Esai Morales to Star in “So Much For Love”

Esai Morales is lovin’ his new role…

The 61-year-old Puerto Rican actor will star opposite Finn Wittrock and Sylvia Hoels in So Much For Love, which is currently shooting in Louisville, Kentucky.

Esai MoralesA re-teaming filmmaker Lina Roessler with Best Sellers scribe Anthony Grieco, the film follows Sam Davies (Wittrock), a trust fund supported bon vivant and bachelor, who is living his best life – right up until the day he turns 35. Much to his horror, that’s when he learns his deceased parents have a provision in the trust that will terminate his installments and force him to earn his keep. Cast out of his posh Hollywood Hills digs and landing in La Grange, Kentucky, Sam has a calendar year to learn the value of hard work, the meaning of purpose, and the true price of love – or lose it all.

The story is originally by Paul Robarts and Gigi Gaston. The film is being produced by Cassian Elwes’ Elevated Films along with Paul Robarts, Arielle Elwes and Veronica Radaelli).

“I knew this film would be something special when I started collaborating again with Anthony on the script,” says Roessler. “Being back on set and getting to work with Finn, Sylvia and Esai has been absolutely wonderful. It has also been a magical experience working again with Cassian and Arielle along with our amazing crew in Louisville.”

Morales had notable roles in the films Bad Boys with Sean Penn and La Bamba with Lou Diamond Phillips. His television roles include the PBS 2002 drama series American Family, the Showtime series Resurrection Blvd. (2000–2002), portraying Lt. Tony Rodriguez on NYPD Blue (2001–2003), Joseph Adama in the science fiction series Caprica (2009–2010), Camino del Rio in the Netflix original series Ozark (2017), and the DC Comics supervillain Slade Wilson / Deathstroke in the superhero series Titans (2019).

Aubrey Plaza to Star in “Best Sellers”

It’s the Best of times for Aubrey Plaza.

The 35-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress has joined Oscar winner Michael Caine in Lina Roessler’s feature directorial debut Best Sellers.

Aubrey Plaza

The story follows a has-been author, played by Caine, who is on a wild book tour with a young editor, Plaza, trying to save her father’s boutique publishing house. Caine’s miserable and sharp-witted author just wants to live out his days in peace with a bottle of scotch, a cigar and his orange Tabby cat, but Plaza’s hopeful editor pulls him out of his reclusion.

The project is based on Anthony Grieco’s original screenplay, which won a 2015 Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwritingaward, and will be an official Canada-UK co-production.

Shooting on the film is expected to begin this month.

Plaza recently wrapped production on the feature Black Bear, a suspenseful meta-drama that she produced and stars in opposite Christopher Abbottand Sarah Gadon

Next up for Plaza is the Netflixfeature Hopefrom New Zealand duoJackie van Beek and Madeleine Sami

The Parks and Recreation alum’s other feature film credits include last summer’s Child’s PlayMatt Spicer’s Ingrid Goes West (which she produced and received a 2018 Film Independent Spirit Awardfor Best First Feature), Jeff Baena’s The Little Hours (also producer), Hal Hartley’s Ned RifleColin Trevorrow’s Safety Not GuaranteedEdgar Wright’s Scott Pilgrim vs. the Worldand Judd Apatow’s Funny People, among others.

On television, Plaza most recently starred in Noah Hawley’s Legionon FX. Additionally, she hosted the 2019 Film Independent Spirit Awards.