Stephanie Beatriz to Star in Peacock’s Live-Action Film Adaptation of “Twisted Metal” Video Game

Stephanie Beatriz is getting things twisted

The 41-year-old Colombian and Bolivian American actress will star in Peacock’s Twisted Metal, the live-action video game adaptation starring Anthony Mackie.

Stephanie BeatrizBeatriz will play the character of Quiet, a ferocious, badass car thief who acts purely on instinct – you couldn’t stop her any more than a manhole could stop a volcano. Coming from a community that oppressed her into silence, Quiet’s wish is to find her place in this dark, chaotic world. But when she becomes clouded by her need for revenge, Quiet forms an unlikely, antagonistic bond with John Doe (Mackie).

From Cobra Kai writer Michael Jonathan SmithTwisted Metal is a half-hour, high-octane action comedy, based on an original take by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick about a motor-mouthed outsider offered a chance at a better life, but only if he can successfully deliver a mysterious package across a post-apocalyptic wasteland. With the help of a trigger-happy car thief, he’ll face savage marauders driving vehicles of destruction and other dangers of the open road, including a deranged clown who drives an all too familiar ice cream truck.

Alongside Mackie and showrunner Smith, executive producers also include Kitao Sakurai—who will also direct multiple episodes—Reese, Wernick, Will Arnett, and Marc Forman via their Electric Avenue production company, Jason Spire of Inspire Entertainment, Peter Principato of Artists First, Asad Qizilbash, and Carter Swan from PlayStation Productions, Hermen Hulst, Head of PlayStation Studios.

The series is co-produced by Sony Pictures Television, PlayStation Productions, and Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group.

Beatriz most recently made a splash as the voice of Mirabel in Disney’s Encanto. Prior to that, she starred in Matthew Dunster’s hit theatrical production 2:22 on London’s West End and also played Carla in the Warner Bros. film adaptation of Lin Manuel Miranda’s musical In The Heights.

Beatriz is best known for playing fan-favorite Detective Rosa Diaz in the NBC comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine throughout the show’s eight-season run.

Disney’s Onyx Collective Orders Don Francisco’s Limited U.S. Latino History-Themed Docuseries “Gigante”

Don Francisco is bringing a gigantic Latin immigrant-themed project to life…

Disney’s Onyx Collective has ordered the four-part limited docuseries Gigante from the 81-year-old Chilean television host (real name: Mario Kreutzberger) and Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado filmmakers Alex Fumero and Kareem Tabsch.

Don FranciscoGigante will be streamed exclusively on Hulu in the U.S., Star+ in Latin America, and Disney+ in all other territories at a future date.

Spanning through four distinct eras in U.S. Latino history, Gigante tells the story of how immigrants from different Latin American countries created a tenuous alliance that would come to harness the social capital, economic prowess, and political influence that forever changed the United States. With the unfettered participation of Don Francisco, access to 53 years of Sabado Gigante archives, and interviews with A-list celebrities, Gigante explores how the longest-running variety show in the history of television helped shape a new demographic and became a political force.

“To say we are enthusiastic about this project would be an understatement,” said Jihan Robinson, vice president of Nonfiction, Onyx and Freeform. “Don Francisco and this series played such a huge role in the lives of the Latinx community and have left a lasting impact on this country. We are thrilled it has found a home with Onyx and to continue the Sabado Gigante legacy.”

Emmy Award-winner Don Francisco is the creator and star of Sabado Gigante, the iconic Spanish-language game show that ran for 53 seasons on Univision earning the Guinness World Record for longest-running variety program.

“I’m at a time in my life where it is more interesting looking backward,” shared Don Francisco. “Where I have the full perspective of not only my 60 years as a professional but also where I’m able to fully analyze Don Francisco and Sabado Gigante’s record-breaking run and what it meant to so many people. I’m beyond happy to have the opportunity to tell the story with this amazing team and thankful to Onyx for helping us bring our show to a brand new audience.”

Tabsch serves as executive producer and director alongside Fumero, who serves as executive producer and showrunner under their Trojan Horse banner. The series is a Foton.Pictures production. The concept was conceived by Fumero and Tabsch.

“Hispanics. Latinos. Latinx. Whatever you may call us or whatever we may call ourselves, so few people understand who we are and where we came from — including us,” Tabsch shared. “Gigante is the definitive Latino origin story told through the lens of Sabado Gigante, one of the most beloved programs in the Spanish-speaking world and a staple in all our homes. The series will tell how a Chilean Jewish immigrant in Miami managed to shape the way that millions of other immigrants from dozens of nationalities across the Western Hemisphere identified themselves, bringing us all closer together and forever changing the face of the United States and Latin America in the process.”

