One of the last surviving members of Pablo Escobar’s notorious Medellín cartel has a bone to pick with Netflix over the streaming giant’s popular original series Narcos — and it’s potentially a very expensive one. Roberto Escobar, the older brother of the late drug kingpin whose life inspired the series, is seeking $1 billion in compensation from Netflix and the chance to review season 2 before it becomes available to subscribers, reports Newsweek.
Escobar laid out his concerns in a letter obtained and published by TMZ on Wednesday, claiming there were “mistakes, lies, and inaccuracies” in the first season, which premiered in August 2015. He argued that as one of the cartel’s leaders and Escobar’s family member, he should be given “the rightful opportunity to review this material.” Additionally, he wrote that he registered successor-in-interest rights over his brother and family name in California in 2015.
Although Escobar called the letter a “friendly request,” he told Newseek that he would take legal action against the company if necessary. “If they decline my offer, we have attorneys ready to proceed with necessary actions,” he said.
Among the more specific grievances that Roberto Escobar had with season 1 was how his role was altered. Olof Gustafsson, who co-founded Escobar, Inc. with Roberto and serves as CEO, explained in an email to Newsweek that Roberto Escobar served as his late brother’s accountant and doubled as head of his hit men; season 1, however, featured an accountant who was fired from his post and claimed to be a CIA informant.
Beyond that, Escobar was not impressed with Wagner Moura’s portrayal of Pablo. “Does he have any real experience in acting? Does he have any real experience in making cocaine transactions? Has he laundered billions of dollars? Or is he sucking on his thumb and drinking his mother’s breast milk to this date?” said Escobar. “I believe it is the latter.”
It remains to be seen whether Escobar’s request will have any impact on the series moving forward. If all goes according to Netflix’s plan, Narcos season 2 will be available for streaming on September 2.
Digital Trends has reached out to Netflix for comment but has yet to hear back.
