Julio César Cedillo to Appear in Prime Video’s “El Gato”

Julio César Cedillo is officially a cool cat….

The 54-year-old Mexican actor has landed a recurring role in Prime Video’s El Gato.

Julio Cesar CedilloCedillo is among a rosetr of new recurring actors that includes Alejandro Edda.

Production is currently underway.

Details regarding their characters are being kept under wraps.

Based on the comic series El Gato Negro by Richard DominguezEl Gato follows Frank Guerrero (Diego Boneta), 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, “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.

Previously announced cast also includes Lorenza Izzo, Sarah Jones, Adriana Barraza, Eric Lange and Alfonso Dosal as series regulars and Angela Sarafyan as a recurring guest star.

Eric Carrasco created the series and will co-showrun with Turi Meyer and Alfredo Septién.

El Gato is being produced by MGM Television, a division of Amazon MGM Studios.

Cedillo is best known for the title role in the 2005 film The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada. The Sicario star’s most recent credits include A Million Miles Away and The Black Demon.

Adriana Barraza to Star in Prime Video’s Comic Book Series “El Gato”

Adriana Barraza has found a purr-fect role…

The 68-year-old Mexican Oscar-nominated actress has landed a series regular role in Prime Video’s comic book series with the working title El Gato.

Adriana BarrazaBarraza joins new cast addition Sarah Jones and previously announced leads Diego Boneta and Lorenza Izzo. 

Based on the comic series El Gato Negro by Richard DominguezEl Gato follows Frank Guerrero (Boneta), 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, “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.

Barraza will play Alma, who, in the 1970s, discovered her husband was living a double life: moonlighting as a costumed vigilante: El Gato Negro. Alma worked side by side with him for years, providing operational support for his missions. She is careful with her words, and vault-like in the keeping of secrets. Alma thought her old life was behind her, but now widowed, she finds herself pulled back into a world of masks. In the series, she will form an unlikely partnership with our hero, Frank – her husband’s bastard son. It will test the openness of her heart. This is Alma, back in the saddle for one last ride.

Jones will play Ashley, a CIA field agent working as our hero Frank’s handler. Ash is good at reading people. She’s a fast-talking cynic with something to prove. Ash believes the family agricultural business at the center of our series is a front for a criminal enterprise. As she develops Frank as a CIA asset, she will find herself dangerously drawn to him. She is well-trained, physically capable, and seemingly born for this. But it’s a deadly game she’s playing, and if she wants to survive this, she’ll need to watch her back.

Eric Carrasco created the series and will co-showrun with Turi Meyer and Alfredo Septién.

El Gato is being produced by MGM Television, a division of Amazon MGM Studios.

Barraza recently celebrated 50 years in the entertainment industry. She is best known for her collaborations with director Alejandro González Iñárritu in Amores Perros (1999) and Babel (2006), on which she made history as one of only six Mexican actresses to ever receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

Most recently, she was a supporting lead in the DC Comics/Warner Bros feature film Blue Beetle opposite Xolo Mariduena and directed by Angel Manuel Soto.

In August, Barraza will star in the indie feature My Penguin Friend opposite Jean Reno.

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.

Diego Boneta Starring in the New Erotic Thriller Film “Follow”

Diego Boneta has lined up his next project…

The 33-year-old Mexican actor/singer will star opposite Martha Higareda in the new erotic thriller film Follow, a project they will also produce.

Diego BonetaFor Amazon Studios, the project hails from award-winning collaborators Fred Berger and Brian Kavanaugh-Jones and Piano’s Julio Chavezmontes and Gabriela Maire.

This is the first project from Boneta’s production banner Three Amigos’ overall deal with Amazon Prime.

Gonzalo Tobal will direct the film from a screenplay by Hipatia Argüero Mendoza. The film – in collaboration with Range Media Partners, Piano and Three Amigos – is set to begin filming in late January.