“This is an extremely personal project for us and is very much part of our DNA as a company,” adds Carlos Enrique Cuscó, CEO of Foton.Pictures. “Bringing impactful and relevant stories to the foreground with such hugely talented creative partners like Kareem and Alex is the reason we got into this business. To now partner with Onyx Collective and get the opportunity to share our story as Latinos, with the participation of Don Francisco, is a dream come true. We could not be more honored to be producing this ambitious project with Onyx Collective and Trojan Horse.”

Altitude Film Sales Acquires Worldwide Sales Rights to Carolina Gaitán’s Survival Thriller “Quicksand”

Carolina Gaitán could be heading to a theater near you…

Altitude Film Sales has boarded worldwide sales rights to the high-concept survival thriller Quicksand, starring the 38-year-old Colombian actress and singer, and will introduce first footage to buyers at Cannes next week.

Carolina Gaitán, QuicksandThe U.S.-Colombia co-production recently completed shooting in Bogota and is now in post-production.

The contained thriller, which is reportedly in the vein of The Shallows and 127 Hours, follows an American couple, on the brink of divorce, who travel to Colombia for a work conference. While on a hike through the rainforest, a storm causes them to become trapped in a pit of quicksand. Unable to move, it becomes a struggle for survival as they battle the elements of the jungle and a venomous snake, in order to escape.

Andrés Beltrán directed the film, which was written by Matt Pitts. The project is produced by Las Vegas-based production company Sangre Films, which is a joint venture between Colombian outfit Elemental Stories and U.S. companies 222 Pictures and Dawn’s Light Movies.

Mike Runagall of genre specialist Altitude noted: “We are thrilled to be bringing this fiendishly entertaining thrill ride to buyers and look forward to sharing the impressive first footage with them in Cannes.”

Gaitán, who voiced Pepa in Disney’s Encanto, leadsthe cast. Gaitán, whose credits also include Narcos, stars alongside Allan Hawco in the English-language movie.

Gaitán recently performed We Don’t Talk About Bruno live at the Academy Awards alongside her Encanto cast.

Hulu Releases Trailer for Eugenio Derbez’s “The Valet”

Eugenio Derbez is taking the keys this month…

Hulu has released the trailer for its original film The Valet, starring the  60-year-old Mexican actor, comedian and filmmaker and Samara Weaving, which will premiere globally across Disney’s streaming services on May 20.

Eugenio Derbez, The ValetIn The Valet, world famous movie star Olivia (Weaving) faces a PR disaster when a paparazzi snaps a photo of her with her married lover, Vincent (Max Greenfield). The hard-working valet Antonio (Derbez) accidentally appears in the same photo and is enlisted to pose as Olivia’s new boyfriend as a cover-up. This ruse with Olivia thrusts Antonio into the spotlight and unexpected chaos. In this fish out of water romantic comedy, two worlds and cultures collide as both Olivia and Antonio start to see themselves more clearly than ever before.

The Valet is an English-language remake of the hit 2006 French film of the same name.

It also stars Betsy BrandtCarmen Salinas Lozano, Amaury Nolasco, Marisol Nichols, Diany Rodriguez, Tiana Okoye, John Pirruccello, Ravi Patel, Noemí González and Lunay.

Richard Wong directed from a script by Rob Greenberg and Bob Fisher, with Derbez and Ben Odell producing for 3Pas Studios.

Germaine Franco Wins ASCAP Composers’ Choice Award for “Encanto” Score

Germaine Franco is encantada

The Mexican American film composer, conductor, songwriter, arranger, record producer, and percussionist’s Oscar-nominated score for the acclaimed Disney/Pixar film Encanto has claimed the ASCAP Composers’ Choice Awards’ film score of the year honors at the 2022 ASCAP Screen Music Awards.

Germaine FrancoCristobal Tapia de Veer proved to be the big winner on the television front…

The Chilean-born Canadian film and television score composer, arranger, producer and multi-instrumentalist’s work for HBO Max’s series The White Lotus took home two Composers’ Choice awards for television score of the year and television theme of the year.

Honorees for the top rated television series category, which honor composers and songwriters for their themes and underscore from the highest rated series during calendar year 2021, include Josefina Severino and Carmenza Gomez for Café Con Aroma De Mujer, and Gil Novelo, Jorge Tena Martínez Vara, Jorge Jurado and John Sereda for the Mexican telenovela La Desalmada.

Winners for the Composers’ Choice Awards are voted upon by the ASCAP composer and songwriter community.

