"Narcos" has officially been renewed for seasons 3 and 4, and the upcoming installments will focus on an entirely new set of villains and a new cartel, given that the Medellin Cartel collapsed with the death of Pablo Escobar (Wagner Moura) in season 2. Showrunner Eric Newman confirms that season 3 may be focusing on the rise of the Cali Cartel.
Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter, Newman stated that, before the rise of the Mexican cartel, there was the Cali Cartel, and they took over where the Medellin Cartel ended. It is further pointed out that the main leaders of this cartel have already been introduced in season 2, and they could be the primary villains for the show.
"There are four Cali godfathers: brothers Gilberto (Damian Alcazar) and Miguel (Francisco Denis), Pacho Herrera (Alberto Ammann), all of whom we've met, and then there is a fourth named 'Chepe,' who is a sort of fascinating and colorful guy," Newman explained. "They're certainly going to be a big part of season three," he added.
Newman also confirmed that the Cali Cartel did not last long, and all of the four main leaders met tragic ends. Despite this, he states that the journey to get to their end will be the most exciting part of season 3.
It is further explained that the Cali Cartel were quite different from the empire built by Escobar. While Escobar was seen as an outlaw hunted by the government but protected by the people, the Cali Cartel focused on corruption and had bought several political officials to keep the government on their side.
The showrunner did explain that it is uncertain at this point if the story of the Cali Cartel will be kept solely within the confines of season 3 or if it may expand onto season 4, similar to how Escobar's story was spread across two seasons.
"Narcos" season 3 is scheduled to premiere in 2017.