The film follows Sebastián (Boneta) a young, handsome and incredibly charming guy with an impeccable sense of style. He has used these weapons to become a master scammer, who preys on some of the richest and most famous women in Mexico. Alongside his faithful henchman Maclo (Alejandro Speitzer), Sebastián carries out his plans with great cunning. Before he can put an end to his bright career as a scammer, Carolina (Higareda), an enigmatic woman crosses his path. Captivated by her, Sebastian puts his retirement plans on hold to carry out one last scam.

Follow also stars Ofelia Medina (El sueño de ayer), Alberto Guerra (Griselda), Stephanie Sigman (Murder City) and Regina Nava (Pacto de Sangre).

Follow has been a true passion project and I cannot wait to bring this iconic sexual thriller to life. As the first Three Amigos production through our Amazon deal, working with the entire Amazon team has been an absolute pleasure. We really built an incredible family of talented individuals that have made this movie possible. From our brilliant writer Hipatia Argüero, our irreplaceable producing partners Fred Berger and Julio Chavezmontes, to our captain and director Gonzalo Tobal. I cannot think of a better group of filmmakers to have on this project,” Boneta said in a statement.

Higareda added, “Having produced many comedy films, I was looking to explore a different angle on storytelling that can also be very appealing to the audiences while diving deeper into substance, and we trust that Follow will do both.”

Follow is a love letter to the golden era of erotic thrillers in the 90s, rejuvenated with the most seductive stars of our generation including Boneta, Higareda, Speitzer, Guerra and Sigman, not forgetting the cinematic icon that Ofelia Medina represents. With the experienced guidance of Julio Chavezmontes, Fred Berger, Josh Glick, Natalia Boneta, and the pen of Hipatia Argüero, we are eager to begin and share this exciting story with the world,” said Alonso Aguilar, Head of Prime Video for Original Productions in Mexico.

Boneta’s credits include Luis Miguel: The Series, At Midnight, Rock of Ages and Father of the Bride.

Xolo Maridueña to Star in the Eif Rivera-Directed Film “Killing Castro”

Xolo Maridueña is killin’ it in Hollywood 

The 22-year-old Mexican, Cuban and Ecuadorian American actor and Blue Beetle star will star in the film Killing Castro.

Xolo MaridueñaEif Rivera will direct the film from a script by Leon Hendrix, Thomas DeGrezia and Colin Bateman. This will be Rivera’s first feature film.

In addition to Maridueña, who rose to acclaim in Cobra Kai, will star alongside

Al Pacino, Mexican superstar Diego Boneta, KiKi Layne, Alexander Ludwig, Ron Livingston, Kendrick Sampson, Nicole Beharie, Logan Marshall Green and Titus Welliver in the film.

Based on true events, the film is set in 1960. Shortly after winning the Cuban revolution, Fidel Castro travels to New York City to deliver his first speech to the United Nations. When met with hostility at his original hotel, Castro meets Malcolm X who invites him to stay at famed Hotel Theresa in Harlem. With the eyes of the world watching, a rookie undercover FBI agent originally assigned to investigate Malcolm X suddenly becomes the FBI’s most valuable asset, and is tasked with keeping Castro from being eliminated by the CIA and the Italian mafia, by any means necessary.

Killing Castro will be produced by Romulus Entertainment’s Brad Feinstein, along with Christina Weiss Lurie of Fourth and Twenty-Eight Films. Romulus will also finance. Principal photography will take place in Newark, NJ.

“I am honored to be part of telling such an important story that is a piece of history which was largely unknown,” said Feinstein. “Killing Castro perfectly encapsulates the type of stories we strive to tell at Romulus Entertainment, stories that do more than entertain audiences, but create thought-provoking diverse content that bring to light the complexities of real life. We are looking forward to working with the incredible cast led by the inimitable Eif Rivera.”

Rivera is known for directing BMF, and TV shows including Force and Power Book III: Raising Kanan.

