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.

Raúl Castillo to Star in Paramount‘s “Smile” Sequel

Raúl Castillo has a new reason to smile

The 46-year-old Mexican American actor has been cast in Paramount‘s Smile sequel.

Raul CastilloCastillo is among a list of new cast additions that includes Miles Gutierrez-Riley, who starred in The Wilds.

The film’s plot and character details are being kept under wraps.

The duo joins the previously announced cast: Naomi Scott, Lukas Gage, Kyle Gallner, Rosemarie DeWitt and Dylan Gelula.

Smile writer and director returns for the second installment to again direct from his own script, with Temple Hill producing.

Smile 2 is currently slated for release on October 18, 2024, when it will go up against a still-unnamed title from Universal Pictures.

Going on to gross over $217M in theaters, even if it was initially set up for release on Paramount+, Smile was one of the great, unexpected box office successes of 2022. One of several original studio horror films of late to expand into a franchise, it tells the story of Dr. Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon), a psychiatrist who becomes increasingly convinced she is being threatened by an uncanny entity, after witnessing a bizarre, traumatic incident involving a patient.

Castillo most recently starred in the Amazon film Cassandro opposite Gael Garia Bernal. He’s set to appear in HBO‘s Mark Ruffalo-led series, the Untitled Brad Ingelsby Task Force Project (w/t), currently in pre-production.

Prior television credits also include HBO’s Looking, Starz’s Vida and Netflix’s Atypical to name a few; Army of the DeadCha Cha Real SmoothKnives Out and We The Animals are among his film credits.

Gutierrez-Riley made his TV debut in the second season of Prime Video’s The Wilds, where he portrayed Ivan. In September 2022, Miles he starred in Paramount’s film adaptation of On The Come Up, which made its world premiere on the opening night of TIFF. Next up, he will star opposite Corey Fogelman in Tommy Dorfman’s directorial debut I Wish You All the Best, premiering at SXSW in March. It has also been announced that Gutierrez-Riley will star in Disney+’s WandaVision spinoff, Agatha: Darkhold Diaries.

Laz Alonso Signs with Independent Artist Group for Representation

Laz Alonso is going independent

Independent Artist Group has signed the 49-year-old Afro-Cuban American actor for representation.

Laz AlonsoAlonso is best known for starring on the hit Amazon series The Boys, centering on vigilantes’ efforts to take down a group of corrupt superheroes, which returns for its fourth season this year.

On the show developed by Eric Kripke from the same-name comic by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, Alonso portrays the vigilante Mother’s Milk, sharing the screen with Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty and more.

He’s also currently voicing the title character on Netflix’s animated series My Dad the Bounty Hunter,.

Alonso’s past television credits include A&E’s cult hit Breakout Kings, Starz’s Power Book II: Ghost, TNT’s Southland, NBC’s Deception and The Mysteries Of Laura and Spectrum Originals’ L.A.’s Finest.

On the film side, he’s been seen portraying the villain Fenix opposite Vin Diesel in multiple Fast & Furious titles, also appearing in James Cameron’s Avatar. Other notable big screen credits include the Jason Statham action thriller Wrath of Man, Kathryn Bigelow’s Detroit, Spike Lee’s Miracle at St. AnnaStomp the YardJarhead and Constantine.

Additionally, Alonso has executive-produced titles including Alan JacobsTIFF drama Down for Life, in which he starred alongside Danny Glover, and the indie thriller Detained co-starring Abbie Cornish. He heads up the production company Abundancia Pictures as CEO and continues to be represented by Authentic Talent and Literary Management and attorney Rick Genow at Goodman, Genow, Schenkman.

Wilmer Valderrama’s Allied Management Group Signs a Slew of Latino Writers

Wilmer Valderrama is giving up-and-coming Latino writers their big break…

The 44-year-old Venezuelan & Colombian American actor’s Allied Management Group, which he set up with John Pollak, has signed a number of Latino writers to its roster.

Wilmer ValderramaThe company has signed Luisa Leschin, Raphael Draccon & Carolina Munhóz, The Original Content Society’s Raúl Campos and Felix de Valdivia, and Daniel and Diego Ayala López.

The goal is for Allied to bring these Latino writers to networks, streamers and studios in the U.S English-language market.

