Televisa USA, a subsidiary of the leading Mexican TV company, has announced that the English version of the Spanish drama, Gran Hotel will be filmed in the Dominican Republic. The setting for the romantic murder mystery TV series has been adapted from the original 1905 Spanish Belle Epoque milieu to the licentious pre-Castro Havana, Cuba. It will be shot at the Lantica Pinewood Dominican Republic Studios in Juan Dolio, half an hour east of Santo Domingo. It is one of several projects planned for Lantica Media to co-develop and co-finance with Televisa.
As reported, in the new version, following his sister’s disappearance, main character Julio is led on a dangerous journey that takes him to the opulent Gran Hotel, a frequent getaway for the rich, powerful, famous and infamous and into the arms of the sexy daughter of the hotel’s wealthy owner.
A romantic murder mystery melding danger and passion, Televisa USA’s “Gran Hotel” is set in 1950s Havana, where many hotels were built by the mob, including kingpin Meyer Lansky, taking advantage of lax Cuban gambling laws.
“It was a time when mobsters, politicians and celebrities flocked to Havana, the world’s most exotic and permissive playground,” said Chris Philip, head of production and distribution at Televisa USA. “Setting Gran Hotel in a sexy, sinful atmosphere offers up a rich fusion of glamour and intrigue deeply rooted in an exceptional murder mystery format with a proven global footprint.”
Antonio Gennari of Lantica says that the Gran Hotel will add to the dramatic growth in Dominican Republic’s film and TV sectors, which have already been galvanized by generous tax credits of up to 25% on eligible above- and below-the-line expenditure.
Read more: http://deadline.com/2015/09/gran-hotel-tv-series-televisa-usa-cuba-1201550685/