“I am excited to bring to life this compelling true story with the help of my remarkable cast and formidable producing team at Romulus Entertainment,” Rivera said.

Giovanni M. Porta Signs with Range Media Partners

Giovanni M. Porta is expanding his range

The Latino screenwriter and producer has signed with Range Media Partners.

Giovanni M. PortaPorta’s first produced project, At Midnight, premiered on Paramount+ in February.

The Mexican rom-com directed by Jonah Feingold tells the story of two people who do their best not to fall in love. The film centers on hotel manager Alejandro (Diego Boneta), who lives a predictable life according to plan, and Sophie (Monica Barbaro), a beautiful rising movie star with an unreliable celebrity boyfriend. During a visit to Mexico’s beach to shoot scenes for her new movie, Super Society, Sophie meets and becomes enamored with Alejandro. Neither of them will be able to avoid falling in love and going against all odds.

Porta wrote the script with Feingold and Maria Hinojosa and also served as co-executive producer.

He currently has further projects in development with Paramount+, as well as such notable producers as Platinum Dunes, Mandalay Pictures, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones and Karen Rosenfelt.

Porta previously penned the biopic Hedy, on the Old Hollywood starlet Hedy Lamarr, which Amazon Studios awarded Best Screenplay, as part of the Athena’s List screenwriting competition in 2019.

The Pepperdine University grad was born and raised in both Miami, Florida and Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

Range Media Partners is a management and production company, founded in September of 2020, with clientele spanning film, television, music, literary, tech and activism.

Diego Boneta Starring in the Paramount+ Romantic Comedy “At Midnight”

The clock is ticking for Diego Boneta

The 32-year-old Mexican actor and Luis Miguel: La Series star is starring in the Paramount+ romantic comedy At Midnight, which will premiere on February 10.

Diego Boneta“You won’t hear me sing but you’ll see me dance with my co-star Monica Barbaro,” says Boneta. “We wanted to do something different. Luis Miguel was a big part of my life these past 5 years and it was an amazing experience, At Midnight is its own thing. It’s a love letter to Mexico, as well. There aren’t enough rom-coms shot there in the same vein as Vicky Cristina Barcelona and Midnight in Paris. Mexico is a character in this film and you’ll see it through the eyes of our director Jonah (Feingold).”

At Midnight centers around Alejandro (Boneta), an ambitious hotel manager, and Sophie (Barbaro) a movie star navigating the politics of Hollywood. He’s focused on opening his own boutique hotel. She’s trying to focus on shooting her new superhero film Super Society 3, in hopes of getting her own spinoff, but catches her co-star (and boyfriend!) Adam (Anders Holm) cheating. Fate strikes when the shoot brings them all to Alejandro’s hotel in Mexico.

Barbaro, who is fresh off her role in Top Gun: Maverick, shared what a great time she had in Mexico City where her family hails from. She also revealed what attracted her the most to the project—celebrating the beauty of Mexico.

“The Diego introduction to Mexico City means you go to the best of the best restaurants. Even if no tables are available, they will make room for Diego. The experience was a whole different thing, not in a bad way. That was a lot of fun” she laughed.

“I was always very aware of how Mexico is represented [in media] like it’s a desert wasteland, which is not the case,” she added. “That should be obvious, but it really isn’t to some people. Mexico City is truly a city and it feels just like New York City does. Every city has its own personality. That’s one of the reasons I was really drawn to this project. Representing Mexico City in a way that a local would and highlighting it as it actually is and not some Hollywood idea of what it is.”

Diego Boneta to Star in Rom-Com Musical Podcast “Cupid”

Diego Boneta is joining a new pod(cast)…

The 31-year-old Mexican actor, singer and Luis Miguel: The Series star has signed on to star opposite Naomi Ackie and Rupert Friend in the rom-com musical podcast series Cupid.

Diego BonetaThe QCode production is being written and directed by Katy Cavanagh-Jupe.

