Back in May, producer Eric Newman confirmed that Narcos Season 2 will feature the death of notorious drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, played by Wagner Moura. He revealed that the show's first season was designed to span 15 years of his life, leading up to his daring escape in the summer of 1992. At that point in time, the real Pablo Escobar only lived for 18 more months, with the producer revealing it would be "disingenuous" to stretch out his story even further. He also teased at the time that Pablo's death didn't mean the show will be done, and he has teased once again that Season 3 may certainly happen.
Narcos Season 2 doesn't debut until Friday, September 2, giving fans the entire Labor Day weekend to binge watch this season, but during last night's Season 2 premiere screening in Hollywood, Eric Newman reiterated that this season will mark the end of Escobar's story, which follows the year and a half manhunt for the drug kingpin following his daring prison escape. He was shot and killed in Medellin, Colombia, in 1993. While Netflix still hasn't given an official Season 3 renewal for Netflix yet, Eric Newman told the crowd at last night's Hollywood premiere that they have no intention on stopping because Pablo Escobar has died. Here's what he had to say, courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter.
"We plan on stopping when cocaine stops. I think there's a reason why we call this show Narcos and not Pablo Escobar. It's very much about the trade. There are other drug dealers and there are alliances formed against Pablo, so there are a multitude of stories we could tackle."
Last year, just days after the series premiere, Netflix renewed Narcos for Season 2, so it's quite possible that a Season 3 renewal may be announced shortly after the Season 2 premiere. In the days leading up to the premiere, the streaming service has not been coy about this season showcasing Pablo's death, with a recent Narcos trailer even featuring the tagline, "Who Killed Pablo Escobar?" When asked about this decision to promote his death, Eric Newman compared the strategy to that of a blockbuster movie some thought would be an utter flop.
"I remember the Titanic argument: Who's going to see a movie where everyone knows the ending? The decision to be able to actually invest time spent with Pablo Escobar knowing that the end is near will allow people to experience it in a different way. We love Pablo. We don't love the man, but we love the character we've built, who Wagner has played so well. We want people to join in mourning him right away, because it's hard to say goodbye to them."
The series also stars Boyd Holbrook and Pedro Pascal as real-life DEA agents Steve Murphy and Javier Peña, Joanna Christie as Connie Murphy, Juan Murcia as Juan Pablo Escobar, Maurice Compte as Horacia Carrillo, Paulian Gaitan as Tata Escobar, Danielle Kennedy as Ambassador Noonan and Richard T. Jones as a DEA agent. It was also recently announced that fans can pick up the two-volume Narcos soundtrack digitally on September 2, with a release on CD coming shortly thereafter. Stay tuned for more on the future of Narcos as we get closer to the Season 2 premiere.