Netflix drama Narcos could continue even after drug lord Pablo Escobar's death

Narcos showrunners have hinted that the drug cartel series could see the light of a third season. The cast of hit Netflix drama fielded questions at a panel at the Television Critics Association on 27 July. Wagner Moura who plays Pablo Escobar, confirmed that he will be leaving the show after season 2, but the creators assured that the show will go on.

In season 1, the drama, which is based on the world of drugs in Colombia, focused on Escobar, but keeping with history, in season 2 the cocaine kingpin will likely be killed, making way for new lead characters.

"This is definitely the last season for me," Moura said and explained that the upcoming season will showcase Escobar in decline, losing his power, money and safety. "This is the season where we're going to start to see the fall of this guy. We're going to see Pablo Escobar very vulnerable."

The death of the Colombian drug lord will create a new path for the show, as secondary drug dealers vie to take over his position.

"The show is not about Pablo," executive director José Padilha said. "Pablo Escobar happens to be the man who created the mass business of cocaine trade. He's, for lack of a better word, the founding father of this business but the show is about cocaine. It's about drug dealers that deal cocaine."

Executive producer Eric Newman offered an idea on the direction the upcoming season would take. "The successors to Medellín were the Cali cartel, who had been No. 2 to Escobar and they liked it that way, but soon realised they had to get rid of him – and they are big part of Season 2," he said.

When asked about the future of the show, Newman teased a third season but didn't come right out and confirm it. "We plan on stopping when cocaine stops. I think there's a reason why we call this show Narcos and not Pablo Escobar. It's very much about the trade," he said. "There are other drug dealers and there are alliances formed against Pablo so there are a multitude of stories we could tackle."

Narcos season 2 will premiere on 2 September on Netflix.

Check out the season 2 trailer below: