Gael García Bernal & Diego Luna to Star in Hulu’s Spanish-Language Boxing Series “La Máquina”

Posted on July 27, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna are ringing in a new project…

The 43-year-old Mexican actor and producer and the 42-year-old Mexican actor, singer, director, and producer will star in La Máquina, a Spanish-language boxing series for Hulu.

Bernal and Luna, who first worked together on Y Tu Mamá También, will star and produce the series for the streamer.

La Máquina is produced by Searchlight Television, the Disney-owned television arm of Searchlight Pictures and marks its third series for the streamer following The Dropout and History of the World, Part II.

Daredevil’s Marco Ramirez will serve as showrunner and Gabriel Ripstein will direct.

García Bernal and Luna will produce under their La Corriente del Golfo banner along with Gerardo Gatica, Leandro Halperin and Adam Fishbach.

La Máquina follows an aging boxer, played by García Bernal, whose crafty manager, played by Luna, secures him one last shot at a title. But to make it to fight night, they must navigate a mysterious underworld force.

“We are proud to partner again with Searchlight Television on this forthcoming Hulu Original. Gael, Diego and Marco are world class storytellers and we look forward to bringing audiences their story and experiencing alongside them this last shot their characters get together,” said Craig Erwich, President, Hulu Originals and ABC Entertainment.

“It is a real honor to unite Gael and Diego onscreen again for La Máquina, their friendship and chemistry is a joy to experience,” added Searchlight Presidents Matthew Greenfield and David Greenbaum. “And we’re delighted to be working with Marco, whose unique voice and vision allows us to explore this world in a wholly original way.”

García Bernal recently starred in M. Night Shyamalan’s Old and HBO Max’s Station Eleven, while Luna was one of the voices in animated film DC League of Super Pets alongside Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart and stars in the upcoming Disney+ Star Wars series Andor.

Sarah Shahi Signs with William Morris Endeavor (WME)

Posted on June 29, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a new endeavor for Sarah Shahi.

The 42-year-old part-Spanish actress and Sex/Life star has signed with William Morris Endeavor (WME) for representation.

Shahi portrays Billie Connelly in the provocative Netflix drama series which is heading into its second season.

Inspired by BB Easton’s self-published memoir 44 Chapters About 4 Men, Sex/Life is the story of a love triangle between a woman, Billie Connelly (Shahi), her husband, and her past, which takes a deliciously steamy new look at female identity and desire.

The series quickly became one of Netflix’s best performing shows and drew more than 67 million viewers in its first season.

Shahi received critical praise for her portrayal of DA’s office investigator Rachel Behnam in Showtime’s City on a Hill. She also starred in an episode of the Netflix Dolly Parton anthology series Heartstrings, in which each episode is based on a Dolly song.

She also starred alongside Nathan Fillion on NBC’s The Rookie, and in the Steven Spielberg-produced NBC series Reverie.

She also is known for her roles on CBS’ Person of Interest, USA’s Fairly Legal and Showtime’s The L Word. Her other television credits include Chicago Fire, Life with Damian Lewis, The Sopranos, Ray Donovan and Alias.

Shahi next stars in the anticipated Warner Bros./DC superhero feature Black Adam alongside Dwayne Johnson, set for release in October. She also has signed on to star in the upcoming Amazon film Red, White and Royal Blue, based on the best-selling book, and she is attached to executive produce and star in The Hollys, written by Floriana Lima, Yolanda Pecoraro, and Ilaria Urbinati, with Di Novi Pictures producing.

Carlos Valdes to Star in Hulu’s Musical Romantic Comedy Series “Up Here”

Posted on June 13, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Carlos Valdes is movin’ on up (here)…

The 33-year-old Colombian-American actor and singer will star in Hulu’s musical romantic comedy series Up Here alongside Mae Whitman.

Valdes will portray Miguel, who is described as sensitive and thoughtful, with an artistic sensibility and a romantic streak. Miguel has always struggled with the feeling that he doesn’t quite belong. But after a cataclysmic breakup, Miguel has decided to reinvent himself, burying his feelings and ditching a promising career as a video game concept artist for the lucrative world of investment banking, determined never to get hurt again.

Written by Steven Levenson, Danielle Sanchez-Witzel, Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez and directed by Thomas Kail, Up Here is set in New York City in the waning days of 1999. It follows the extraordinary story of one ordinary couple, Lindsay (Whitman) and Miguel, as they fall in love and discover that the single greatest obstacle to finding happiness together might just be themselves – and the treacherous world of memories, obsessions, fears, and fantasies that lives inside their heads.

Anderson-Lopez and Lopez will pen original songs for the series.

Production on the show, which has an eight-episode straight-to-series order, is set to begin this summer in New York. 20th Television is the studio, producing with Kail’s Old 320 Sycamore Productions.

Valdes most recently appeared in the Starz Watergate drama Gaslit as FBI agent Paul Magallanes. Before that, he had a seven-season run as Cisco Ramon on The Flash and numerous other Arrowverse shows including Arrow, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, and Supergirl.

He made his Broadway debut in 2013 in the Tony Award-winning musical Once.

