First Photo of Benicio Del Toro as Pablo Escobar in Paradise Lost

And here we have it. The first official photograph of Benicio Del Toro playing Colombian druglord Pablo Escobar in Paradise Lost. I had written an article about the news back in November of 2012 about Del Toro taking the gig after his “savage” performance in Oliver Stone’s Savages. He stole all the scenes in that film and the word was that he could even be nominated come award season time. Even though he wasn’t, his acting left a mark, and producers and directors were alert to him playing a drug lord in a leading role in the future.

Regrettably, Paradise Lost by director Andrea di Stefano isn’t the Escobar we’re all wanting to see. The story will revolve around Nick (Josh Hutcherson), a surfer who visits his brother in Colombia and falls in love with a gorgeous local girl named Maria. But the couple’s peaceful romance is disrupted when Nick discovers that Pablo Escobar (Del Toro) is Maria’s uncle.

There is still no release date for the US.