Production company Blumhouse Productions has won the rights to the recent New York Times article that details the true story of a mother’s quest for justice and revenge. The article, which carries the spoiler-filled title, She Stalked Her Daughter’s Killers Across Mexico, One by One, chronicles the incredible true story of Miriam Rodriguez, a mother who hunted cartel members who murdered her daughter. Let down by the authorities, Rodriguez decided to take justice into her own hands, going full Liam Neeson and hunting down the perpetrators one by one.
The story is clearly ripe for a cinematic adaptation, with the rights to the story igniting a heated bidding war immediately after it was published on the 15th December. Blumhouse, who were behind recent hits The Invisible Man and Freaky, reportedly beat out 16 other production companies and studios desperate to bring the unbelievable story to life. Well, with Blumhouse emerging victorious, NYT will produce alongside them, with Caitlin Roper, NYT’s executive producer for scripted projects, also producing alongside the article’s writer, Azam Ahmed, and Jason Blum. Anonymous Content represented the article in the sale process.
The New York Times article tells the story of 56-year-old Miriam Rodriguez who saw her whole world come crashing down on her when her daughter, Karen Alejandra Salinas Rodr&íguez, suddenly vanished. What followed was weeks of calls and threats, demanding ransom payments in exchange for Karen to be returned. But, despite paying multiple ransom demands, these were ultimately false promises, and Karen’s remains were tragically found on an abandoned ranch in 2014.
Let down by law enforcement, Rodriguez decided to take things in her own hands. For the next three years, the devoted mother dedicated her life to bringing her daughter’s killers to justice. Using disguises and different identities, she went after the alleged kidnappers, integrating herself into their lives using her unassuming demeanour, and proved instrumental in the capture of 10 criminals.
“Armed with a handgun, a fake ID card and disguises, Miriam Rodr&íguez was a one-woman detective squad, defying a system where criminal impunity often prevails,” says The New York Times article.
The events of “She Stalked Her Daughter’s Killers Across Mexico, One by One,” instantly bring to mind revenge thrillers such as director Tony Scott’s 2004 flick Man on Fire starring Denzel Washington, and, of course, 2008’s Taken starring Liam Neeson as a father who uses his particular set of skills in order to rescue his daughter from a merciless criminal syndicate. While Miriam Rodr&íguez herself clearly had a similar skillset, the sensitive subject matter is likely to result in a more thought-provoking outing than the throat-chopping and butt-bombs of Denzel and Liam. Think Prisoners rather than John Wick.
While the story of Miriam Rodr&íguez is far from the kind of no-holds barred action epic that these events perhaps suggest, it is in fact even more interesting, demonstrating that even the most ordinary among us can make a difference, as well as being capable of extraordinary feats when pushed. There is no word yet who might write or direct this project, and currently no stars are attached, but no doubt many will be circling, with the potential for a powerful central performance likely very appealing to whoever signs on. This comes to us courtesy of Deadline.