Warner indie unit bows to Queen

Plural, Origen to jointly develop thriller

By ANNA MARIE DE LA FUENTE

'The Queen of the South' has been a hot property since hitting shelves last summer.

HOLLYWOOD -- Warner Independent Pictures has inked a pact with Spanish shingles Plural Entertainment and Origen Prods. Cinematografica to jointly develop and produce a pic based on the international bestseller "The Queen of the South" (La Reina del Sur).

Written by Spanish scribe Arturo Perez-Reverte, novel has been a hot film rights property for various producers, helmers and thesps since it hit U.S. bookstands in the summer. Move affirms WIP's long-stated intentions to make Latino-themed pics.

"Queen" is a thriller about a young Mexican woman who flees from the killers of her drug-smuggling boyfriend. . She gets involved in the smuggling trade between Spain and Morocco, where she becomes a legend.

Sergio Aguero of Los Angeles-based Andale Pictures is attached to produce the film.

Plural is the production arm of giant Spanish media conglom Prisa S.A., which owns the publisher of Perez-Reverte's books, Alfaguara.

Origen Prods., owned by Antonio Cardenal, is in production on another Perez-Reverte novel, "Alatriste." It co-produced the film adaptation of an earlier Perez-Reverte book, "The Fencing Master."

Pact, which took at least a year to cobble together, was inked by WIP prexy Mark Gill and senior veep Paul Federbush, and Plural toppers Jose de Vicuna and Miami-based Luis Fernandez.

Aguero just produced "Princesas" by Fernando Leon de Aranoa, now in post. He is developing "Justice Deferred" at Warner Bros as well as the remake of "Mostly Martha" at Castle Rock.