A location manager who worked on Narcos and movies like Spectre was shot and killed earlier in the week while scouting an area in rural Mexico.
Carlos Muoz Portal was found murdered Monday inside his vehicle, the Hollywood Reporter writes. Portal was scouting solo at the time of his murder, which occurred near the Temascalapa municipality.
The 37-year-old veteran location manager often worked with Hollywood productions that filmed in Mexico, including Fast & Furious, Apocalypto, Man on Fire, Sicario and its upcoming sequel Soldado.
The upcoming fourth season of Netflixs Narcosreportedly revolves around Mexicos Juarez cartel. A friend of Portals told El Pais that the location scout had journeyed to an area near the border of the state of Hidalgo which has Mexicos highest murder rate, with 182 murders in July alone to take photographs of potential filming sites for the series.
We are aware of the passing of Carlos Muoz Portal, a well-respected scout, and send our condolences to his family, Netflix said in a statement. The facts surrounding his death are still unknown as authorities continue to investigate.
As the friend told the Mexican newspaper, a stranger photographing the area likely raised the suspicions of locals. Maybe they thought he was collecting information and they started tracking him in a car.
A police spokesperson said of Portals death, We do not know if he was in Hidalgo and from there they followed him or if he was in the state of Mexico and tried to flee towards Hidalgo. They added that authorities had no witnesses due to the remote location of the murder.