Mexican Gerardo Naranjo to direct Fox’s ‘Mountain’

For anyone who has rebuked mainstream America for not giving Latinos opoortunities to showcase their talents, then how do you explain Gerardo Naranjo? Yeah, I know what you’re saying… “a good agent and being Hispanic is in vogue.” You might be right, but it’s happening. It’s becoming an American reality, an a normalcy we need to get used to.

According to Deadline.com, 20th Century Fox and Chernin Entertainment are negotiating with Gerardo Naranjo to direct The Mountain Between Us, an adaptation of the Charles Martin novel.

For those of you who don’t know who Gerado Naranjo, he’s coming off Miss Bala, Mexico’s Best Foreign Language Film Oscar submission. It is executive produced by Mexican heavyweights Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna and tells the story of Laura, a young woman whose aspirations of becoming a beauty queen turn against her, delivering her into the hands of a gang that’s terrorizing northern Mexico. Although Laura succeeds in winning the beauty queen crown, her experiences as an unwilling participant in Mexico’s violent war leave her shaken and transformed.

From what we understand, The Mountain Between Us, is adapted by J. Mills Goodloe, and is both a harrowing tale of survival and a love story. Ashley is a writer catching a flight from Salt Lake City and heading East for her wedding. Ben is a doctor returning from a medical conference. When a their flight is cancelled due to a broken de-icer, the strangers agree to charter a ride, only to see the pilot suffer a heart attack and crash into a desolate snowy mountain region. He breaks ribs and she suffers a leg fracture. Fortunately, aside from a doctor he’s an avid climber, and as he struggles to get her down from the mountain in harsh weather, she begins to realize that maybe she was headed to marry the wrong guy.

How will Naranjo fair in his debut? Only time will tell, but we’re rooting for him to establish a reputation of quality work worthy of awards.