Rosario Dawson to Help Reveal This Year’s SAG Awards Nominations

Posted on January 6, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Rosario Dawson is helping with a big reveal…

The 42-year-old Puerto Rican and Cuban American actress and activist will team up with Vanessa Hudgens to announce this year’s SAG Awards nominations on Wednesday, January 12, at 10:00 am ET/7 am PT via Instagram Live.

This marks the second consecutive year the SAG nominations will be announced via Instagram Live as part of the @sagawards’ Instagram Stories.

With the Golden Globes mired in a diversity scandal, resulting in a non-telecast of the awards show on NBC, the SAG Awards this year reps the first big awards show to honor the best of actors and actresses in television and film for 2021.

SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher will give an introduction before the SAG nominations are revealed.

Nominations for the Outstanding Action Performances by Television and Film ensembles will follow, with announcements made by SAG Awards Committee members Jason George and Elizabeth McLaughlin.

The 28th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards will be simulcast live on TNT and TBS on Sunday, February 27, 2022 at 8:00 pm ET / 5:00 pm PT from The Barker Hangar in Santa Monica.

Dawson recently starred in the Hulu series Dopesick, and stars next in the Disney+/Lucasfilm series Ahsoka as Ahsoka Tano and the HBO Max/DC series DMZ.

She’s filming Disney’s new Haunted Mansion movie with Owen Wilson, Tiffany Haddish, LaKeith Stanfield and Danny DeVito.

Her feature credits include Harmony Korine’s Kids, Spike Lee’s He Got Game and The 25th Hour, as well as Alexander, Rent, Clerks II, Top Five, Trance, Unstoppable and Men in Black II, as well as the Sin City franchise.

For her performance in Seven Pounds, she won Best Actress in a Motion Picture Award at the 2009 NAACP Image Awards.

Warner Bros. Animation Releases First Trailer for Diego Luna’s Animated Film “DC League of Super-Pets”

Posted on November 24, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a super time for Diego Luna.

Warner Bros. Animation has released the first official trailer for its upcoming DC League of Super-Pets, starring the 41-year-old Mexican actor/director/producer.

Produced by and starring Dwayne Johnson, the film finds one (Super)man’s best friend his only hope. After Superman (John Krasinski) is sidelined by Lex Luthor, the Man of Steel’s faithful companion, Krypto, sets out to save the day.

While Superman has Batman, Wonder Woman and the rest of the Justice League at his side, Krypto has only “a bunch of shelter pets” who, luckily, have been imbued with superpowers.

Johnson plays Krypto, while his ragtag band is made up of Ace (Kevin Hart), a hound who has super strength; PB (Vanessa Bayer), a pig named who can grow to a massive-size instantly; Merton (Natasha Lyonne) a turtle with super speed; and Chip (Luna), a squirrel who can shoot electricity from his tiny fingertips.

“My best friend is in trouble and you have to help me,” says Krypto, rallying the troops. What follows is an adventure full of challenges, surprises and potty humor.

The project reps Johnson’s second with DC after the New Line/DC movie Black Adam, in which he plays the title character, with his Seven Bucks producing.

DC League Of Super-Pets marks the Johnson’s third theatrically-released animated film, after Planet 51 and Moana.

Luna has previously been part of the voice cast of The Book of Life and Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans.

HBO Max Renews Diane Guerrero’s “Doom Patrol” for a Fourth Season

Posted on October 17, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

There’s more doom in Diane Guerrero’s future…

HBO Max has renewed its superhero drama series Doom Patrol, starring the 35-year-old Colombian American actress, for a fourth season.

The series, which is currently airing its third season, premiered exclusively on DC Universe in 2019, while HBO Max and DC Universe aired the second season and HBO Max took the show on exclusively for its third run.

The show follows a group of superheroes who all suffered a horrible accident that gave them superhuman abilities, but also left them scarred and disfigured. Part support group, part superhero team, the Doom Patrol is a band of superpowered freaks who fight for a world that wants nothing to do with them.

In season three, the Doom Patrol is at a difficult crossroads and each member struggles to face who they are and who they want to be. And things get a whole lot more complicated when Madame Rouge arrives in a time machine with a very specific mission, if only she could remember it.

In addition to Guerrero, season three also stars Brendan Fraser, Matt Bomer, April Bowlby, Joivan Wade, Timothy Dalton, Skye Roberts and Michelle Gomez.

Doom Patrol is produced by Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television with showrunner Jeremy Carver.

The series is based on characters created for DC by Arnold Drake, Bob Haney and Bruno Premiani.

Xolo Maridueña to Star in & Executive Produce the Action Drama Series “The Ledger”

Posted on October 3, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Xolo Maridueña is livin’ on the ledge(r)…

The 20-year-old Mexican, Cuban and Ecuadorian American actor and Cobra Kai star has been cast in and will executive produce the action drama series The Ledger, which hails from veteran showrunner and producer Juan Carlos Coto and Will Packer Media.

Coto, who has worked on 9-1-1 and From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series, will write and serve as showrunner. Will Packer will produce and Alvie Hurtado, Director of Development, WPP will oversee the project. Brandon Guzmán will executive produce.

