The Shield’s Michael Chiklis has been tapped for a lead role in a new true-crime series called Hotel Cocaine from the creator of Narcos, Chris Brancato. The show will center on Cuban expatriate Roman Compte, general manager of the notorious Mutiny Hotel in Miami during the height of the city’s cocaine craze in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and the cops who try to shut down the drug trade.
According to Deadline, Chiklis, who is also currently starring in Accused, is joining the cast of the show as Agent Zulio, who is part of the law enforcement team trying to stop the flow of cocaine into the U.S. through Miami. Danny Pino, known for stints on popular crime shows such as Cold Case, Law & Order: SVU, and most recently the Sons Of Anarchy spinoff Mayans M.C., will portray Compte, the show’s main character. Pino was born and raised in Miami by Cuban parents, which makes him a particularly shrewd casting choice for the role.
Everything We Know About Hotel Cocaine
Danny Pino in Mayans M.C.
Hotel Cocaine has received an eight episode order from MGM+, which was previously known as Epix, and will begin shooting in May in the Dominican Republic. Brancato will serve as showrunner on the project, which is expected to premiere in early 2024, and will also executive produce the series alongside Michael Panes and Alfredo Barrios Jr. The show’s pilot will be directed by Guillermo Navarro, who won an Academy Award for Best Cinematography for his work on Guillermo del Toro‘s classic film Pan’s Labyrinth.
The show will follow Compte, a Cuban exile who chased the American Dream as the Mutiny Hotel’s general manager in Miami, later becoming a CIA operative. The Mutiny Hotel, a flashy nightclub, restaurant, and hotel which was frequented by celebrities, international narcos, and politicians, was infamous for its position at the epicenter of Miami’s drug scene. Chiklis’ Agent Zulio works to bring down the drug trade, but his methods are dubious, often using innocent civilians to get the job done.
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After finding so much success portraying the lives of the narcos who brought cocaine into America in Narcos and its spinoff Narcos: Mexico, it will be interesting to see Brancato dealing with the American side of the cocaine trade. Another interesting connection between Narcos and Hotel Cocaine is the fact that Compte’s real life son is actor Maurice Compte, who feature prominently in Narcos as Columbian Colonel Horacio Carrillo in seasons 1 and 2.
