‘Menudo: Forever Young’ Trailer Depicts The Rise, Fall, Abuse & Exploitation Of A Seminal Boy Band

We usually flash back to New Kids On The Block, Backstreet Boys, N’Sync, and the likes when we think of the manufactured boy band. But when you think about it, the godfather of the modern boy band is arguably Menudo, the Latin American group from the late 1970s and 1980s.

For those who don’t know, Menudo was a Latin American boy band formed in 1977. Their first album, released in the same year, was a massive success, and the group was quickly dubbed the most iconic Latino pop music band. Menudo has been ranked as one of the biggest boy bands of all time by Us Weekly, Seventeen, and Teen Vogue. Now HBO has enlisted filmmakers Angel Manuel Soto and Kristofer Ríos to create a four-part documentary featuring the rise and fall of the iconic group. But it sounds like a dark series, not quite rise and fall, but a cautionary tale about how greed, money, and fame can exploit young men in the name of money and fame.

Angel Manuel Soto is a name you should know. He is directing the upcoming DC movie “Blue Beetle,” which will star Xolo Maridueña in the leading role, set for a 2023 release. Soto is also set to direct a new “Transformers” movie, but not many details are known about the project.

“Menudo: Forever Young” will be executively produced by Cristina Costantini, Jeff Plunkett, Alex Fumero, Bryn Mooser, Justin Lacob, and Angel Manuel Soto.

Here’s the official synopsis:

MENUDO: FOREVER YOUNG chronicles the rise and fall of the most iconic Latin American boy band in history, bringing viewers into the world of the popular teen idols’ global tours, magazine covers, ’80s outfits, and screaming fangirls. But the four-part documentary also exposes that behind the glitz and glamor was a web of abuse and exploitation. Through revealing interviews with more than a dozen former Menudo members, the series examines how this extravagant facade was disguising serious harm.

“Menudo: Forever Young will have its world premiere at the 2022 Tribeca Festival on June 11 in New York. The four-part documentary will then debut on HBO on June 23, 2022. Watch the new trailer below.