The series will be shopped to streaming networks and premium cable.

Maridueña stars as Miguel Diaz on Netflix’s Cobra Kai, which is heading into its fourth season.

He is also set to star as Blue Beetle for Warner Bros. and DC. Maridueña is represented by UTA, Valor Entertainment and John Meigs

Best known for his work as showrunner on Robert Rodriguez’s From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series, Coto currently is executive producer on Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Tim Minear’s hit Fox drama series 9-1-1. He also served as consulting producer on 9-1-1: Lone Star. Coto previously co-executive produced the CW’s spy thriller Nikita and has written and produced critically acclaimed series including NBC’s Heroes and Fox’s 24.

Leslie Grace to Star as Title Character in Warner Bros. & DC Films’ “Batgirl”

Posted on July 22, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Leslie Grace is the (bat)girl of the hour…

The 26-year-old Dominican American actress and Latin Grammy-nominated singer has been cast as Barbara Gordon in Warner Bros. and DC Films’ Batgirl.

The decision was made after testing actresses this week.

The studio was already extremely interested in the rising Afro-Latina star following her breakout role in In the Heights, and sources say her audition sealed the deal as the choice.

The studio had no comment.

The film will bow on HBO Max, marking one of the first major DC properties to debut exclusively on the streamer. Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah will direct the film from a script by Christina Hodson.

While plot details are under wraps, it is known that Barbara Gordon, the daughter of Commissioner Gordon, will be the character behind the cape in this version. Gordon is the most established version of the Batgirl character and was first introduced in 1961 as Betty Kane.

Grace was among a final group of actresses being tested for the role that included Isabella Merced, Zoey Deutch and Haley Lu Richardson.

Victoria Cartagena to Portray Renee Montoya on the CW’s “Batwoman”

Posted on July 21, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a case of déjà vu for Victoria Cartagena.

The 36-year-old Latina actress has joined the upcoming third season of Batwoman as a new series regular, portraying DC hero Renee Montoya on the CW drama.

Cartagena’s character, Montoya, is a former GCPD officer who left the force when she could no longer stomach the corruption inside the department. She now runs the “freaks division,” which hasn’t seen a lot of action… until now. Righteous and pragmatic, and LGBTQ+, she’s a woman with a very personal (and mysterious) mission to help clean the streets of Gotham in the right way, by whatever means necessary.

Cartagena previously played Renee Montoya on Fox’s Gotham, though the universes are not connected.

In the June 27 Season 2 finale, Ryan Wilder (Javicia Leslie) has fully taken up the mantle of Batwoman with Kate Kane leaving Gotham in a search for her long-missing cousin Bruce Wayne (aka Batman). It also was revealed that Ryan’s biological mother, who was believed to have died in childbirth, is actually alive.

In addition to Leslie, Rachel Skarsten, Meagan Tandy, Nicole Kang and Camrus Johnson also star; original cast member Dougray Scott recently left the series.

Batwoman is produced by Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Bros Television.

Cartagena’s other recent credits include a series regular role on Fox’s Almost Family, and recurring on M. Night Shyamalan’s Apple TV+ series Servant. She also recurred on the first season of NBC’s Manifest.

I guess #Reneemontoya and I have some unfinished business So very excited to join this new group of talented artists, writers & crew who are doing their thing over here! They have welcomed me wholeheartedly! Grateful, humbled, hype AF… #batwoman #fullcircle https://t.co/eeNCmptT7v

— Victoria Cartagena (@VickiCartagena) July 20, 2021

Aimee Garcia to Star on Season 2 of Hulu’s “Woke”

Posted on June 24, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Aimee Garcia is officially woke…

The 42-year-old Puerto Rican and Mexican American actress has joined the cast of Woke.

The Hulu series, co-created by Keith Knight and Marshall Todd, centers on Keef Knight (Lamorne Morris), an African-American cartoonist who finds himself on the verge of mainstream success when an unexpected incident changes his life. With a newfound consciousness, Keef must navigate the new voices and ideas challenging him, all without setting fire to everything he’s already built.

In the comedy’s second season, Garcia will play Laura Salgado, a likable but formidable self-made Silicon Valley venture capitalist who is interested in working with Knight.

Garcia is currently appearing as Ella Lopez on Netflix’s Lucifer and recently voiced the character of Jodie Tartleton for Hulu series Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K. After wrapping Lucifer’s sixth and final season, she co-wrote a sequel to 47 Ronin for Universal, in concert with New York Times bestselling author AJ Mendez. Garcia has also penned a Wonder Woman Black & Gold comic for DC, which will be released in August.

She also recently wrapped Holiday in Santa Fe, a TV movie in which she appears opposite Mario Lopez, and Richard Grey’s feature Murder at Emigrant Gulch, which also stars Richard Dreyfuss and Gabriel Byrne. This fall, the actress will star in Match Me If You Can, a romantic comedy that she also exec produced.

On the television side, Garcia’s other credits include Rush Hour, Dexter, Vegas, George Lopez and more.

She has been part of the voice cast of the 2019 animated adaptation of The Addams Family, as well as Elizabeth Chomko’s What They Had and José Padilha’s Robocop.

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