Prime Video Renews Ana María Orozco’s “Betty la Fea” Continuation Series “Betty la Fea, La Historia Continúa” for Second Season

Ana María Orozco has more ugly history to share…

Prime Video has renewed Betty la Fea, La Historia Continúa, starring the 51-year-old Colombian actress, for a second season.

Betty la Fea, La Historia ContinúaThe announcement comes on the heels of a big premiere week for the continuation series, as it breaks a new record for the largest global viewership for a Latin American title in the streamer’s history.

It’s now also the most-watched series or film on Prime Video in Colombia.

Betty, La Fea, the Story Continues tells the story of Beatriz Pinzón Solano 20 years after the conclusion of the original show. While an empowered and wiser Betty works hard on rebuilding her relationship with her teenage daughter Mila, her relationship with Armando begins to deteriorate, making her question if she made the right decision 20 years ago.

Orozco reprises her role of Betty alongside Jorge Enrique Abella as Armando Mendoza Sáenz.

Julián Arango, Natalia Ramírez, Lorna Cepeda, Luces Velásquez, Marcela Posada, Mario Duarte, Julio Cesar Herrera, Ricardo Vélez, Alberto León Jaramillo and Estefanía Gómez also reprise their roles from the original.

“The phenomenal success of Betty la fea, La Historia Continua underscores Prime Video’s commitment to sharing iconic local stories of exceptional quality from the region that deeply resonate with our customers around the world,” Paulo Koelle, Head of Prime Video Latin America, shared in a release. “Prime Video’s strategy in Latin America has been to focus on what truly matters, taking calculated risks to bring our customers all the content they crave in one destination, and we can’t wait to bring Betty back for another season.”

The original Betty La Fea inspired the popular American version Ugly Betty, starring America Ferrera, that ran for four seasons on ABC. Telemundo most recently produced its own version in 2019, titled Betty in NY, starring Elyfer Torres.

“The Boys,” Starring Laz Alonso, to End with Upcoming Fifth Season

It’s the end of the road for Laz Alonso

Eric Kripke, the creator of The Boys starring the 50-year-old Afro-Cuban American actor, has announced that the series will end with the upcoming fifth season.

Laz Alonso, The Boys“Season 5 will be the Final Season!,” Kripke wrote on X. “Always my plan, I just had to be cagey till I got the final OK from Vought. Thrilled to bring the story to a gory, epic, moist climax. Watch Season 4 in 2 DAYS, cause the end has begun!

The Boys received an early renewal for Season 5 last month ahead of this month’s Season 4 release.

In 2020, Kripke told fans that his “rough idea” for The Boys was “five seasons total,” acknowledging at the time, “But I also know better than to say how many seasons a show is gonna have.”

Kripke’s last show Supernatural lasted for 15 seasons.

In a recent interview with SFX Magazine, Kripke wouldn’t speculate on how many seasons The Boys would go, but said he did have “an ending in mind.”

The Boys Season 4 premieres June 13 on Prime Video.

In addition to Alonso, The Boys stars Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Jessie T. Usher, Chace Crawford, Tomer Capone, Karen Fukuhara, Colby Minifie, Claudia Doumit,and Cameron Crovetti.

The Boys is based on The New York Times best-selling comic by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, who also serve as executive producers, and developed by executive producer and showrunner Kripke.

The Boys is produced by Sony Pictures TelevisionAmazon MGM Studios with Kripke Enterprises, Original Film and Point Grey Pictures.

 

Amazon Renews Laz Alonso’s “The Boys” for Fifth Season

Laz Alonso will be spending more time with his Boys

Amazon has renewed The Boys, starring the 50-year-old Afro-Cuban American actor, for a fifth season.

Laz Alonso, The BoysThe announcement comes about a month before the fourth installment is set to hit Prime Video.

