‘Menudo’ Boy Band Competition Series In The Works From Mario Lopez & Universal Television Alternative Studio

Denise Petski
·2 min read

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Menudo, one of the biggest Latin boy bands in history, is making a comeback.

Universal Television Alternative Studio has acquired the rights to Menudo, an hour-long, weekly competition format that will search for and rebuild one of the most iconic boy bands of all time. Access Hollywood co-host Mario Lopez is set to executive produce the project. A network is not yet attached.

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Menudo hails from Lopez and his Via Mar Productions, Emmy-winning The Voice producer Audrey Morrissey’s Live Animals, 3 Arts Entertainment and Foundation Management. Universal Television Alternative Studio is the studio.

“I grew up as a huge fan of Menudo and I’m thrilled to be a part of bringing this iconic band back to the world,” said Lopez.

In addition to Lopez, the project will be executive produced by Morrissey and Jayson Belt for Live Animals, 3 Arts’ Mark Schulman and Foundation Management’s Patrick Hughes, Paul Vasquez and Harvey Russell.

Menudo launched in 1977 by producer Edgardo Díaz, with original members, brothers Fernando and Nefty Sallaberry and Carlos, Oscar and Ricky Meléndez. The band reached the height of its success during the 1980s, becoming a starting point for the careers of both Ricky Martin and Draco Rosa, who were members around the mid-1980s. The band took a break in the late 1990s and rebooted in 2007, finally disbanding in 2009. During its run, the band spawned two feature films (Una aventura llamada Menudo and Menudo: La Película), as well as a TV series, a beauty pageant, dolls, trading cards, watches and even a board game. Their music is still listened to by fans worldwide today.

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