Daniel Zovatto to Star in “Famous”

Daniel Zovatto is officially famous

The 33-year-old Costa Rican actor has joined the cast of the Black Bear, Esmail Corp, Caviar production Famous, which A24 is releasing stateside theatrically.

Daniel ZovattoZovatto is among a list of new cast additions that includes Bill Pullman.

They join Zac Efron, Phoebe Dynevor, Nicholas Braun, Stephanie Koenig, Debby Ryan, Mekki Lepper and Cory Michael Smith.

Cameras are rolling in LA on the Jody Hill-directed film.

Famous explores the dark side of celebrity and the lengths people will go to attain it. Efron plays dual roles: Overzealous fan, Lance Dunkquist and Hollywood heartthrob, James Jansen. Lance has the spitting image of James, and will do whatever it takes to be famous.

The film is based on the novel by New York Times bestselling author Blake Crouch. Chad Hodge adapted for the screen, the scribe also adapted Crouch’s trilogy into a series.

Zovatto is coming off a haunting turn as The Dating Game serial killer Rodney Alcala in Netflix’s Woman of the Hour, Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut.

He also held a recurring role as The Prophet in the post apocalyptic series Station Eleven on HBO Max, and has featured in such cult favorite horror films as It Follows and Don’t Breathe.

Up next for Zovatto is tropical thriller Headhunters opposite Kevin Costner.

IFC Films & AMC+ Acquire North American Rights to Aubrey Plaza’s “Spin Me Round”

Aubrey Plaza will be spinning into theaters this summer…

IFC Films and AMC+ have acquired the North American rights to Jeff Baena’s Spin Me Round, starring the 37-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress/comedian.

Aubrey Plaza, Spin Me RoundThe film, which made its world premiere at SXSW last month, will open in theaters and VOD and stream exclusively on AMC+ this summer.

Spin Me Round represents filmmaker Baena’s reteam with Alison Brie, Plaza and Molly Shannon, who star in the film.

Brie co-wrote and produced Spin Me Round, in which she plays the manager of an Italian restaurant chain who wins the opportunity to attend the franchise’s educational immersion program in Italy. What she thought would be a romantic getaway devolves into chaos and catastrophe.

Baena and Brie previously teamed on Horse Girl, she starred in and co-wrote with Baena, who also directed. Brie also appeared in Baena’s The Little Hours and Joshy. Plaza has starred in Baena’s The Little Hours, Joshy and Life After Beth. Shannon starred in Baena’s Little Hours, Horse Girl and Life After Beth.

Spin Me Round also marks the third IFC Films feature with Brie, who most recently starred in The Rental, the Dave Franco-directed thriller that was a hit at drive-ins nationwide and on VOD in the summer of 2020, when a majority of theaters were closed down due to COVID-19; that pic grossed $1.6M.

Rounding out the cast is Alessandro Nivola, Zach Woods, Ayden Mayeri, Ben Sinclair, Tim Heidecker, Debby Ryan and Fred Armisen.

Spin Me Round is a Duplass Brothers and Limelight Production. Limelight’s Chris Parker and Dylan Sellers produced and fully funded Spin Me Round.

“We have long admired Jeff Baena’s films and are thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with him and his incredible filmmaking team on this fun and hilarious ride,” said Arianna Bocco, President of IFC Film. “Jeff, Alison and the Duplass Brothers are true creative geniuses and icons of independent cinema, and we can’t wait for audiences to experience this all-star cast over the summer.”

Baena added: “I was really impressed with Arianna and her team’s passion, thoughtfulness and innovation coupled with their track record of ushering in so many incredible independent films. I’m so grateful to have an opportunity to finally partner with IFC Films and share Spin Me Round with the world.”

Courtney Thomasma, General Manager of AMC+, said: “Spin Me Round is the perfect summer fare for our subscribers, who continue to come to AMC+ as a premium destination for compelling new feature films with their favorite stars. We are huge fans of Alison Brie, who our audience knows well from the iconic Mad Men, and we’re excited to be working with her, Jeff Baena and the entire producing team on this delightful new movie.”

Luis Gerardo Méndez to Star in Peacock’s True-Crime Love Story Series “The Resort”

Luis Gerardo Méndez is resort bound…

The 39-year-old Mexican actor and producer will star in Peacock’s The Resort, a true-crime love story from writer Andy SiaraSam Esmail and UCP.

Luis Gerardo MéndezMéndez, who has starred in Narcos: Mexico and Murder Mystery, will star alongside Nina Bloomgarden and Gabriela Cartol as series regulars, and Debby RyanDylan BakerMichael Hitchcock and Becky Ann Baker will recur in the ensemble series.

Written by Siara, The Resort is a multi-generational, coming-of-age love story disguised as a fast-paced mystery about the disappointment of time. An anniversary trip puts a marriage to the test when the couple finds themselves embroiled in one of the Mayan Riviera’s most bizarre unsolved mysteries that took place fifteen years prior.

Méndez will play Baltasar Frías, the head of security at the Oceana Vista Resort in 2007. He’s always in detective mode, quietly suspicious of all activity, and somehow connected to all of the unusual events in 2007.

Cartol is Luna, the concierge at the Emma and Noah’s resort. Prior to becoming the concierge, Luna was in housekeeping at the Oceana Vista Resort back in 2007 prior to its abrupt closure.

The series is produced by UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group and Esmail Corp.

Siara will write and executive produce the series alongside Allison Miller.

Ben Sinclair will also direct and executive produce episodes 1-4.

Aubrey Plaza to Star in the Indie Comedy “Spin Me Round”

Aubrey Plaza is going for a Spin…

The 36-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress will star in Spin Me Round, an indie comedy directed by Jeff Baena from a script he wrote with Alison Brie, who will also star.

Aubrey Plaza

In addition to Plaza, best known for her work on NBC’s Parks and Recreation, and Brie, the cast also includes Alessandro NivolaMolly Shannon and Lil Rel Howery.

The film will be produced by the Duplass Brothers Productions and Limelight, the latter of which is fully financing the picture. Production begins next month in Italy.

Tim Heidecker, Ben Sinclair, Fred Armisen, Ayden Mayeri, Debby Ryan, Zach Woods, Ego Nwodim, Lauren Weedman, and Jake Picking round out the cast.

Brie plays the manager of the Bakersfield, California franchise of the Italian chain eatery Tuscan Grove. She wins an all-expenses trip to the company’s gorgeous “institute” outside of Florence, Italy, and the chance to meet the restaurant chain’s wealthy and charismatic owner (Nivola). Along with a mismatched group of local American franchise managers, Amber finds a far different adventure than the romantic fantasy she had imagined.

Raúl Castillo to Star in Netflix’s Thriller “Night Teeth”

Raúl Castillois showing his teeth

The 42-year-old Mexican American actor has been cast in Netflix’s thriller film Night Teeth, directed by Adam Randall.

Castillo joins a cast that includes Jorge Lendeborg Jr.Debby Ryan, Lucy Fry and Alfie Allen

Scripted by Brent Dillon, the youth-driven thriller with a genre twist focuses on one evening in L.A. Lendeborg Jr stars as a young chauffeur who drives two beautiful young women to five different parties and finds himself fighting for his life after he discovers they’re not who they claim to be. This is a film about three young people stuck together for the night. Within the confines of this vehicle, it’s the changing relationships; the suspicion, attraction and threat are all part of it.

Castillo’s previous credits include appearances on HBO’s Looking, Netflix’s Atypical and Gotham.