The Boys is an unabashed and bold series that continues captivating our customers all over the world by piercing the cultural fabric season after season,” Vernon Sanders, head of television, Amazon MGM Studios said in a statement. “We are proud of this series that has grown into a global franchise, and we are thrilled that Eric Kripke and the creative team have more engaging stories to tell for all the loyal fans.”

The eight-episode Season 4 premieres on June 13 with three episodes, followed by a new episode each week, ending with the season finale on July 18.

In Season 4, the world is on the brink. Victoria Neuman is closer than ever to the Oval Office and under the muscly thumb of Homelander, who is consolidating his power. Butcher, with only months to live, has lost Becca’s son and his job as The Boys’ leader. The rest of the team are fed up with his lies. With the stakes higher than ever, they have to find a way to work together and save the world before it’s too late.

Of the renewal, showrunner Eric Kripke said: “The Boys could be the best job I’ll ever have. What other show allows me to write about politics, capitalism, family, and exploding genitalia, though not in that order. The cast and crew are deeply grateful to Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios for the opportunity to tell this story for another season. My only problem is that since this year promises to be free of any conflict or misinformation, we’re not sure what to write about.”

The Boys is based on The New York Times best-selling comic by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, who also serve as executive producers. Kripke developed the series for TV and serves as showrunner and executive producer.

The Boys is produced by Sony Pictures Television, Amazon MGM Studios with Kripke Enterprises, Original Film and Point Grey Pictures.

In addition to Alonso, season 4 also stars Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Jessie T. Usher, Chace Crawford, Tomer Capone, Karen Fukuhara, Colby Minifie, Claudia Doumit and Cameron Crovetti. Susan Heyward, Valorie Curry, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan will also join the cast.

Taylor Zakhar Perez Signs with Paradigm

Taylor Zakhar Perez has new representation…

The 32-year-old part-Mexican American actor and breakout star of Amazon’s hit rom-com Red, White & Royal Blue, has signed with Paradigm for representation.

Taylor Zakhar PerezIn the film from director Matthew Lopez, which adapts the New York Times bestselling novel from Casey McQuiston, Perez plays Alex Claremont-Diaz, son of the American President (Uma Thurman), whose feud with a British prince (Nicholas Galitzine) threatens to drive a wedge in U.S./British relations. Subsequently, the pair are forced into a staged truce that sparks something deeper.

Produced by Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schecter, the film premiered in August 2023 and became the No. 1 movie globally on Prime Video in its premiere weekend, remaining the platform’s most-watched film worldwide for the first three weeks after its release.

Touted by Amazon as spurring “a huge surge in new Prime membership signups,” the film is also now among Prime Video’s top three most-watched romantic comedies of all time.

Previously, Perez caught attention when he joined Netflix’s hugely popular YA film series The Kissing Booth, based on the novels by Beth Reekles, for its second and third installments. Additionally, he was featured in the first season of Max’s critically acclaimed series Minx, opposite Ophelia Lovibond, as well as Buzzfeed Studios’ 1UP, available on Prime Video.

He was recently named a SAG Awards Ambassador for the 30th annual SAG Awards, an appointment given to actors exemplifying the utmost values of the profession,

Brandon Larracuente Returning to ABC’s Medical Drama “The Good Doctor”

Brandon Larracuente is heading back to the hospital…

The 29-year-old Puerto Rican actor is returning to ABC’s medical drama The Good Doctor.

Brandon LarracuenteLarracuente will be back to reprise his Season 6 character of Dr. Daniel Perez in one episode.

Meanwhile, Scandal alum Guillermo Diaz will appear in a guest spot.

Larracuente was introduced in Episode 2 of Season 6. Initially set to recur, he was quickly promoted to a series regular, with Daniel, a first-year surgical resident at St. Bonaventure Hospital, getting a major storyline involving a drug overdose that put him on probation.

Larracuente departed at the end of Season 6 after Daniel was put on pain medications following a car crash and headed back to his family in Texas for recovery treatment.

