Netflix renews 'Narcos: Mexico' for season 3, Diego Luna not returning

LOS ANGELES: Netflix crime drama "Narcos: Mexico" is coming back for a third season, but it will return without series lead Diego Luna, who portrayed Mexican drug cartel leader Felix Gallardo. In addition, series showrunner Eric Newman will exit after five seasons and series co-creator Carlos Bernard will take over the role, reported Variety.

In an April interview with IndieWire, Luna said he was taking a break from the show after two years of "really intense" shoot. The sophomore season, which debuted in February, ended with the capture of Luna's Gallardo.

In addition, actor Wagner Moura, who played Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar in the first two seasons of "Narcos", will direct two episodes of season three.

Moura, who made his directorial debut with 2019's thriller drama "Marighella", had revealed he will serve as one of the directors on the new season of "Narcos: Mexico" at the 50th edition of International Film Festival of India (IFFI) last November.

The upcoming chapter will examine the war that breaks out after Felix's empire splinters. As newly independent cartels struggle to survive political upheaval and escalating violence, a new generation of Mexican kingpins emerge.

Originally intended as a fourth season of "Narcos", which focused on the rise of the cocaine business in Colombia under Escobar and his Medellin Cartel, "Narcos: Mexico" became a new series, shifting the focus to the beginnings of the Mexican drug trade.

Scoot McNairy, Jose Maria Yazpik, Alberto Ammann, Alfonso Dosal, Mayra Hermosillo, Matt Letscher, Manuel Masalva, Alejandro Edda, and Gorka Lasaosa will return for the new installment. Along with Moura, Andi Baiz, Alejandra Marquez, Luis Ortega, Leonardo D'Antoni, and Amat Escalante are attached to direct.

Newman will remain an executive producer on the series. He is currently under an overall deal with Netflix on both the feature side and the television side. Gaumont Television produces.