Martinez to Star in ABC’s Drama Pilot “American Crime”

Benito Martinez is preparing for his fatherly duty…

The 42-year-old Guatemalan American actor, best known for portraying David Aceveda in the FX drama series The Shield, has been cast in ABC’s drama pilot American Crime.

Benito Martinez

Written and executive-produced by John Ridley, the project centers on the racially charged murder of a war veteran and the subsequent trial, which are examined through the personal lives of the players involved.

Martinez will portray Alonzo, a hardworking, middle-class widowed father whose son is accused of the crime.

He previously recurred on Sons Of Anarchy and is coming off an arc on House Of Cards.

His other credits include television appearances on Dallas, Major Crimes, Covert Affairs, Burn Notice, Lie to Me and 24.

Di Pace to Star on TNT’s “Dallas” Reboot Next Season

Juan Pablo Di Pace is going from camp to campy drama for his next project…

The 34-year-old Argentine actor, model and director has joined the cast of TNT’s nighttime soap opera Dallas, which stars Jordana Brewster and Julie Gonzalo.

Juan Pablo Di Pace

Di Pace, who recently starred in NBC’s summer series Camp, will portray Nicolas Treviño, a powerful self-made billionaire businessman who comes across as a good, genuine guy, even though there are darker parts of his personality that he’s hiding from the world.

Di Pace’s credits include a role in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical Mamma Mia!, starring Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan, as well as an appearance in Muse’s video for “Time is Running Out.”

Varela Starring in the Thriller “Captive”

Leonor Varela will be holding audiences captive with her latest performance soon…

The 40-year-old Chilean actress and model has signed on to star in Captive.

Leonor Varela

The Jerry Jameson-directed thriller, written by Brian Bird and Reinhard Denke, is based on a well-known true story.

While Ashley Smith, a single mom, struggles to overcome her drug addiction to regain custody of her daughter, she’s taken hostage by an escaped, quadruple murderer. Her only defenses: faith in God, a love for her daughter, and the book A Purpose Driven Life, parts of which she reads aloud to her captor during the harrowing ordeal. This leads to a surprising epiphany for both Ashley and the convict.

Varela, who appeared in the first season of TNT’s Dallas reboot, joins a cast that includes David Oyelowo, Kate Mara and Mimi Rogers.

Her other credits include television appearances on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, Human Target and Arrested Development.

Brewster to Star in the Action-Thriller “American Heist”

Jordana Brewster is preparing for the heist of her life…

The 33-year-old Brazilian-American actress has joined the cast of the action thriller American Heist, a remake of the 1959 Steve McQueen film St. Louis Bank Robbery.

Jordana Brewster

The film, which will also star Hayden Christensen, Adrien Brody and Akon, tells the story of two brothers with checkered pasts — one struggling on the road to normalcy, the other just released from prison — who intertwine when one drags the other into an ill-fated bank robbery spearheaded by a gang of dangerous criminals, testing the loyalty of their sibling bond and how far they will go for greed and family.

Principal photography on the Glacier Films-produced project begins this week.

Sarik Andreasyan will direct the film.

Brewster, who stars on TNT’s Dallas reboot, most recently appeared in the highly successful Fast & Furious 6.

Becker’s “Cindo de Mayo: La Batalla” Opens Solidly

Kuno Becker’s Cinco de Mayo-themed film performs solidly in its opening weekend…

Pantelion’s Cinco De Mayo: La Batalla grossed $70,000 over the weekend, averaging $3,500 from 20 runs in Los Angeles and Orange County. California.

Cinco de Mayo: La Batalla

The drama, which stars the 35-year-old Mexican actor and recent Dallas star, tells the story of the legendary Mexican battle on May 5th, 1862, also known as the Battle of Puebla.

The French intervention in Mexico had begun in 1861 due to Napoleon III’s attempt to have more influence in Mexico. The country had just defaulted on its debt with France, Great Britain and Spain, which created an opportunity for France to insert itself in Mexico.

La Batalla of Cinco de Mayo occurred when a lesser-equipped Mexican army led by General Ignacio Zaragosa beat the powerful French army in Puebla. While this battle wasn’t a game changer in the conflict, it did give the Mexican army a morale boost, but it would end up taking six years before France withdrew its forces.

In Mexico, Cinco de Mayo is not commemorated like it is in the U.S., but it’s worth reminding people of the history behind the commercialized festivities through Mexican director’s Rafa Lara big screen history lesson.

Brewster to Star in the Dark Comedy “North of Hell”

Jordana Brewster is Hell bound…

The 33-year-old half-Brazilian American actress and Fast & Furious 6 star has been added to the cast of the dark comedy North of Hell.

Jordana Brewster

The indie film, which stars Patrick Wilson and Katherine Heigl, centers on a successful businessman and the sociopathic, bi-polar, obsessive-compulsive wife who controls everything in his life.

Brewster, who stars on TNT’s Dallas, will portray a sexy hire at Wilson’s character’s work who seduces and blackmails him, threatening to go to his wife with their affair.

North of Hell is slated to begin production this month in New Orleans.

Anthony Burns, who wrote the script, will direct the film.

