Arturo Castro to Star in ABC’s Comedy Pilot “Public Defenders”

Arturo Castro is preparing to defend publically…

The 37-year-old Guatemalan actor and Natasha Lopez will star opposite Anthony Anderson of ABC’s single camera comedy pilot Public Defenders.

Arturo CastroCastro and Lopez have been set as series regulars in the pilot, written by Eddie Quintana and to be directed by Randall Einhorn.

In it, up to their earholes in student loan debt, four inexperienced public defenders work tirelessly to keep their clients out of jail. Along the way, they have to rely on one another to navigate their first defendants, the absurd court system and the copy machine that always jams.

Castro will play Efren, the smartest, most charismatic lawyer in the public defender’s office. At least, that’s what he’d tell you. Over-confident, Efren wants to rack up as much trial experience as possible, so he can become the next Johnnie Cochran. But underneath his arrogance is a lawyer who cares deeply about his clients and fights hard to keep them out of jail.

Lopez will play Lindsay who brings street smarts and fashion sense to the public defender’s office. She’s a fiercely competitive lawyer who doesn’t back down from a good fight, even if it means chipping a nail. While her clients get to see her compassion and hard work, her co-workers are left to deal with her intensity and brutal honesty.

Castro can be seen in Mark Mylod’s The Menu for Searchlight, produced by Adam McKay. Most recently, Castro wrapped Road House.

Lopez, who was cast in the 2018 ABC Discovers Showcase, is repped by The Hybrid Agency, Brillstein Entertainment Partners & Imprint.

Henry R. Muñoz III Acquires Funny or Die

Henry R. Muñoz III is preparing for a little funny business…

The 61-year-old Latino designer, activist and philanthropist has acquired early digital video player Funny or Die.

Henry R. Muñoz III

Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Judd Apatow and Chris Henchy co-founded Funny or Die in 2007. Ferrell and McKay appeared in one of the company’s first breakout clips, The Landlord.

Muñoz bought Funny Or Die from its former stakeholders, a group that included AMC Networks, Turner Entertainment and Sequoia Capital. Ferrell will continue to collaborate creatively with Funny Or Die and serve as an advisor.

Muñoz be sole owner of the Funny Or Die brand, and the acquisition also includes its library, longform slate and social media portfolio of more than 40 million followers.

Financial terms for the transaction were not disclosed.

After the transaction, Muñoz will become chairman of Funny or Die. Mike Farah will continue as CEO. Michele Rosette, who has been the CFO of Funny Or Die since 2016, will remain in her role. Joe Farrell, who oversees Funny Or Die’s longform slate, has been promoted to Chief Creative Officer.

From its roots in short-form, viral video, Funny or Die has evolved into a supplier of series like Brockmire, whose run on IFC ended last year, and this year’s History of Swear Words on Netflix.

Other credits include true crime docuseries For Heaven’s Sake on Paramount + and the Feeding America Comedy Special for NBC.

The pivot followed challenges in recent years as smaller video purveyors have faced daunting economics when reckoning with the forces of tech giants like YouTube and Facebook. Like many digital outlets, Funny or Die had to lay off staff and restructure as it navigated the 2010s.

The arrival of Muñoz will enable the company to deficit-finance certain projects, the company said, promising to reveal more specifics about that strategy at a later date.

A CBS special produced by Funny or Die last fall connected the company with Muñoz and wound up leading to the acquisition. Essential Heroes: A Momento Latino Event, hosted by Eva Longoria, Ricky Martin and Gloria Estefan, celebrated America’s diversity with a focus on Latinx culture and highlighted the impact of Covid-19.

Muñoz has operated at high levels in the realms of politics, art, business, public affairs and philanthropy. In addition to his own design practice, he has launched national movements including Momento Latino, TheDream.US and Latino Victory in support of the Latinx community. He is the cofounder of SOMOS US, a healthcare network in New York treating largely immigrant communities. It has been on the front lines during the coronavirus pandemic.

His design firm, Muñoz & Company, is one of the largest and oldest minority-owned design practices in the country. It pioneered an approach to architecture, urban planning, and design that acknowledges the imprint of the Latino community. He also helped with the effort to create a Latino Museum on the Mall in Washington, DC, and is the Finance Chairman Emeritus of the Democratic National Committee, the first openly gay, openly Latino and openly Texan person to hold that position.

