‘Miss Bala’ Filmmaker Gerardo Naranjo Will Direct the Pilot for FX’s ‘The Bridge,’ Diane Kruger to Star

Gerardo Naranjo, the filmmaker behind “Miss Bala” and “I’m Going to Explode,” will direct the pilot for FX’s drama project “The Bridge.” The prospective series, which was announced by the network in July, is a US adaptation of the 2011 Danish/Swedish series “Bron”/”Broen” about a murder investigation following the discovery of a dead body on the bridge connecting Denmark and Sweden.

“Inglourious Basterds” star Diane Kruger has signed on to take the lead role in the pilot, which will be set at the Mexico/US border between El Paso and Ciudad Juarez. She’ll play El Paso Police Homicide Detective Sonya North, a dogged policewoman who tends to call things like she sees them, with no regard for tact or empathy. When a body is discovered on the bridge spanning the border, North is forced to work on tracking down the serial killer responsible alongside Marco Ruiz. a Mexican detective with a spouse, a family and the ability to relate to other humans — all things she doesn’t possess.

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“The Bridge” is executive produced by Meredith Stiehm (“Homeland”) and Elwood Reid (“Hawaii Five-0”), alongside Carolyn Bernstein, Lars Blomgren and Jane Featherstone. The pilot’s set to begin production this fall in El Paso and Los Angeles.

Naranjo’s an interesting choice as a pilot director, especially in terms of setting the tone for any series to follow. A gifted filmmaker, he’s a native of Mexico City who’s acclaimed last film, 20011’s “Miss Bala,” follows a beauty pageant contestant in Tijuana who gets caught up with drug traffickers in a woozy, bleak action tale. Naranjo’s directed TV before, having helmed a few episodes of the Mexican rom-com series “Soy tu fan.”