Rodriguez Makes a Speedy Appearance in Final “Fast & Furious 6” Trailer

Michelle Rodriguez isn’t just back from the dead in Fast & Furious 6; she’s back behind the wheel…

Michelle Rodriguez

In the final trailer for the action film, which Universal Pictures just released, the 34-year-old Puerto Rican and Dominican American actress makes her much-anticipated return to the film franchise in a speedy way.

In addition to Rodriguez, the film also stars Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson and Dallas star Jordana Brewster.

Fast & Furious 6 opens nationwide on May 24.

Meanwhile, plans are already underway for the seventh installment of the film, which will be released in 2014.

Brewster’s “Dallas” Returning to TNT for a Third Season

Jordana Brewster will be spending more time at South Fork…

TNT has renewed its popular Dallas reboot, which stars the 33-year-old half-Brazilian American and Fast and Furious 6 star, for a third season.

Jordana Brewster

Produced by Warner Horizon Television, Dallas is the official follow-up to the iconic 1980s series.

TNT has ordered 15 episodes for the third season, which is slated to launch in early 2014.

“Although we said goodbye to Larry Hagman and his iconic character J.R. Ewing this year, Dallas has many more stories left to tell, and the Ewing clan will continue to honor J.R.’s memory by keeping its audience surprised and delighted,” said the network’s head of programming Michael Wright.

In addition to Brewster – whose character Elena Ramos could prove to be the main antagonist next season after learning J.R. defrauded her father years earlier in the season finale – the series stars Julie Gonzalo, Jesse Metcalf and Josh Henderson, as well as Dallas’ original stars Patrick Duffy and Linda Gray.

Pardo to Participate at This Year’s PaleyFest

“You say you want a Revolution…” And J.D. Pardo and his fellow Revolution cast mates are ready to deliver.

The 32-year-old Latino actor, Daniella Alonso and several members of the cast of NBC’s freshman post-apocalyptic sci-fi drama series will appear at the 30th annual The William S. Paley Television Festival, PaleyFest.

J.D. Pardo

Pardo, Alonso and the gang will be panelists at the TV fan fest on Saturday, March 2 at 7:00 pm PT at a discussion moderated by TV Guide’s LA Bureau Chief Michael Schneider.

But Pardo and Alonso aren’t the only Latinos who’ll appear at the Paleyfest, which takes place from March 1-15 at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills.

Once Upon a Time’s Lana Parrilla will be one of the panelists at ABC’s fairy tale drama’s panel on Sunday, March 3; DallasJordana Brewster and Julie Gonzalo will participate in the TNT series’ panel on Sunday, March 10.

Here’s a look at the schedule featuring TV’s hottest Latino stars:

Saturday, March 2: Revolution (7:00 pm)
Moderator: Michael Schneider, LA Bureau Chief, TV Guide Magazine

* Eric Kripke: Creator & Executive Producer
* Billy Burke: “Miles Matheson”
* Tracy Spiridakos: “Charlie Matheson”
* Giancarlo Esposito: “Major Tom Neville”
* Daniella Alonso: “Nora Clayton”
* JD Pardo: “Jason Neville”
* Elizabeth Mitchell: “Rachel Matheson”
* Plus additional guests to be announced

Sunday, March 3: Once Upon A Time (1:00 pm)
Moderator: Matt Mitovich, Editor-At-Large, TVLine.com

* Edward Kitsis: Creator & Executive Producer
* Adam Horowitz: Creator & Executive Producer
* Ginnifer Goodwin: “Snow White”/ ” Mary Margaret Blanchard”
* Jennifer Morrison: “Emma Swan”
* Robert Carlyle: “Rumplestiltskin”/ “Mr. Gold”
* Lana Parrilla: “Evil Queen”/ “Regina Mills”
* Josh Dallas: “Prince Charming”/ “David Nolan”
* Colin O’Donoghue: “Captain Hook”

Sunday, March 10: Dallas (1:00 pm)
Moderator: Will Keck, Sr. Editor & Columnist, TV Guide Magazine

* Cynthia Cidre: Executive Producer
* Michael Robin: Executive Producer
* Patrick Duffy: “Bobby Ewing”
* Linda Gray: “Sue Ellen Ewing”
* Jesse Metcalfe: “Christopher Ewing”
* Josh Henderson: “John Ross Ewing”
* Jordana Brewster: “Elena Ramos”
* Julie Gonzalo: “Pamela Rebecca Barnes”
* Brenda Strong: “Ann Ewing”

For a complete list of television series cast and crew that’ll appearat Paleyfest, and for more information, head to the Paleyfest website.

 

Becker to Mine the Drama on TNT’s “Dallas”

Kuno Becker won’t just be visiting TNT’s Dallas; he’ll apparently be pumping up the drama!

The 34-year-old Mexican actor and former telenovela star, who joined the Dallas cast in October,will be stirring up some serious trouble as Elena’s (Jordana Brewster) brother, Andres.

Kuno Becker II

Nicknamed Drew, Becker’s character was raised on Southfork with John Ross and Christopher and moves into his sister’s cottage.

“He comes back from Afghanistan with a lot of anger and wants to drill his late father’s land,” says Becker, who played a serial killer on CSI: Miami‘s final season.

And Drew isn’t afraid to take extreme measures to get what he wants.

“I’ve had to do a lot of training with firearms, and I get to shoot in a big action scene, but I can’t reveal at what or who.”

Dallas’ 15-episode second season will premiere on January 28. No word yet on when Becker will first appear.