American channel CW adapts Juana la Virgen, a Perla Farías produced by Ben Silverman’s Electus

According to the website Deadline, U.S. channel CW will adapt the telenovela Juana la Virgen, an original story by Venezuelan writer Perla Farías. The screenplay will be by Jennie Snyder Urman, creator of the CW series Emily Owens M.D; and will be produced by Ben Silverman’s Electus. The story, written while Farías worked for RCTV and later sold to Televisa, premiered in Venezuela with an average share of 39.1%, beating the competition by a wide margin.It also did well in Brazil, Spain, Colombia and Mexico, and has been translated to nine different languages. In the U.S., the telenovela aired on Univisión in 2005. The story revolves around Juana, a hard working girl who becomes victim of an accidental artificial insemination. Being a virgin, her pregnancy forces her to endure the rejection of some and the fanaticism of many others who see her as a sort of reincarnation of the Virgin Mary. Her life changes when she meets Mauricio, a man obsessed with becoming a father. They’re lives will fuse together, but not before suffering terrible ups and downs.Ben Silverman and his production company Electus has experience successfully adapting Latin American formats for the U.S. such as Ugly Betty for ABC, based on the RCN of Colombia hit Yo soy Betty la fea, and the upcoming ABC series Killer Women, based on the format Mujeres Asesinas from Pol-ka of Argentina.