Liliana Montenegro is making a big sacrifice…

BET has handed a 10-episode series order to the legal thriller Sacrifice, starring the Latina actress.

Headlined by Paula Patton, the project from Footage Films originated as a movie written, executive produced and directed by Chris Stokes, which served as a back-door pilot. It debuted in December 2019 on BET+ as the streaming service’s first original film.

Sacrifice takes place in Los Angeles and follows Daniella Hernandez (Patton), a highly sought-after entertainment lawyer, as she navigates the nefarious lives of her rich and famous clients.

Patton will reprise her role in the series, accompanied by returning cast members Montenegro, Marques Houston, James Trevena, Veronika Bozeman, Altonio Jackson, Michael Toland and Nelson Bonilla.

The series will delve deeper into Daniella’s complicated personal life. She is a recovering alcoholic who compensates for her suppressed addiction with men and the adrenaline of defending the worst in the entertainment world against an over-zealous D.A. sworn to bring them all to justice. Daniella’s unimpeachable clients need her help, wisdom and resourcefulness – as do all the corrupt ones. She is the classic conundrum of doing good for bad reasons and doing bad for good reasons. Maybe it’s luck, maybe it’s skill, maybe it’s because she’s beautiful, but Daniella gets away with it… so far.

“Sacrifice takes an in-depth look at the entertainment business in a way that no television show ever has, by capturing the glamorous yet mysterious sides of the music industry from the perspective of an entertainment attorney. The suspense and excitement will have you on the edge of your seat in every episode,” said Chris Stokes, Chairman, Footage Films. “When I created the show, the only woman I could see playing the role of Daniella was Paula Patton. Sacrifice’s big cliffhangers, coupled with incredible acting, is sure to keep viewers completely locked in!”

There are several main cast members from the movie who are not continuing on the series, including Erica Ash, Juan Antonio and Josué Ramon Gutierrez whose character is not expected to be a part of the show. It is unclear whether the other roles will be recast. The options on the actors from the movie lapsed in June.

BET asked for free extensions, citing “production uncertainty related to the COVID-19 pandemic.” Not all cast members agreed to do it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=8Ztc2UUAd2Q&feature=emb_logo

It has not been decided yet whether Sacrifice, the series, will run on the linear network or the streaming service BET+, which carried the movie.