Leschin has worked on nearly 500 episodes of television including Netflix’s Gentefied, where she was a co-exec producer on its second season, Max’s Head of the Class, where she was a co-EP and Hulu’s East Los High. She has also worked on series including Everybody Hates Chris and The George Lopez Show.

Draccon and Munhóz are a husband-and-wife writing team who showran The Chosen One and Invisible City for Netflix and have a first-look deal with Warner Bros. Discovery LatAm to work with Max. They have also written comic books for both Marvel and DC

Campos and de Valdivia are brothers, born in Mexico, who run The Original Content Society. They created, wrote, directed and produced the first YouTube Original sitcom in Latin America – Sobrevivi – as well as Spotify’s first original comedy series, El Grupo, and are co-exec producers for the third and fourth seasons of Amazon’s LOL starring Eugenio Derbez. In addition to producing and directing 24 Netflix comedy specials, they have a first look deal with ITV America, where they are developing an international comedy series called Güerita.

Daniel and Diego Ayala López, born in Colombia were behind Amazon series Manes, which was the most-watched series for Amazon Colombia, and Los BillisThey have worked with Colombia’s Caracol and are currently developing a number of projects with U.S. studios and production companies.

“These writers are currently helping to define the future of Latino story telling by creating universal stories that aren’t defined by borders or language, but instead reflect the modern content experience- groundbreaking storytelling that can be consumed by viewers in a global market,” said Pollak and Valderrama.  “As the need for fresh stories and unique points of view continue to be the priority for Hollywood, these writers will lead the charge and redefine how premium content is created and Allied Mgmt Group is honored to be working alongside them.”

Jennifer Lopez Releases Official Music Video for “Can’t Get Enough” Remix Featuring Latto

Jennifer Lopez just can’t get enough of her latest single…

The 54-year-old Puerto Rican superstar has released the summer-ready video for her remix of “Can’t Get Enough.”

Jennifer Lopez, Latto, Can't Get EnoughThe new visual cooked up by JLo and director Tanu Muiño for the bouncy first single from the singer/actress’ upcoming This Is Me… Now album features a guest verse from Latto, with both women taking it to the street in the dance-heavy clip.

In keeping with the narrative arc about love addiction in Lopez’s upcoming This Is Me… Now: A Love Story Amazon original film, the new video opens with Lopez getting harassed by a group of sharply dressed reporters bombarding her with probing questions. “’What are you chasing?’,” one asks, while another wonders, “‘What’s it all about?,’” and a third inquiring mind shouts, “‘Jennifer, what really matters to you?’”

Lopez’s answer, of course, is “Love.”

Cue the track and Lopez writhing in a gauzy white robe on a bed — with a killer view of the city through her giant picture windows — as she stares lustily into a mirror. The camera then follows Lopez outside, where she walks confidently onto a city street, loses her tan jacket and struts through the middle of traffic. This, naturally, leads to a literal Jenny From the Block dance routine, with Lopez and an impromptu group of male dancers busting moves in an intersection.

Lopez then slips under a dinner table on a night out with her man, crawling across the floor sensually while also walking toward Latto on a soundstage, with both women dressed in deep red, body-hugging dresses. “Call the doctor, I don’t see nobody but you/ Do I still love you? Baby, is the sky blue?/ Spoil a b–ch down and he faithful to me too/ You know you the reason why they hatin’ on me, boo,” Latto raps as Lopez rubs up on her.

The rest of the video appears to compile footage from the short film, much of it consisting of Lopez in various thong-baring outfits, including a sure-to-be-GIFFed sequence in which she takes an outdoor shower in a black string bikini for an audience of shirtless hunks floating in a reflecting pool.

The original version of “Can’t Get Enough” was released on January 10 as the first taste of Lopez’s long-awaited ninth studio album, which will be released on February 16. An accompanying film directed by Dave Meyers will hit Amazon Prime Video the same day.

Lulu Garcia-Navarro Joins CNN as On-Air Contributor & Panelist

Lulu Garcia-Navarro is headed to CNN

The Cuban and Panamanian journalist and podcast host has joined the cable news network as an on-air contributor and panelist on The Chris Wallace Show.

Lulu Garcia-NavarroGarcia-Navarro is from The New York Times Magazine, where she is launching a new interview franchise.

She previously worked at NPR as a host and was a longtime international correspondent.