Diaz will guest star as Man/Carl/Jesus. A mysterious man shows up to the hospital to donate his kidney to a complete stranger, but his reasoning causes Jordan to question his ability to give informed consent.

Starring Freddie Highmore as Dr. Shaun Murphy and Richard Schiff as Shaun’s mentor Dr. Glassman, main cast also includes Fiona Gubelmann as Dr. Morgan Reznick, Will Yun Lee as Dr. Alex Park, Christina Chang as Dr. Audrey Lim, Spara as Lea Dilallo, Bria Samoné Henderson as Dr. Jordan Allen, Noah Galvin as Dr. Asher Wolke and Modu as Dr. Jared Kalu.

The Good Doctor is produced by Sony Pictures Television and ABC Signature, a part of Disney Television Studios. David Shore and Liz Friedman are executive producers and co-showrunners.

Known for his roles in Bloodline, 13 Reasons Why and Party of Five, Larracuente will next star in the Prime Video drama series On Call from Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television.

Known for his starring role as Scarface in the cult classic film Half-Baked, Diaz played Huck on ABC’s Scandal. He also appeared on Showtime’s Weeds, Chappelle’s Show for Comedy Central, and he recently was a series regular on ABC’s United We Fall

Diego Boneta to Star in “El Gato,” Based on Richard Dominguez’s Comic Book Series “El Gato Negro”

Diego Boneta has landed a purr-fect role…

The 33-year-old will lead the newly greenlit bilingual series El Gato (working title), based on the comic book series El Gato Negro by Richard Dominguez.

Diego BonetaProduction is expected to begin this spring in Mexico.

Boneta was previously attached to a project based on the same comic book titled El Gato Negro: Nocturnal Warrior from MGM Television and Mark Burnett in 2019 that stalled.

In El Gato, Boneta will play Frank Guerrero, the black sheep of his family, who finds himself at the center of a vast conspiracy when he discovers his father was the titular ‘70s vigilante. Frank, who returns home to Mexico after the death of his father and finds himself neck-deep in a nest of vipers – his estranged family – who are vying for control of his father’s business empire.

But Frank’s grief is interrupted when he learns his only inheritance, a seemingly worthless parcel of land on the border, sits atop the lair of a famous costumed vigilante. His father was “El Gato.” Now, Frank is in the crosshairs. To survive, he’ll have to solve mysteries decades in the making and unravel the truth about his father’s connections to a modern-day terror plot.

Eric Carrasco created the series and will showrun and executive produce along with co-showrunners Turi Meyer and Alfredo Septién.

“This is a pulp thriller,” Carrasco said in a statement. “It’s a family drama, it’s everything I love about spies and masks and secret identities. A lot of us on this team – Diego, Andrew Mittman, Steve Stark and Carla Gonzalez Vargas, and I – have been at this for a long time now, and it’s a genuine thrill to finally make the show with MGM Television and Prime Video.”

“Sharing El Gato with audiences around the world is a dream come true,” Boneta shared. “This has been a passion of mine since I started Three Amigos. Eric Carrasco and the entire team have built a character and universe that honors the superhero genre and still feels completely epic and original. It is an absolute honor to play Frank and produce this with my amazing partners at Amazon, MGM, and all other producers on this epic story. Get ready for a wild ride.”

In addition to Carrasco, the series is executive produced by Boneta, Meyer, Septién, Steve Stark of Toluca Pictures, Mittman of 1.21, and Gonzalez Vargas; and co-executive produced by Kai Dolbashian, Marilu G. Carranza and Joel NovoaSchneider. The series is being produced by MGM Television, a division of Amazon MGM Studios.

Boneta and his company Three Amigos, under an overall deal with Prime Video, are currently in production on the upcoming film Follow, directed by Gonzalo Tobal and starring Boneta and Martha Higareda for Prime Video. This is the first project under Three Amigos’ overall deal with Prime Video.

Last year, Boneta starred in two limited series for Prime Video – Stanley, directed by Beto Hinojosa and La Liberación directed by Alejandra Márquez Abella.

