'Jane the Virgin': Beloved Star Ivone Coll Confirmed to Return for 'Novela' Spinoff

The cast of CW's Jane the Virgin spinoff, Jane the Novela continues to grow, with original series [...]

The cast of CW's Jane the Virgin spinoff, Jane the Novela continues to grow, with original series co-star Ivonne Coll joining the ranks.

Coll plays Alba Villanueva on Jane the Virgin, but she could take on any number of roles in the new series. According to a report by Deadline she will be a series regular on Jane the Novela, and anthology series based on the writings of Jane Villanueva (Gina Rodriguez), the star of the original series.

The outlet also reports that actor Remy Hii has been cast as one of the male leads in Jane the Novela Season 1, along with Hunter Parrish. Hii is known for his role on Marco Polo. Meanwhile, Benito Martinez of The Shield and Holland Roden of Teen Wolf have also been cast in the mysterious show.

Jane the Novela will reportedly function as an anthology series. The idea is that each season will portray a melodramatic novela written by Jane Villanueva from the original show. While Rodriguez will not appear on screen, she will narrate the stories intermittently, tying them back to her character on the other series.

Jane the Novela will kick off with a tale set in California. Split between the idyllic wine country of Napa Valley and the art scene in San Francisco, It will star Jacqueline Grace Lopez as Estela, an art curator torn from her by-the-books lifestyle into a saga of secrets and intrigue.

Hii, meanwhile, will play Estela's boyfriend Luen, while Parrish will play Felix, a handsome, rich businessman in the wine industry tempting Estela away from him. Luen is an earnest security guard with lofty plans for his future with Estela.

Obviously, the story seems to mirror that of Jane the Virgin, in which Villanueva is torn between her cop boyfriend, Michael (Brett Dier), and the wealthy hotel heir Rafael (Justin Baldoni). This is intentional, as the CW describes Jane the Novela as being "in the tradition" of Jane the Virgin. This means that, in some ways, Estela will be a stand-in for Villanueva.

To that end, Coll — who plays Villanueva's grandmother on the original series — will play Estela's adoptive mother Camila on the new show. Meanwhile, Martinez will play Raul, an eccentric figure in the winery, while Roden will play Sienna, Felix's passionate activist sister.

Jane the Virgin will return for Season 5 on Wednesday, March 27 at 9 p.m. ET on the CW. Jane the Novela has received a pilot order, but has not yet gone to series or gotten an official premiere date.

0comments