The awards were held virtually once again and started at noon E.T. on Monday, May 2.

The complete list of winners is available on the ASCAP website.

Ramón Rodríguez to Star in ABC’s Drama Pilot “Will Trent”

Ramón Rodríguez has found a new will to thrive…

The 42-year-old Puerto Rican actor has been cast in the lead role of ABC’s drama pilot Will Trent, which now has been officially cleared for production.

Ramon RodriguezRodriguez will also be a producer on the project, which hails from 20th Television.

Rodríguez was approached just a couple of weeks after the series had received a cast-contingent pilot order in early February. Trent’s casting, which comes after lengthy negotiations, removes that contingency.

Rodríguez most recently starred opposite Aubrey Plaza and served as producer on the Hulu pilot Olga Dies Dreaming, which isn’t moving forward.

In Will Trent, written by Liz Heldens and Dan Thomsen based on Karin Slaughter’s bestselling book series, Special Agent Will Trent (Rodríguez) of the Georgia Bureau of Investigations was abandoned at birth and endured a harsh coming-of-age in Atlanta’s overwhelmed foster care system. But now, determined to use his unique point of view to make sure no one is abandoned like he was, Trent has the highest clearance rate in the GBI.

Rodríguez’s Will Trent is a gifted GBI agent and a loner within the law-enforcement community who hides the severe dyslexia that went untreated during his traumatic childhood in foster care. But with the Bureau’s best clearance rate, he couldn’t care less if people don’t like him.

Heldens and Thomsen executive produce along with Slaughter and 3 ArtsOly Obst.

Rodríguez’s television series credits include Showtime’s The Affair and Netflix/Marvel’s Iron Fist and The Defenders. In features, he next will be seen starring in the horror film Lullaby from Annabelle director John R. Leonetti. He recently starred in Disney’s The One and Only Ivan alongside Bryan Cranston.

Hulu Releases First Look Photos of Eugenio Derbez’s “The Valet”

Eugenio Derbez is on valet duty…

Hulu has released the first photos from its original film The Valet, starring the 60-year-old Mexican actor, comedian and filmmaker and Samara Weaving, which will premiere globally across Disney’s streaming services on May 20th.

The ValetEugenio Derbez, The Valet

Eugenio Derbez, The ValetIn The Valet, world famous movie star Olivia (Weaving) faces a public relations disaster when a paparazzi snaps a photo of her with her married lover, Vincent (Max Greenfield). The hard-working valet Antonio (Derbez) accidentally appears in the same photo and is enlisted to pose as Olivia’s new boyfriend as a cover-up. This ruse with Olivia thrusts Antonio into the spotlight and unexpected chaos. In this fish out of water romantic comedy, two worlds and cultures collide as both Olivia and Antonio start to see themselves more clearly than ever before.

The Valet is an English-language remake of the hit 2006 French film of the same name.

The remake also stars Betsy BrandtCarmen Salinas Lozano, Amaury Nolasco, Marisol Nichols, Diany Rodriguez, Tiana Okoye, John Pirruccello, Ravi Patel, Noemí González and Lunay.

Richard Wong directed from a script by Rob Greenberg and Bob Fisher, with Derbez and Ben Odell producing for 3Pas Studios.

Jessica Alba to Star In & Executive Produce Netflix’s Film Adaptation of “Confessions on the 7:45” Novel

Jessica Alba is headed to the confessional

The 40-year-old half-Mexican American actress and entrepreneur will executive produce and headline a series based on Lisa Unger’s international bestseller Confessions on the 7:45, currently in development at Netflix.

Jessica AlbaCharise Castro Smith, co-writer and co-director of Disney’s Oscar-winning amimated film Encanto, is attached to adapt Unger’s novel. She’ll also serve as showrunner and executive produces with Alba and 3 ArtsMichael Rotenberg and Oly Obst.

Confessions on the 7:45 is a psychological thriller in which a working mom (Alba) meets a stranger on a train as she’s commuting home who upends her life. As her life unravels and betrayals are revealed, she questions whether we can ever truly know the people closest to us.

Alba, a working mom herself, had a strong reaction when she read Confessions on the 7:45, leading to her involvement in the project.

“I could not put this book down. The moment I read the line, ‘If you want to keep a secret you must first hide it from yourself,’ I was hooked,” Alba said. “This book is about trying to bury secrets and the shame we carry until the truth exposes us. I can’t think of a more exciting person to partner with on this project. Charise is so ridiculously talented and truly gets every nuance under the skin of these characters and their web of lies.”