Premiering summer 2022, the seven-episode piece will feature original music performed by its lead cast.

Also producing are Cavanagh-Jupe’s production company, Double Garage Films, and Boneta’s production company, Three Amigos.

The modern love story is inspired by Greek mythology. When Aphrodite’s love potion goes missing on Earth, Cupid is held responsible. Zeus strips him of his immortal powers, giving him seven days to find and return the love potion. If Cupid fails, he’ll be condemned for eternity to his father Ares’ brutal bootcamp. With help from a boy on a scooter and a quirky florist called Rose, Cupid embarks upon an epic quest to unmask the real thief and restore the stolen potion safely back to Olympus.

The podcast marks the second series from QCode to feature original music, following last year’s Electric Easy.

Diego Boneta Signs Overall Deal with Prime Video

Diego Boneta is bringing his amigos to Amazon Prime Video

The 31-year-old Mexican actor, singer and producer and his production company Three Amigos have signed an overall deal with Prime Video.

Diego BonetaAs part of the deal, Boneta will produce and star in a full slate of shows in development while also creating movies, series, and reality shows coming to the streaming service beginning in 2023.

All new productions launched as part of this partnership will join Prime Video’s growing slate of Mexican Amazon Originals, along with the thousands of television shows and movies from Hollywood and around the world in the Prime Video catalog.

“We are excited to expand our relationship with Diego Boneta and the entire Three Amigos team,” said Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios, in a statement to Deadline. “We can’t wait for our customers to see what’s in store from Diego and Three Amigos as we work to bring compelling new content to Prime Video’s audiences across Mexico and all around the world.”

“As a leading streaming service, Prime Video empowers the incredible creators we work with, and we could not be more excited to begin building new stories with Diego and his team,” said Alonso Aguilar, head of local Amazon Originals, Prime Video Mexico.

Boneta most recently wrapped a successful three-season run on the Telemundo/Netflix bio-series Luis Miguel: The Series, portraying the titular multi-Grammy-winning singer.

He also appeared in Rebelde90210Pretty Little Liars, Underemployed and Scream Queens.

His feature film debut was in 2012’s Rock of Ages from Adam Shankman. Other big-screen credits include The TitanTerminator: Dark FateLove, Weddings, & Other Disasters, and Die in a Gunfight.

Up next, Boneta will star opposite Andy Garcia, Gloria Estefan, Isabela Merced, and Adria Arjona in The Father of the Bride by director Gaz Alazraki. The film premieres on June 16, 2022.

Becky G to Launch New Facebook Watch Series “Face to Face with Becky G” This Week

Becky G putting her best (face to) face forward…

This week, the 24-year-old Mexican American singer/rapper will launch her very own Facebook Watch show, Face to Face with Becky G.

Becky G

“Where I come from means everything to me. Join me and special guests for my new talk show as we tackle the most pressing topics within our community face to face,” Becky G said in the official trailer for the show. “We are celebrating who we are, no matter where we come from or how we identify.”

The first episode of Face to Face with Becky G, which is set to premiere on Tuesday, November 9, will feature Demi Lovato. The two will be engaging in a conversation about what it means to be non-binary, about their personal journey with self-discovery and what it means to live an authentic life. Fans watching the premiere can also expect the two singers to open up about dramatic moments in their life and what it was like for them growing up in the spotlight.

Other guests on Becky’s Facebook Watch show will include Diego BonetaIsabela Merced, Anthony RamosMickey Guyton, Tinashe, Rome Flynn, Chiquis, Manny MUAAngel MerinoChristen Dominique and Sofia Reyes, where they will discuss everything from the evolution of Latinx representation in media to colorism within the Latinx community.

The first episode of Face to Face with Becky G will premiere on Tuesday at 9:00 am PT/12:00 pm ET on Facebook Watch. There are 10 episodes of the show, which will debut weekly on Facebook Watch.