Desperate Housewives goes Latin

More Desperate Housewives--in Spanish and Portuguese. Hoping to replicate the worldwide success of the Golden Globe-winning ABC drama from openly gay creator Marc Cherry, Buena Vista International Television Latin America announced Thursday plans to produce four local Latin American editions, each with its own cast and cultural flavor. Spanish versions of the show will shown in Argentina, Colombia, and Ecuador, and a Portuguese version will air in Brazil.

"The script of the series perfectly fit the profile of what the Latin American audience looks for," said Fernando Barbosa, senior vice-president of Buena Vista International Television Latin America. "It looks similar to the telenovelas."

Each new version will be filmed on one set in Buenos Aires and follow the format of the U.S. original, but with adaptations to reflect each cast's local culture. "In the U.S. version there's a plumber [actor James Denton as Mike Delfino] in that neighborhood. In Latin America, a plumber is very unlikely to live in such a neighborhood, so we'll have to switch that profession," Barbosa said.

The couple played by Eva Longoria and Ricardo Antonio Chavira--who as Gabrielle and Carlos Solis represent Hispanics in the United States, Barbosa said--will reflect permanent immigrants in each community. For example, in the Colombian version, the couple will be from Ecuador.

Production on the Argentine version begins April 15 in Buenos Aires, and the first episodes could air in Argentina as early as June or July, Barbosa said. Four actresses have already been cast as the lead desperate housewives for the Argentine version: Araceli Gonzalez as Gabriela (Gabrielle on the U.S. version), Gabriela Toscano as Susana (Susan), Carola Reyna as Elisa (Bree), and Mercedes Moran as Lia (Lynette). (AP)