Her coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and her vivid dispatches of the Arab Spring uprisings brought Garcia-Navarro wide acclaim and five awards in 2012, including the Edward R. Murrow and Peabody Awards for her coverage of the Libyan revolt.

Her series on the Amazon rainforest was a Peabody finalist and won an Edward R. Murrow award for best news series.

She has previously appeared on The Chris Wallace Show, which launched in November on Saturday mornings.

She will be part of a rotating group of panelists.

Rolly Romero to Defend WBA 140-Pound Title Against Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz in March

Rolly Romero is going on the defensive…

The 29-year-old Latino boxer has finalized a deal to defend his WBA 140-pound title against Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz on March 30 in Las Vegas, sources tell ESPN.

Rolly RomeroRomero-Cruz will serve as the co-feature to Tim TszyuKeith Thurman, Premier Boxing Champions‘ first PPV as part of its new deal with Amazon‘s Prime Video.

The development comes after Ryan Garcia claimed Wednesday evening on social media that he was fighting Romero on April 20. On Thursday morning after ESPN broke the news of Romero-Cruz, Garcia posted on X that he was “informed the deal was finalizing and it would be announced in the coming days.”

“Obviously that was a lie,” Garcia wrote. “My patience has been tested the last few weeks. … I’ll be looking forward to announcing my next fight. I’m not going to say anything until it’s actually signed and delivered.”

Romero (15-1, 13 KOs) is one of the most outspoken fighters in boxing. He won the title in controversial fashion with a ninth-round TKO victory over Ismael Barroso in May. Barroso dropped Romero in Round 3 and didn’t appear to be in serious trouble when the referee stopped the bout.

Romero, who fights out of Las Vegas, suffered his lone professional defeat in May 2022, a sixth-round TKO defeat to Gervonta Davis.

Cruz (25-2, 17 KOs) will move up to 140 pounds for his first full-fledged title shot. He challenged Davis for a secondary lightweight title in December 2021 and dropped a tightly contested decision.

The Mexico City native has won three bouts since the loss, victories over Yuriorkis Gamboa (TKO 5), Eduardo Ramirez (KO 2) and Giovanni Cabrera (split decision). Cruz hasn’t competed since the win over Cabrera in July.

Rosa Salazar to Star in Amazon MGM Studios Crime Thriller “Play Dirty”

Rosa Salazar is ready to play.

The 38-year-old half-Peruvian American actress will star as the female lead in Play Dirty, Shane Black’s crime thriller for Amazon MGM Studios.

Rosa SalazarSalazar will star opposite Mark Wahlberg and LaKeith Stanfield in the project.

Details about her role are being kept under wraps.

In Play Dirty, Wahlberg plays professional thief Parker, who after being double-crossed and left for dead, sees his hunt for revenge bring with it a shot at the biggest heist of his career. But even with the help of his partner, actor-slash-con artist Grofield (Stanfield), he’ll still need to outsmart a South American dictator, the New York mob and the world’s richest man if he hopes to stay alive.

Based on Donald E. Westlake’s Parker crime fiction novels, written under the pseudonym Richard Stark, the film is the first project in a forthcoming Amazon MGM slate based on Westlake’s work, following a pact between the studio and Team Downey in 2022, which will also see titles adapted for television.

Black is directing from his script written with Charles Mondry and Anthony Bagarozzi.

Best known for starring in Robert Rodriguez’s Alita: Battle Angel, as well as Undone, an acclaimed rotoscoped series from Amazon, which she also produced, Salazar will next be seen in Captain America: Brave New World, which is due for release in theaters on February 14, 2025.

Previously, she has also been seen in Amazon MGM’s true-life astronaut drama A Million Miles Away, Netflix’s The Kindergarten Teacher, 20th’s Maze Runner franchise, and A24’s Oscar-nominated animated feature Marcel the Shell with Shoes On.

The actress co-produced and starred in Brand New Cherry Flavor for Netflix and will additionally be seen coming up in horror comedy Vampires of the Velvet Lounge.

Jennifer Lopez is Most Searched Latina Actress on Roku

Jennifer Lopez is popular on Roku

The streaming network has released its list of the top-searched movies, television series, actors and actresses in 2023 on its devices — compiled from more than 1.2 billion total searches in the U.S., with the 54-year-old Puerto Rican superstar the most searched Latinx actress.

Jennifer LopezLopez comes in at No. 4 on the list of Top-Searched Actresses behind Melissa McCarthy, Sandra Bullock and Julia Roberts.

