De los and LA Times talked to writer/director Luis Valdez (Zoot Suit, La bamba,) about the recent announcement of Sony pictures remaking La Bamba. Valdes was not thirlled and said the following “Valdez, also the writer of “Zoot Suit,” said he was faced with the “choice of either participating in the remake in some fashion or just ignoring it altogether.”

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Valdez added, “I’ve always believed the negatives can be turned into positives, so in this case, I chose to help,” said Valdez, who agreed to join the project and provide context to the story of Ritchie Valens. The singer was born in the San Fernando Valley and died in 1959.”

La Bamba is a 1987 American biographical drama film written and directed by Luis Valdez. The film follows the life and short-lived musical career of American Chicano rock and roll star Ritchie Valens.^[1][2][3] The film stars Lou Diamond Phillips as Valens, Esai Morales, Rosanna DeSoto, Elizabeth Peña, Danielle von Zerneck and Joe Pantoliano. The film also covers the effect that Valens’ career had on the lives of his half-brother Bob Morales, his girlfriend Donna Ludwig, and the rest of his family. The film is titled after a traditional Mexican folk song of the same name, which Valens transformed into a rock and roll rendition in 1958.

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