HBO Max preps for Spanish launch with Dolores Vázquez crime series

Dolores Vázquez

WarnerMedia’s HBO Max has ordered a Spanish true crime show exploring the life of Dolores Vázquez, who was a victim of one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in the country’s recent history.

Dolores: The Truth About The Wanninkhof Case (6 x 50 minutes) is being produced by Unicorn in Spain for HBO Max, which is launching in the country later this year.

The docuseries explores how Vázquez was arrested as the main suspect in the murder of the young Rocío Wanninkhof, the daughter of her ex-partner, in 2000. The case started a media frenzy and she was eventually jailed and spent 519 days in prison for a crime she never committed.

The show features Vázquez, who is speaking about the case for the first time, as well as archive images, interviews with other key protagonists and a fictional reconstruction of the events.

Xelo Montesinos, founder & CEO of Unicorn, said: “This was one of the most serious miscarriages of justice in Spain ever, and finally the story will be told in all its details for the first time. Reality is sometimes stranger than fiction, and in this case it’s even more obvious. This is a thriller full of unexpected twists, a controversial and amazing personal story.”

Miguel Salvat, executive producer for HBO Max, added: “The Wanninkhof case kept a whole country and its media on the edge of its seat. Twenty years on you will hear about it from a totally different point of view.

“Dolores Vázquez speaks candidly, telling her raw and painful story, with the benefit of time having passed. To those thinking this couldn’t happen today, I ask why it happened then.”

Miguel Salvat and Hanka Kasteliková are executive producers for HBO Max. Xelo Montesinos, Víctor García Martín, Toñi Moreno are executive producers for Unicorn Content.

WarnerMedia has been ramping up its European originals slate for HBO Max recently, earlier this week unveiling a new Swedish comedy starring The Bridge’s Sofia Helin. The streamer, which has just been rolled out in Latin America and the Caribbean, is due to launch in Europe later this year.