A drama series on Cuba's legendary El Tropicano night club is in the works

Deadline

Keshet Studios, the production company behind NBC's launch tonight of La Brea, is heading to Cuba for Tropicana Nights. Queen of the South showrunner Dailyn Rodriguez will adapt Rosa Lowinger and Ofelia Fox's 2005 book Tropicana Nights: The Life and Times of the Legendary Cuban Nightclub. "Tropicana Nights, which is in the vein of Moulin Rouge, Cabaret and Casino, tells the story of the notorious Cuban nightclub in the 1950s, when the club provided a fun, vibrant, wildly entertaining safe haven for those looking to escape the political unrest and persecution on the streets of Havana," according to Deadline. "It centers on the love story and partnership between the club’s owners Martin and Ofelia Fox, who tirelessly fought to preserve their paradise under the stars against various threats, including rival club owners, the mafia and Cuban revolutionaries. The El Tropicano night club, which opened in 1939 and is still open today, played host to greats such as Nat King Cole and party goers included Marlon Brando, Ernest Hemingway, Rita Hayworth and J.F.K.