Diego Boneta Starring in the New Erotic Thriller Film “Follow”

Diego Boneta has lined up his next project…

The 33-year-old Mexican actor/singer will star opposite Martha Higareda in the new erotic thriller film Follow, a project they will also produce.

Diego BonetaFor Amazon Studios, the project hails from award-winning collaborators Fred Berger and Brian Kavanaugh-Jones and Piano’s Julio Chavezmontes and Gabriela Maire.

This is the first project from Boneta’s production banner Three Amigos’ overall deal with Amazon Prime.

Gonzalo Tobal will direct the film from a screenplay by Hipatia Argüero Mendoza. The film – in collaboration with Range Media Partners, Piano and Three Amigos – is set to begin filming in late January.

The film follows Sebastián (Boneta) a young, handsome and incredibly charming guy with an impeccable sense of style. He has used these weapons to become a master scammer, who preys on some of the richest and most famous women in Mexico. Alongside his faithful henchman Maclo (Alejandro Speitzer), Sebastián carries out his plans with great cunning. Before he can put an end to his bright career as a scammer, Carolina (Higareda), an enigmatic woman crosses his path. Captivated by her, Sebastian puts his retirement plans on hold to carry out one last scam.

Follow also stars Ofelia Medina (El sueño de ayer), Alberto Guerra (Griselda), Stephanie Sigman (Murder City) and Regina Nava (Pacto de Sangre).

Follow has been a true passion project and I cannot wait to bring this iconic sexual thriller to life. As the first Three Amigos production through our Amazon deal, working with the entire Amazon team has been an absolute pleasure. We really built an incredible family of talented individuals that have made this movie possible. From our brilliant writer Hipatia Argüero, our irreplaceable producing partners Fred Berger and Julio Chavezmontes, to our captain and director Gonzalo Tobal. I cannot think of a better group of filmmakers to have on this project,” Boneta said in a statement.

Higareda added, “Having produced many comedy films, I was looking to explore a different angle on storytelling that can also be very appealing to the audiences while diving deeper into substance, and we trust that Follow will do both.”

Follow is a love letter to the golden era of erotic thrillers in the 90s, rejuvenated with the most seductive stars of our generation including Boneta, Higareda, Speitzer, Guerra and Sigman, not forgetting the cinematic icon that Ofelia Medina represents. With the experienced guidance of Julio Chavezmontes, Fred Berger, Josh Glick, Natalia Boneta, and the pen of Hipatia Argüero, we are eager to begin and share this exciting story with the world,” said Alonso Aguilar, Head of Prime Video for Original Productions in Mexico.

Boneta’s credits include Luis Miguel: The Series, At Midnight, Rock of Ages and Father of the Bride.

Gael Garcia Bernal to Preside Over Jury at Rome Film Festival

Gael Garcia Bernal is taking a special lead role in Italy…

The 44-year-old Mexican actor and producer will preside over the jury of the upcoming Rome Film Festival.

Gael García BernalGarcia Bernal, who currently stars in the Amazon Prime film Cassandro, will be judging entries and bestowing prizes in the rebooted fest’s main section, which is now known as Progressive Cinema.

Films competing for Rome prizes include Spanish director Isabel Coixet’s Un Amor, about a young woman socially and sexually exploited by a rural patriarchy; Iranian director Farhad Delaram’s Achilles, in which a former filmmaker turned medic decides to help a female political prisoner escape from a psych ward; and French director Mehdi Fikri’s After The Fire, which turns on a French woman of North African descent who seeks justice after her younger brother dies suspiciously after being stopped by the police.

The Eternal City event’s upcoming 18th edition – which will run October 18-29 – will be the second since the appointment of RAI Cinema executive Paola Malanga as the fest’s artistic director and Gian Luca Farinelli, who heads the Bologna film archives, as president.

