of Escobar - titled Narcos - was released on August 28, 2015, starring the Brazilian actor Wagner Moura as Pablo.