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Venezuelan actor Edgar Ramirez to Play PABLO ESCOBAR

http://www.filmbug.com/db/345360
It seems that director Joe Carnahan will be killing a new Pablo for his upcoming film. After Entertainment Weekly reported that Oscar-winner Javier Bardem will no longer be playing Columbian drug lord Pablo Escobar in Joe Carnahan's Killing Pablo, word surfaced soon thereafter of who his replacement will be.

CHUD received an email from Carnahan himself who revealed that Bardem had departed awhile ago and he has already cast his replacement: Edgar Ramirez. The director said that Ramirez, who was most recently seen in Vantage Point and as Paz in The Bourne Ultimatum, was rearing to go for the role. Here's a portion of Carnahan's email below.

I spent the last week in Colombia with Edgar Ramirez talking 'Pablo' and he has every intention of portraying Escobar and I couldn't be more fired up by the prospect. He's coming at it with boundless enthusiasm, conviction to the role and and the understanding that he's going to have to pack on anywhere from 35 to 40lbs.

It was also reported that Ramirez was to play Pablo Escobar in a competing project with Antoine Fuqua, dubbed Escobar, but that is not the case.

With his subtle, masculine style, Venezuelan actor Edgar Ramirez is among a select group of young actors on the rise in Hollywood

Ramirez will next be seen in Vantage Point, opposite Forest Whitaker, Dennis Quaid and Matthew Fox and directed by Pete Travis. He made his American film debut as Choco in Tony Scott's Domino, opposite Keira Knightley and Mickey Rourke.

Ramirez has additionally appeared in a number of international film productions. His past international film credits include El Don (The Boss), directed by J.R. Novoa (Venezuela/Spain); La Hora Cero (The Magic Hour), a short film directed by Guillermo Arriaga, the acclaimed screenwriter of Amores Perros and 21 Grams (Mexico); El Nudo (The Knot), directed by Alejandro Wiedermann (Venezuela); Yotama se va Volando (Yotama Flies Away), directed by Luis Armando Roche (Venezuela/France); Punto y Raya (Step Forward), directed by Elia K. Schneider (Venezuela/Spain/Chile/Uruguay), a nominee for OscarÂ consideration for 2004 Best Foreign Language Film; and Anonimo (Anonymous), directed by Enelio Farina (Venezuela).

Ramirez will next be seen internationally in Cyrano Fernandez, a Venezuelan-Spanish production based on the French play Cyrano de Bergerac. He was also seen in the recently released Elipsis, directed by Eduardo Arias-Nath.

A native of Caracas, Venezuela, Ramirez grew up all over the world due to his father's job as a military attaché. He has made his home in such diverse countries as Austria, Canada, Colombia, Italy and Mexico and, as a result, is fluent in German, English, French, Italian and Spanish. Throughout his travels, Ramirez developed a great love and ability for intercultural communication, a skill he parlayed into a degree in journalism. He specialized in political communications and initially intended on becoming a diplomat.

In 2000, before turning to acting full time, Ramirez was the executive director of Ngo Dale Al Voto, a Venezuelan organization akin to Rock the Vote. In order to foster democratic values among young people, Ramirez and his team created cutting-edge campaigns for radio, television and cinema. The campaigns were well received by audiences throughout the country. He also lent his expertise to various Venezuelan multilateral organizations, including Organization of American States, Transparency International and Amnesty International.

By mariacvetanoski on Aug 19, 2008, 12:21 in Venezuela forum.