Netflix Films the Daniel Sancho Case – Martiño Rivas Plays the Convicted Chef

TVS News AI, editorially supervised, presents Netflix Films the Daniel Sancho Case – Martiño Rivas Plays the Convicted Chef.

Remember the headlines from the summer of 2023, when a Spanish chef was arrested on a Thai island for murder? That very case is now becoming a Netflix miniseries – and you'll have to look twice at the first image from the production, so striking is the resemblance between the lead actor and the real Daniel Sancho.

On Friday, October 9, Netflix officially announced the production. In the lead role: the Galician actor Martiño Rivas, known from "Las chicas del cable" and "El problema final". The platform immediately released a first photo showing Rivas in handcuffs, accompanied by Thai police – exactly the scene in which Sancho was led away in chains during the reconstruction of the crime.

For you, that means: After the true-crime formats that have already shed light on the case, the fictional dramatization follows – produced by the Spanish hit factory Bambú Producciones, which was also behind "El caso Asunta" and "El crimen de Pazos".

Who is Martiño Rivas – and why him?

Martiño Rivas is no stranger in Spain. The 45-year-old Galician has made a name for himself with series like "El internado" and especially "Las chicas del cable", one of the most-watched Spanish Netflix productions of all time. The fact that he is now taking on the role of Daniel Sancho is a deliberate choice: Netflix shows in the first promo image an actor who looks confusingly similar to the convicted chef – narrow facial features, dark hair, the same skeptical look.

Striking: Netflix deliberately recreated the crime scene reconstruction – Rivas wears handcuffs, with Thai police officers in the background. The photo is clearly meant to immediately trigger the association: This is Sancho, as you know him from the news.

What happened in the real case?

So you don't start watching the series without context, here's the short version: In the summer of 2023, Daniel Sancho – son of Spanish actor Rodolfo Sancho – was arrested in Thailand after Colombian surgeon Edwin Arrieta had been murdered and dismembered. The two had had a secret, intimate relationship. In August 2024, a Thai court sentenced Sancho to life in prison for premeditated murder.

The case kept Spain and much of Latin America on edge for weeks – not only because of the brutality of the crime, but also because it involved the son of a well-known television actor.

What is the status of the court proceedings?

Legally, the story is not over yet. As ABC reports, the Thai judiciary rejected the appeals from both Sancho's defense and the Arrieta family a few weeks ago. The verdict therefore stands. The defense still has the option of going to Thailand's Supreme Court.

For you as a viewer, this means: The Netflix series is based on a case that remains legally open – which keeps the story current for years to come.

What do you know about the production so far?

An official title is still missing. Netflix has however revealed that filming will begin "soon" – not only at original locations in Thailand, but also at Spanish locations. The miniseries is produced by Bambú Producciones, the house behind "El caso Asunta" (2024) and "El crimen de Pazos". The executive producer is Ramón Campos, one of the most influential Spanish series producers of recent years.

Netflix has so far remained silent about the rest of the cast – who plays Edwin Arrieta, who plays Rodolfo Sancho, who plays the investigators?

How does this fit with other formats about the case?

The new miniseries is not the first attempt to bring the Sancho case to the screen. The platform Max already had the four-part documentary "El caso Sancho" in its lineup shortly after the crime, which reconstructs the murder and the investigation. SkyShowtime España offers "Receta para un asesinato", a five-part true-crime format that traces Sancho's trial.

Netflix is now taking a different path: away from documentary and true crime, toward a fictional miniseries. The streaming giant is thereby entering into competition with its own rivals – on a subject that remains a guaranteed ratings hit in Spain and Latin America.

Netflix has not yet announced a specific release date. As soon as the start of filming, the title, and the premiere date are set, you'll read about it here.