Millions of soap opera fans have been worried about where they'll be getting their telenovela fix after Jane the Virgin wraps later this year, but there's no need for fretting. The CW has officially ordered a spinoff called Jane the Novela, and it's going to star soap opera alum Marcia Cross (ex-Tanya, Another World, ex-Liz Correll, The Edge of Night, ex-Kate Sanders, One Life to Live).
The new version of Jane the Virgin is an anthology series, with each season focusing on one of the novels "written" by the title character, Jane (played by Gina Rodriguez, ex-Beverly, The Bold and the Beautiful). According to Deadline, Cross has been cast as Renata, a glamorous and manipulative mother who values her handsome son Felix's legacy more than his happiness.
Additional details about Jane the Novela are sparse, but EW reports that the first season takes place at a Napa Valley vineyard amidst family secrets spilling out into the open. It centers on Estela (Jacqueline Grace Lopez), an up-and-coming art curator who has spent years playing it safe and coloring within the lines. But a shocking secret changes everything and forces her to live a double life. As the "author," Jane will narrate each episode.
The outlet also teases that in a classic soap opera twist, a family member presumed dead may actually show up alive. Is it possible that Jane "writes" her long lost love Michael (Brett Dier) -- who died of gunshot wounds on Jane the Virgin -- back to life?
Jane the Novela is being executive produced by Rodriguez alongside Jane the Virgin writer Valentina Garza and show runner Jenni Snyder Urman.
There's no word yet on when Jane the Novela will make its debut, but season five of the original series, Jane the Virgin, premieres on Wednesday, March 27, at 9PM ET on the CW.
Cross has plenty of soap opera credits under her belt that will help her tackle Jane the Novela. Her first two television credits are the roles of Another World's Tanya and The Edge of Night's Liz Correll, both of which she played in the 1980s. She also played One Life to Live's Kate Sanders from 1986 to 1988 before going on to find primetime success on shows like Melrose Place and Desperate Housewives. Most recently, Cross recurred on ABC's thriller series Quantico as well as on the YouTube Red series Youth & Consequences.
What do you think about Marcia Cross signing on as a lead in Jane the Novela? What do you think about the premise of the Jane the Virgin spinoff? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
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