La Bamba: Sony’s Remake with Updated Storylines

Get ready for more La Bamba.

A remake of the 1987 movie about the life of Ritchie Valens, the rocker who died in a plane crash, alongside Buddy Holly and “The Big Bopper” J.P. Richardson, on Feb. 3, 1959, which went down in pop culture history as “The Day the Music Died,” is on the way, Mucho Mas Media and Sony Pictures announced Monday.

In “La Bamba,” Lou Diamond Phillips plays Ritchie Valens.

Columbia Pictures/Everett

Luis Valdez, who wrote the original script and directed the film, will executive produce.

“Together with the rock and roll classics of Ritchie Valens, my 1987 biopic La Bamba has graciously withstood the test of time,” Valdez said in a statement. “And yet, the tragically short life and career of Richard Valenzuela continues to inspire new generations of fans the world over. As new biographical details have come to light, a new cinematic look at his eternally young seventeen years on earth can only add to his undying legend.”

Valdez, who previously told EW that no remake was needed, did not immediately respond to a request comment. “I have not been approached about doing that, but I don’t know why they would want to remake it. It’s fresh as it is,” Valdez said in April 2021.

José Rivera, who was nominated for an Oscar for writing The Motorcycle Diaries, is attached to write.

The original movie costarred Esai Morales as Valens’ troubled older brother, Bob; Rosanna DeSoto as his mom, Connie; Elizabeth Peña as Ritchie and Bob’s love interest, Rosie; and Danielle von Zerneck as the inspiration for Valens’ hit “Donna.” Joe Pantoliano and Rick Dees costarred as men instrumental to the performer’s success.

It was a solid hit, earning more than $54 million on a budget of $6.5 million, according to Box Office Mojo.

Moreover, the soundtrack to La Bamba was an international smash, and the film itself was nominated for the year’s best drama at the Golden Globes.

The movie devoted only a scene to the death of Valens, who was just 17. The rest of it focused on his life, including his dedication to making a name for himself in music, which he did with hits such as “La Bamba” and “Come On, Let’s Go.”

Valens was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, and he’s considered one of the most influential Latino artists in history.

Meanwhile, the La Bamba movie was added to the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry in 2017, an honor given to only 25 titles a year for their “cultural, historic or aesthetic importance to preserve the nation’s film heritage.”

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