Netflix has closed a deal with Spanish singer-songwriter Julio Iglesias to bring his life to the screen in series form. “For the first time, this music living legend will participate in the creative process of a project in which he will share everything about his life and his incredible musical trajectory,” the streamer said on Thursday.
The project, currently in development, will “tell the story of how Iglesias became the first non-English artist to enter the American and Asian markets and turned into a universal star who is among the five biggest record sellers in history,” Netflix said. “Throughout his more than 55 years of artistic career, Julio Iglesias has recorded and sung in 12 languages and has connected fans from all over the world, becoming the first Spanish artist with universal reach to have his songs sung all over the planet.”
Financial details weren’t disclosed.
“After that many speculations, books, and documentaries in which I have not been involved, for the first time, I have decided to tell the truth about my life to a universal company like Netflix,” said the 80-year-old music star. “After much deliberation, finally, a very touching letter sent to me by Bela Bajaria (chief content officer at Netflix) was enough to convince me that Netflix was the ideal company to develop this project.”
Said Diego Ávalos, vp content at Netflix: “Julio Iglesias has trusted us to tell his story. We are very grateful for his generosity. We all know that his talent and tenacity are unique in the world. Now, we will have the opportunity to see beyond the lights, the pictures in the magazines, the gold records and to really get to know in depth an exceptional person who has accompanied and will accompany many generations in every corner of the planet.”
Iglesias, the father of Enrique Iglesias, started in the youth ranks of Spanish soccer club Real Madrid and “finished his career in law until an accident ended his career” as an elite athlete, Netflix said. “A few years after that, he ended up becoming one of the biggest artists in the history of contemporary music.”
In the 1970s, Iglesias made a name for himself as a singer in many countries, “but it was in the ’80s when he broke all the records, reached five continents and became the ‘Most Popular Foreign Artist in China’,” the streamer highlighted. In addition to numerous awards, he holds a Guinness World Records trophy as the “Latin artist who has sold the most records in the world.”
Iglesias has shared the stage with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Willie Nelson, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Sting, Dolly Parton, Placido Domingo, Charles Aznavour and Johnny Hallyday, among others.