“The future of comedy and entertainment is in companies that empower talent and creative forces to make content that reflects the cultural identity of our country at this moment in our history,” Muñoz said in the official deal announcement. “Funny Or Die’s own rich history as a place of innovation and as a voice of new generations speaks for itself and our team led by Mike Farah is poised to seize this unique moment. I understand the responsibilities of owning a brand like Funny Or Die and I am excited to work with our team to make sure we have the resources we need to develop funny, original and diverse new content.”

He went on to note the importance of his sole ownership of the company. “I also understand the importance of being one of the very few Latinos in a position like this in the entertainment industry and I will do my best to make my community, our industry and our country proud as we move forward,” he added. Diversity and inclusion will be more central to the company’s mission moving forward, he noted.

Farah said Muñoz’s “unique background in social activism and business” makes him the “perfect person to guide FOD into the future.” He added, “The company is in great hands with Henry, and he’s brought a new sense of purpose to our mission to empower original, authentic creators in comedy and beyond.”

Selena Gomez to Star as Peruvian Mountaineer & Social Entrepreneur Silvia Vásquez-Lavado

It’s an uphill battle for Selena Gomez

The 28-year-old Mexican American actress/singer will portray pioneering Peruvian mountaineer and social entrepreneur Silvia Vásquez-Lavado in a new film, based on Vásquez-Lavado’s upcoming memoir In the Shadow of the Mountain.

Selena Gomez

Vásquez-Lavado is the first gay woman to complete the Seven Summits, the highest mountains (including Mount Everest) on each of the seven continents. She’s also the founder of Courageous Girls, a nonprofit that helps survivors of sexual abuse and trafficking, and has organized excursions for abuse survivors to the Mount Everest base camp. In the Shadow of the Mountain is expected to be published in 2022.

Silvia Vásquez-Lavado

Gomez will produce the film through her July Moon Productions. Vásquez-Lavado and Lara Love Hardin of Idea Architects are executive producing.

Elgin James will pen and direct In the Shadow of the Mountain. He wrote the film Lowriders and co-created the series Mayans M.C.

Gomez has feature film credits on Harmony Korine’s Spring Breakers, Adam McKay’s The Big Short and Jim Jarmusch’s The Dead Don’t Die.”

Trailer Released for Jennifer Lopez’s Stripper Crime Caper “Hustlers”

Jennifer Lopez is ready to hustle and pole…

The first trailer has been released for the 49-year-old Puerto Rican superstar’s new film Hustlers.

Jennifer Lopez

J.Loleads an all-star cast that includes Constance WuCardi B (in her acting debut) and Lizzo in the crime caper about strippers who scam their wealthy Wall Street clients. 

Judging by the trailer, which dropped at midnight, the film will certainly get pulses racing.

The clip leads with J.Lo showing off her pole-dancing talents, as a teacher to her co-workers and as a professional exotic dancer. Lopez goes on to lead the ladies into a brilliant heist. 

“The game is rigged and it does not reward people who play by the rules,” she tells her co-stars. “It’s like robbing a bank, but you get the keys.” 

Hustlers is directed by Lorene Scafaria and produced by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay along with Lopez and Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas

The feature film, adapted from Jessica Pressler‘s 2015 New York Magazinearticle, “The Hustlers at Scores,” is set to hit theaters on September 13 via STX Films.

Molina’s NBC Comedy Pilot “Assistance” Still Alive at NBC

It looks like Alfred Molina may still be heading to the Peacock Network in the near future…

NBC is reportedly keeping its comedy pilot Assistance, which stars the 60-year-old half-Spanish actor, in contention with an order for three more scripts, according to Deadline.com.

Alfred Molina

Universal Television, which is producing the project, has extended the options on several cast members, including Molina and star Krysten Ritter.

From Will Ferrell and Adam McKay’s Gary Sanchez Prods., Assistance is based on the play by Leslye Headland, who wrote the adaptation.

It centers on an idealistic “working girl” assistant (Ritter) who is pulled between her colleague (“work husband”) and her real-life fiance while trying to manage a demanding boss.

Molina most recently starred in TNT’s medial drama Monday Mornings. And he voices one of the new characters in Disney/Pixar’s Monsters University.