J.Lo most recently starred in Netflix’s action/thriller The Mother and Amazon Prime Video’s Shotgun Wedding.

But Lopez isn’t the only Latinx artist to make the list.

Jenna Ortega comes in right behind J.Lo at No. 5.

The 21-year-old Mexican American actress starred in Scream VI this year, as well as the crime thriller drama Finestkind.

Here’s a look at Roku’s list of most-searched movies, TV shows and people:

Top-Searched Movies
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
Avatar: The Way of Water
M3GAN
The Little Mermaid
Top Gun: Maverick
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
The Secret Life of Pets
Twilight

Top-Searched TV Shows
Yellowstone
SpongeBob SquarePants
PAW Patrol
South Park
Bluey
The Simpsons
The Chosen
Gunsmoke
Young Sheldon
Peppa Pig

Top-Searched Actresses
Melissa McCarthy
Sandra Bullock
Julia Roberts
Jennifer Lopez
Jenna Ortega
Doris Day
Jennifer Lawrence
Jennifer Aniston
Reese Witherspoon
Anne Hathaway

Top-Searched Actors
Adam Sandler
John Wayne
Tom Hanks
Denzel Washington
Clint Eastwood
Jason Statham
Nicolas Cage
Kevin Hart
Dwayne Johnson
Tom Cruise

Diego Luna & Gael García Bernal to Executive Produce “The Boys” Offshoot, “The Boys: Mexico”

Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal are bringing the boys south of the border

The 43-year-old Mexican actor, director and producer and the 44-year-old Mexican Golden Globe-winning actor and producer will executive produce and possibly appear in acting roles in The Boys: Mexico, a new series offshoot of The Boys from Blue Beetle writer Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer.

Gael García Bernal & Diego LunaDetails regarding the premise of the series are being kept under wraps.

A search is currently underway for a co-showrunner to join creator, writer and executive producer Dunnet-Alcocer, who is now working on the script.

The team behind The Boys: Mexico, which will be shot in the Latin American country, is working on budgets for the new series and they have yet to begin casting, sources said.

The Mexico-set offshoot comes from the main creative auspices behind the other series in The Boys franchise, the mothership’s developer Eric Kripke and his Kripke Enterprises, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s Point Grey Pictures, Neil H. Moritz’s Original Film, Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios. Loreli Alba is expected to oversee for Point Grey.

The Boys, based on the New York Times best-selling comic by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, shares a fun and irreverent take on what happens when superheroes—who are as popular as celebrities, as influential as politicians, and as revered as gods—abuse their superpowers rather than use them for good. Intent on stopping the corrupt superheroes, The Boys, a group of vigilantes, continue their heroic quest to expose the truth about The Seven and Vought—the multibillion-dollar conglomerate that manages the superheroes and covers up their dirty secrets. It’s the seemingly powerless against the super-powerful.

Following the breakout success of The Boys, which is headed to Season 4, two spinoff series were released in 2023: the animated The Boys Presents: Diabolical, which premiered in March, and the college-set spinoff Gen V, which recently concluded its first season and has been renewed for Season 2.

The Boys: Mexico is the latest project hailing from rising star Dunnet-Alcocer, who penned the screenplay for the Warner Bros. Pictures/DC Studios superhero feature film, Blue Beetle. Most recently, he wrote the screenplay for Sony’s El Muerto from director Jonás Cuarón. The Queretaro, Mexico native also wrote and executive produced Miss Bala in 2019. Additionally, Dunnet-Alcocer is attached as screenwriter of the Universal Pictures’ reimagination of Scarface.

Luna and García Bernal are veteran actors whose careers exploded following their collaboration in the hit 2001 Spanish-language feature Y Tu Mamá También directed by Alfonso Cuarón. They have reunited multiple times since then including in Rudo y Cursi (2008) and Casa de Mi Padre (2012).

Most recently Luna joined the Star Wars universe in the Disney+ TV series Andor, a prequel to Star Wars: Rogue One.

García Bernal most recently starred in the Amazon bio-drama Cassandro portraying the titular gay wrestler born Saúl Armendáriz.

The longtime friends and collaborators became producing partners in 2018 under their La Corriente del Golfo banner. Recent projects they produced include the aforementioned Cassandro and the series Pan y Circo hosted by Luna, both for Amazon.