‘La Bamba’ Remake Will Retell the Story of Singer Ritchie Valens

The 1987 musical biopic La Bamba chronicled the life and career of Mexican-American rock pioneer Ritchie Valens. Now, according to Variety, a remake of the film is in the works.

Lou Diamond Phillips starred as Valens in the original, which was nominated for a Golden Globe and earned Los Lobos a 1987 chart-topper for their version of Valens’ 1958 single “La Bamba,” which was based on a Mexican folk song. Valens was also known for the ballad “Donna” and the rave-up “Come On, Let’s Go,” two late-Fifties radio hits.

Valens died in a plane crash on Feb. 3, 1959, at age 17. The crash, in a cornfield in Iowa, also claimed the lives of Buddy Holly and Jiles Perry Richardson, a.k.a. “The Big Bopper.” Don McLean would go on to mythologize the tragedy, known as “The Day the Music Died,” in his 1971 opus “American Pie.”

According to Variety, Mucho Mas Media and Sony Pictures will develop the remake of Valens’ life story. Luis Valdez, who wrote and directed the 1987 film, will serve as executive producer.

“Together with the rock and roll classics of Ritchie Valens, my 1987 biopic ‘La Bamba’ has graciously withstood the test of time. And yet, the tragically short life and career of Richard Valenzuela continues to inspire new generations of fans the world over,” Valdez said in a statement. “As new biographical details have come to light, a new cinematic look at his eternally young seventeen years on earth can only add to his undying legend.”

Along with La Bamba’s Golden Globe nomination for Best Drama, Los Lobos’ “La Bamba” was nominated for a Grammy for Record of the Year.