Netflix has announced that it is developing a new series centered on the turbulent relationship and artistic lives of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. Directed by Patricia Riggen and Gabriel Ripstein, produced by Mónica Lozano, and written by María Renée Prudencio, the series will portray the couple’s relationship, infidelities, and the political upheavals of their time through an authentic Mexican perspective.
Netflix revealed that the project will focus on the lives of legendary Mexican artist Frida Kahlo and her husband, muralist Diego Rivera. The production aims to shed light on their love, betrayals, and the social and political climate that shaped their art.
The series will be co-directed by Patricia Riggen and Gabriel Ripstein, with production led by Mónica Lozano under Alebrije Producciones. The script is adapted from French writer Claire Berest’s book about Kahlo’s life and her relationship with Rivera. María Renée Prudencio will serve as head writer. The title and release date of the project have not yet been announced.
In Netflix’s official description, the story is summarized as follows:
“A woman who refuses to be merely a muse and tells her pain in her own language, and a man who sustains his creative genius despite his contradictions. Their story transforms their relationship into a source of strength, a site of conflict, and a spectacle displayed before the public. The series is like a ticking bomb—the story of them, of Mexico, and of world history.”
A Rediscovery Through a Mexican Perspective
Carolina Leconte, Vice President of Content at Netflix Mexico, described the series as “a bold look into the most intimate spaces of two figures surrounded by myth.” Riggen emphasized that the story will be approached from both a feminine and a Mexican perspective:
“We want to portray Kahlo and Rivera’s love, conflicts, and the art they created together in a modern, intimate, and powerful language for new generations.”
Ripstein added that the project aims to go beyond a conventional love story:
“The series centers on both a complex romantic relationship and a shared artistic life. It will offer a narrative that is at times playful, at times wild, and deconstructed.”
The social and political conditions that shaped the couple’s lives will serve as a key axis for understanding their artistic production. Despite a divorce and numerous extramarital relationships, Kahlo and Rivera are known as a couple bound to each other. Among these relationships are Rivera’s involvement with Kahlo’s younger sister and allegations of Kahlo’s relationship with Leon Trotsky.