They have reshaped the Rome fest – which over the years has had it’s ups and downs – as a competitive event that has at its core a mix of mostly auteur titles, many with political themes, plus a panoply of more crowd pleasing films of different types screening out-of-competition.

Prime Video Releases Trailer for Gael García Bernal’s Gay Lucha Libra Luchador Film “Cassandro”

Gael García Bernal is wrestling with his future…

Amazon Prime has released the official trailer for Cassandro, starring the 44-year-old Mexican actor/producer and Bad Bunny.

Gael García Bernal, Amazon Prime, Cassandro, The film is based on the life of the wrestling and queer icon Cassandro, also known as the Liberace of Lucha Libre.

In the two-minute clip, the audience is introduced to Saúl Armendáriz (García Bernal) from El Paso, Texas, who dreams of becoming professional luchador after his father first introduced him to the sport. In the process, he transforms into Cassandro, an “exótico” who wrestles in drag.

“Are you a wrestler?” Bad Bunny asks García Bernal in the film’s new trailer. “Yes,” the Mexican actor responds. That’s the first interaction between the two in the teaser. Later in the clip, they are dancing, and there’s a first look at Bad Bunny as one of Cassandro’s love interests.

Roberta Colindrez, Perla de la Rosa, Joaquín Cosío and Raúl Castillo round out the biopic’s cast.

The world of wrestling is familiar to Bad Bunny. In 2021, the Grammy-winning Puerto Rican superstar ventured into the wrestling world by jumping off the top rope at the 2021 Royal Rumble. Most recently, the “Me Porto Bonito” singer defeated Damian Priest in a San Juan Street Fight at WWE’s premium live event Backlash in May.

After making its world premiere at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival in January, Cassandro is set to hit theaters on September 15, and will premiere on Prime Video Sept. 22.

Taylor Zakhar Perez’s “Red, White & Royal Blue” Becomes Prime Video’s No. 1 Film Globally in Its Premiere Weekend

Taylor Zakhar Perez’s latest project is a Primetime hit…

The 31-year-old half-Mexican American model and actor’s romantic comedy Red, White & Royal Blue, an adaptation of Casey McQuiston’s bestselling novel, has become the No. 1 film globally on Prime Video in its premiere weekend.

Taylor Zakhar Perez, Red White & Royal Blue,The film, which launched on Amazon Prime Video on August 11, is now among Prime Video’s top three most-watched romantic comedies of all time, according to Amazon, which wouldn’t disclose the two other films Red, White & Royal Blue would be joining in the top

Amazon is also touting “a huge surge in new Prime membership signups” due to the film’s release. The company didn’t say how they determined this, though this generally measured as the title was the first one an account watched after subscribing to a streaming service.

“The phenomenal debut of Red, White & Royal Blueis a true testament to the entertaining and inspired storytelling led by the creative minds behind it. Matthew López, McQuiston, Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter and the entire talented filmmaking team hit it out of the park,” said Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon MGM Studios. “We are so proud of this delightful, heartwarming film and could not be more thrilled with the response from fans–existing and new.”

Red, White & Royal Blue centers around Alex and Prince Henry who have a lot in common: Stunning good looks, undeniable charisma, international popularity … and a total disdain for each other. Separated by an ocean, their long-running feud hasn’t really been an issue, until a disastrous—and very public—altercation at a royal event becomes tabloid fodder, driving a potential wedge in U.S./British relations at the worst possible time.

Going into damage-control mode, their families and handlers force the two rivals into a staged “truce.” But as Alex and Henry’s icy relationship unexpectedly begins to thaw into a tentative friendship, the friction that existed between them sparks something deeper than they ever expected.

The film adaptation is directed by López who also co-wrote the screenplay alongside Ted Malawer.

Red, White & Royal Blue also stars Clifton Collins Jr., Sarah Shahi, Rachel Hilson, Stephen Fry, Ellie Bamber, Thomas Flynn, Malcolm Atobrah, Akshay Khanna, Sharon D Clarke, Aneesh Sheth and Juan Castano.