‘El Norte’ Director To Write Film About Selena

Director-screenwriter Gregory Nava (“El Norte,” “A Time of Destiny,” “Mi Familia”) has been attached to write and direct the film about the life of slain Tejano music superstar Selena., “It’s an incredible story of a brilliantly talented young woman and a brilliantly talented family who came from nothing to achieve tremendous success and realize their dreams,” said Nava.

“We are interested in celebrating her life and achievements, her contribution to the music world and her role-model contribution to American culture,” said Esparza.

Nava said “Selena” will also focus on her early life and her relationship with her father, who also tried to make it in the music business. He added that the film will not focus on the tragic events surrounding the singer’s death.

Abraham Quintanilla, Selena’s father, will be the executive producer of the project, a joint venture with Q Productions, his production company, and Esparza/Katz. Abraham Quintanilla III, Selena’s brother and producer of her albums, will produce the soundtrack for the film.

Filming is scheduled to start February, with a tentative release planned for August 1996. Selena’s role has yet to be cast.

Selena’s new album release, “Dreaming of You,” released after the singer’s death, debuted at No. 1 on the national charts and has sold more than 3 million copies.

‘Seinfeld’ syndication a record

“Seinfeld” will debut in syndication on more TV stations than any off-network series in history, according to Barry Thurston, president of Columbia TriStar Television Distribution.

Thurston said the show is cleared for its Sept. 11 off-network debut on 224 stations representing 99 percent of the country, “shattering” the record set by Columbia TriStar when it launched “Designing Women” on 208 stations in 1992.

Buena Vista Television, which is launching “Home Improvement” in syndication also on Sept. 11, has cleared the sitcom on 189 stations.

‘Tuskegee Airmen’ ratings high

HBO claimed soaring ratings for its telepic, “The Tuskegee Airmen,” which made its premiere last Saturday.

The film, starring Laurence Fishburne, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Courtney B. Vance, Andre Braugher and John Lithgow, pulled in a 13.1 rating (percentage of HBO’s 19.2 million subscribers) and 23 share (percentage of sets in use).

The cabler also separately measured viewer response in the 3.6 million African-American homes that subscribe to the network. Those ratings jumped to 25.7.

“Tuskegee” chronicles the WWII struggles of the U.S. Army Air Corps’ “Fighting 99th,” the first squadron of black combat fighter pilots.