‘Narcos’ Season 3 Plot, Updates: Gilberto Orejuela of the Cali Cartel Rises as Series’ Next Villain; Pablo Escobar’s Son Criticizes Series for Inaccuracies

‘Narcos’ season 3 is set to feature the rise of Gilberto Orejuela of the Cali Cartel as the series’ next principal villain. Meanwhile, Pablo Escobar’s son took to social media to criticize the show for its numerous historical inaccuracies.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, showrunner Eric Newman previously revealed that he intended to continue the web television series long after the death of principal character Pablo Escobar. Newman said, "The show, since its inception, has never been about Pablo Escobar… Narcos is about cocaine and cocaine continues beyond Escobar.”

He added, “The Osama bin Laden thing certainly inspired us, because here’s this guy we went to great lengths to kill and by the time we did, he was living in the Anaheim of Pakistan, actually having little to do with terrorism. And now we’re dealing with the guys that took over for him. That’s how we look at Escobar."

Actor Wagner Moura, who played the infamous Colombian drug lord in the series, said that Escobar was just the beginning of a story putting focus on notorious drug wars. Moura said, “Having Narcos after Pablo and having the show strong enough to keep going, it’s very important, not only artistically because it’s a show that’s original and cool, but it’s also a very political show.”

He continued, “As a Latin American man, we have the drug trade and it’s a very big deal here. I’m really eager to watch more about the Cali cartel and the Mexican cartels, the mafias and how the United States deals with this contradiction of being where the war on the drugs and policy of drugs comes from while, at the same time, is the biggest consumer of drugs in the world. I want to see more and understand more about that contradiction. I want the show to generate more discussions about something that resonates a lot with me, especially after doing the show.”

Moura’s Escobar finally met his demise in season 2’s finale entitled “Al Fin Cayó!" It was reported by /Film that Cali Cartel’s Gilberto Rodriguez Orejuela will be the focus of season 3. Damian Aclazar was first introduced as Orejuela, the leader of the Cali cartel and one of Escobar’s primary drug trade rivals, in season 2.

Meanwhile, Escobar’s son Sebastian Marroquin criticized the show for its many historical inaccuracies, which he highlighted in a Facebook post. According to the Independent, Marroquin listed off 28 facts that were recreated or exaggerated for dramatic purposes in the series including the truth behind his uncle Carlos’ existence, the bombing at the Cali wedding, as well as the family’s escape to Germany.

Marroquin authored the book ‘Pablo Escobar: My Father’ using his birth name, which was published in 2014.

‘Narcos’ is a crime-thriller and biographical web television series created by Chris Brancato, Carlo Bernard, and Doug Miro for Netflix. Since its premiere on August 2015, the show was received with positive reviews as well as garnered multiple accolades including two Golden Globe Award nominations, one for Best Television Series – Drama and one for Best Actor – Television Series Drama for Moura.

Netflix renewed the series for a third and fourth season last September 6, 2016.