Francisco Joel Mendoza has invited Esteban Loaiza to participate in his upcoming Jenni Rivera biopic.
In a press statement, the director invited Loaiza to play himself in the film and recreate the tumultuous relationship Rivera and Loaiza had during their marriage. He added that he wanted the movie to be as a real as possible.
The film, which is in pre-production, will star Deyra Barrera and Mireya Limon as Rivera. The movie will also star thespians Joaquín Cosío (El Infierno), Gustavo Sánchez Parra (Amores perros) and Mario Zaragoza (Cloroformo) in major roles.
Ever since "La Diva de La Banda" was announced, Mendoza has gone through a series of obstacles. He recently lost financing for the film when the executive producer Andy Hernandez left production. The producer stated that Mendoza had breached the contract and would therefore not work with him anymore. Hernandez also said that he was investing the majority of the money and did not care what happened to the project.
Mendoza's also hit headlines when the deceased singer's relatives spoke out against the film and stated that they had the rights to every movie produced about Rivera's life.
Mendoza later exposed a document that was signed by Rivera and gave him authorization to make the film. During a press conference he showed the document and said that he did not care what the family thought about his movie.
Loaiza and Rivera were married in 2010. In October of 2012 they were divorced citing "irreconcilable differences on behalf of both parties derived from private circumstances that occurred during the lapse of their two-year marriage." Loaiza was a baseball pitcher who played for the Chicago White Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
"La Diva de la Banda" will be released on December 6 in Mexico.