'Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend Of Walter Mercado' Trailer: Meet The Most Famous, Flamboyant Psychic Ever

Even though you may not have heard of Walter Mercado, millions tuned in to his televised horoscopes around the world. With the flashiness of Liberace and the charm of Mr. Rogers, Walter Mercado raked in over 120 million viewers. And then suddenly he disappeared, but not in a dark, mysterious true crime fashion.

A new Netflix documentary called Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado will explore what happened to the famous astrologer and psychic when he disappeared from the spotlight, and the man himself even participates in the roster of interviews that includes Lin-Manuel Miranda, Eugenio Derbez, and more.

Directors Cristina Costantini and Kareem Tabsch each had their own childhood experiences growing up watching Walter Mercado, and in a joint statement about the project, they expressed what he meant to them and the millions of others who tuned in to Walter's shows:

For Cristina, the memory of Walter is tied up in her love for her immigrant abuelita and the moments they spent together listening to his message of love and hope. For Kareem, as a young queer man in Miami, seeing Walter in all his vibrancy on television let him know that he was not the only one who was different. For millions of others like us, Walter's presence was a daily ritual that is a rich part of our personal history and of our culture. And then, without a word of explanation, he was gone from the airwaves and no one could say for certain what had happened to him.

Despite having a Latin family, this is the first I've ever heard about Walter Mercado, and this trailer makes him seem like such a fascinating character. Even more surprising is how his seemingly fluid gender never seemed to turn people away from his image, long before gender fluidity became more commonplace. This kind exactly the kind of story I like to get from documentaries.

Every day for decades, extravagant Puerto Rican astrologer, psychic, and gender nonconforming legend Walter Mercado charmed the world with his televised horoscopes. Equal parts Oprah, Liberace, and Mr. Rogers, Walter reached over 120 million viewers at his peak, enthralling the Latin world with sequined capes, opulent jewelry and horoscopes that shared a message of love and hope to his devoted viewers. Then, he mysteriously disappeared. Over a decade later award-winning directors Cristina Costantini and Kareem Tabsch and producer Alex Fumero capture Walter's final two years, when the pioneering icon grappled with aging and his legacy, and prepared for one last star-studded spectacle.

Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado arrives on Netflix on July 8, 2020.