Veteran location manager Carlos Munoz Portal was shot and killed while scouting locations for season four of Narcos.
The story was first reported by El Pais. A friend of Portal’s told the Spanish daily that the 37-year-old was killed on Monday in a rural area in Mexico, outside of Mexico City. He was found in a vehicle hit with multiple gunshots.
The motive of the shooting is unclear. Portal reportedly was scouting solo, and he was working in an area prone to murders.
Portal was an experienced location manager who had worked on numerous Hollywood productions in Mexico, including Tony Scott’s Man on Fire, Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto and the latest Bond film, Spectre.
Netflix issued a brief statement, saying, “We are aware of the passing of Carlos Munoz Portal, a well-respected scout, and send our condolences to his family. The facts surrounding his death are still unknown as authorities continue to investigate.”
Narcos season four moves from Colombia to Mexico, and it centers on the fearsome Juarez Cartel. It remains to be seen if the production will move forward with Mexico locations for season four. Over the past decade, drug-related violence in Mexico has forced some film and TV productions to relocate or cancel their shoots.
