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

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.

Victoria Cartagena

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.

Arciniega to Star in DirecTV’s Anthology Drama “Full Circle”

Max Arciniega’s career is coming Full Circle.

The Latino actor has joined the Season 3 cast of DirecTV’s anthology drama Full Circle.

Max Arciniega

Others rounding out the cast include Harold Perrineau, Christopher Gorham, Bob Stephenson, Raymond Cruz, Laura San Giacomo and Graham Beckel.

They join previously announced Dougray Scott, Kim Raver and Mariana Klaveno in the 10-episode season set to premiere in 2016. It will air on Audience Network on both DirecTV and AT&T U-verse.

The third season, Full Circle: Miami, revolves around a dramatic political conspiracy that unfolds inside a posh Miami hotel, where charismatic Senator Davis Faulkner (Scott) — who also is the front-runner to become the next President of the United States — finds himself entangled in a scandal that threatens to derail his campaign and destroy his life. His wife Madeline Faulkner (Raver) is a preacher’s daughter who always has been his rock, standing by his side amid all his prior indiscretions, specifically when it came to an affair with a prostitute named Angela Mancarlo (Klaveno).

Throughout the series we are introduced to the people who populate this political web, including Rick D’Andres (Gorham), Faulkner’s loyal Secret Service agent; Damon Houserman (Perrineau), his trusted campaign manager; Elena Medina (San Giacomo), a down-on-her-luck reporter; Sidney Waverly (Stephenson), a hard-nosed FBI agent; Alex Hidell (Arciniega), an innocent hotel staff member caught in the crosshairs; and Isaac Dellahunt (Beckel), the Senate Majority Leader and former head of the CIA, who is working with Federico Sturgis (Cruz), a former associate who also has his hands in organized crime with intent to bring down the Sen. Davis Faulkner.

Jorge Zamacona wrote Full Circle: Miami and will serve as executive producer. Nick Hamm (Rogue) is set to direct and produce.

Peña to Star in the Demonic Thriller “The Vatican Tapes”

Michael Peña is headed to the priesthood…

The 37-year-old Mexican American actor has joined the cast of Lakeshore Entertainment and Lionsgate’s The Vatican Tapes.

Michael Pena

Peña, who earned a Spirit Award nomination for his performance in the police drama End of Watch, will portray Father Lozano in the demonic thriller directed by Mark Neveldine.

Filming is expected to begin next month with Djimon Hounsou, Dougray Scott, Kathleen Robertson, Peter Andersson, John Patrick Amedori, Alex Sparrow and Olivia Dudley part of the cast.

Dudley plays a twentysomething who seems to cause death and destruction to those around her. Peña’s character is the local priest who first tries to help.

It’s the latest project for Peña, who will next appear in DreamWorks Animation’s Turbo.

He recently signed on to star in David O. Russell’s next film alongside Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner and Jennifer Lawrence.