This would mark the second project Alba is starring in and executive producing for Netflix.

She also has the upcoming action thriller Trigger Warning. In the movie directed by Mouly Surya and produced by Thunder Road, Alba plays an active-duty Special Forces officer who takes ownership of her grandfather’s property after his sudden death.

Alba, a Golden Globe-nominated actress, advocate, bestselling author and founder of The Honest Company, has made more than 25 feature films that have earned a combined box office total of $800 million-plus, including Fantastic Four and Sin City.

In television, she and Gabrielle Union recently headlined and executive produced the action drama series, L.A.’s Finest, which has performed well on Netflix following its original run on Spectrum and Fox.

Alba is also the author of the New York Times bestselling book The Honest Life and co-author of A Bear to Share.

Talisa Garcia Makes History as First Openly Trans Actor Cast in a Lucasfilm Production

Talisa Garcia is making LGBTQ+ entertainment history…

The Chilean-born British actress has been cast in the highly anticipated Disney+ series Willow, marking the first known occasion an openly trans actor has been cast in a production from Disney-owned Lucasfilm, home to the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises.

Talisa GarciaIn the television spinoff of the 1980s fantasy classic, which is now in post-production, a princess assembles a party to join her on a quest to rescue her twin brother.

Garcia is playing a queen and the mother to Tony Revolori’s character who takes part in the quest. Garcia’s role is a small speaking part and the actress may ultimately only appear in one episode.

The casting also marks the first known time a trans actor has portrayed a cis character in a Disney+ film or series.

During the shoot, there were reports of great pride and support among many of Garcia’s colleagues about her casting.

Garcia was cast in the project long before the storm developed surrounding Disney’s response to the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill and new wave of concerns emerged about on-screen representation in Disney productions.

The studio has been under fire in recent weeks for its response to the controversial Florida legislation, which bans teachers from giving lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity to children under the age of nine.

The studio’s initial silence surrounding the bill angered and frustrated many staff who took it as a slight to the LGBTQ+ community and saw it as an example of the House of Mouse not doing enough to support diversity, something critics also believe the studio could do more of on screen. Marvel Studios executive Victoria Alonso was among those to voice criticism at the recent GLAAD Media awards.

Last year, Raya And The Last Dragon actress Patti Harrison became the first known trans actor to voice a character in a Disney animated movie. In 2019, SpiderMan’s Zach Barack became Marvel Studios’ first transgender actor. More recently, non-binary trans actor iris menas portrayed Anybodys in 20th Century Studios’ West Side Story reboot. Meanwhile, there have been reports online in recent days that Disney+ series Ironheart is looking to recruit a trans actress.

In 2021, Chloe Zhao’s film Eternals featured the first-ever gay superhero in a MCU movie – with Brian Tyree Henry taking on the role of Eternal and inventor Phastos. Lauren Ridloff also starred in the feature film – making history as the first deaf actor ever to play a superhero in a studio feature film.

Garcia is best known for BBC crime-thriller Baptiste.

Her other credits include Starz!’s The Girlfriend Experience and TBSMiracle Workers.

Victor Rasuk to Appear in Disney’s Onyx Collective Series “Reasonable Doubt”

Victor Rasuk’s latest project is in (Reasonable) Doubt

The 38-year-old Dominican American actor, who previously starred in The Baker and the Beauty, has landed a recurring role in Disney’s Onyx Collective series Reasonable Doubt to stream on Hulu.

Victor Rasuk

Rasuk will be joined by fellow cast newcomers Christopher Cassarino, Brooke Lyons and Eugene Byrd.

Emayatzy Corinealdi stars in the legal drama, which hails from writer/executive producer Raamla Mohamed; executive producer Kerry Washington, who will direct the first episode; and ABC Signature.

In Reasonable Doubt, you’ll judge Jax Stewart (Corinealdi) for her questionable ethics and wild interpretations of the law… until you’re the one in trouble. Then you’ll see her for what she is: the most brilliant and fearless defense attorney in Los Angeles who bucks the justice system at every chance she gets.

Rasuk plays Mike Llanas, an overzealous D.A., a man who lives and dies for his work. He and Jax went to law school together and have a history as rivals.

Cassarino will play Rich, an attorney at the same firm where Jax works, dealing mostly with contracts and litigation. He clashes with Jax during a huge case during the season.

Rasuk played the series lead in ABC’s The Baker and the Beauty, which is currently streaming on Netflix. He’s also known for his work as the lead on HBO’s How to Make it in America and has appeared on series including ER, Stalker, Colony, Blue Bloods and Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan.