On Sept. 16, location scout Carlos Muñoz Portal was tragically shot and killed in central Mexico while looking for areas to shoot season four of Netflix’s original show Narcos. Now, it’s unclear whether Netflix will continue to film the show in Mexico or whether they will look for a new location.
Portal, who was 37, was found dead in his car, which was riddled with bullets. The murder occurred by the borders of Hidalgo state — an area with one of the highest murder rates in Mexico. Authorities have had problems in the investigation of Portal’s death, due to lack of witnesses.
"In #Edmox, Carlos Muñoz Portal (37) was looking for locations for @NarcosNetflix series. He was found dead, by bullets, in his car."
Portal had also worked in location management for Sicario, Spectre, Apocalypto, Fast & Furious, The Legend of Zoro and Man on Fire.
Questions and speculation now arise for how Nacros will chose to proceed. The first two seasons of the show were primarily focused in Colombia. However, the third season — which was just released to Netflix on Sept.1 — began focusing on the Cali Cartel, with hints that the fourth season would dive into the Mexican gangs. Should the show chose to find a new location, it would potentially lay-off many jobs and positions related to the show that would have originated in Mexico.
Netflix has not yet issued an official statement on the fourth season of Narcos. However, last week, they did publicly state via Variety “We are aware of the passing of Carlos Muñoz Portal, a well-respected location scout, and send our condolences to his family. The facts surrounding his death are still unknown as authorities continue to investigate.”
Narcos is now currently available to watch on Netflix. The show primarily focuses on the drug lord Pablo Escobar and the empire he built, but also looks at various other aspects of the illegal drug business as well. Watch the trailer for the newest season here: