David Castañeda to Star in Lionsgate’s Female-Driven “John Wick” Spinoff “Ballerina”

Posted on March 9, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

David Castañeda is arabesque-ing his way into a new role…

The 34-year-old Mexican American actor will star in Lionsgate’s female-driven John Wick spinoff Ballerina amid reshoots abroad.

Castañeda’s casting comesas word has emerged of a Wick series in the works.

Ballerina watches as a young female assassin (Ana de Armas) trained in the traditions of the Ruska Roma seeks revenge against the people who killed her family — as did Wick against those who have done him wrong, in films released between 2014 and 2019. After signing a new deal with Lionsgate expanding his oversight of the John Wick franchise, of which he was the architect, Chad Stahelski is working with Ballerina helmer Len Wiseman to shape new action sequences for the film.

Written by Shay Hatten, based on characters created by Derek Kolstad, the film will also star Anjelica Huston, Gabriel Byrne, the late Lance Reddick, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Norman Reedus, Ian McShane, and Keanu Reeves.

The film is now slated for release on June 6, 2025 after being delayed recently by a year.

Castañeda stars opposite Tom Hopper, Elliot Page and more on Netflix’s hit series The Umbrella Academy, which returns for its fourth and final season on August 8th.

Recently seen opposite Natasha Lyonne and Joseph Gordon-Levitt on Peacock’s Poker Face, the actor prior to that appeared in Antoine Fuqua’s Netflix film The Guilty starring Jake Gyllenhaal. Other notable film credits include Sicario: Day of the Soldado and End of Watch.

Maurice Compte Signs with Zero Gravity Management for Representation

Posted on February 2, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Maurice Compte has zeroed in on new representation…

Zero Gravity Management has signed the Cuban-American actor-producer.

Compte is best known for portraying Pablo Escobar’s nemesis, Colonel Horacio Carillo, in the first two seasons of Netflix’s Narcos.

His other major credits include his villainous turn opposite Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña in David Ayer’s police actioner End of Watch, and the STXfilms crime drama, Den of Thieves, in which he appeared alongside Gerard Butler.

Compte currently appears as Detective Mike Duarte on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and has also been seen on such notable series as Mayans M.C., Breaking Bad, Power and From Dusk Till Dawn, among others.

Other notable film credits include Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Ayer’s DEA crime pic, Sabotage.

As a burgeoning producer, Compte’s goal is to spotlight elevated and visceral stories with authentic cultural underpinnings. He is currently a co-executive producer on Hotel Cocaine — an upcoming crime drama from Narcos creator Chris Brancato that’s headed to MGM+. The show tells the story of Miami’s infamous Hotel Mutiny, where Compte’s father Roman was general manager during the drug-fueled 1980s.

David Castañeda to Star in Peacock’s Drama Series “Poker Face”

Posted on April 15, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

David Castañeda has a real poker face…

The 32-year-old Mexican American actor has joined the cast of Natasha Lyonne and Rian Johnson series Poker Face at Peacock.

Lyonne will lead the drama series, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Stephanie Hsu also set to appear along with Castañeda.

Plot and character details for the series are being kept largely under wraps, though sources say the series will follow a procedural format and see Lyonne’s character working to solve different murders in each episode.

Poker Face received a 10-episode order at Peacock in March 2021. Johnson created the series and executive produces via T-Street Productions. MRC Television will produce.

Castañeda is best known for his role in the hit Netflix series The Umbrella Academy, on which he plays Diego. The third season of the series will premiere on June 22.

His other television credits include Blindspot and Southland.

He’ll next star opposite Christoph Waltz in Season 2 of the Roku series Most Dangerous Game.

He has also appeared in films like Sicario: Day of the Soldado, The Tax Collector, End of Watch and The Guilty at Netflix.

Maurice Compte Signs with APA

Posted on July 21, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Maurice Compte has new representation…

The Cuban American actor, best known for his role as tough Colombian cop Carillo on the first two seasons of Netflix’s Narcos, has signed with APA (Agency for the Performing Arts) in all areas.

Compte, who stars as Kevin on Mayans MC, has also starred as high-level drug dealer Diego on the hit Starz series Power, and a season-long arc on From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series.

He’s also appeared on Kevin Can Wait, The Last Ship, CSI, 24, Burn Notice, Lie To Me, Southland and most recently on the CW’s In The Dark.

On the film side, Compte also recently starred in Den Of Thieves opposite Gerard Butler, and appeared in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time In Hollywood.

Other feature credits include The Dream Catcher, Before Night Falls, All The Real Girls, End Of Watch and A Walk Among The Tombstones.

Bobby Soto to Star in David Ayer’s Indie Crime Thriller “Tax Collector”

Posted on June 24, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

It’s Tax Collection day for Bobby Soto…

The Latino actor is set to star in the indie crime thriller Tax Collector.

Written and directed by David Ayer, the film will also star Shia LaBeouf.

Ayer has begun pre-production on Tax Collector, which will be shot in Los Angeles.

Tax Collectorharkens back to Ayer’s earlier gritty crime thrillers Training Day(which he wrote and Antoine Fuquadirected) and End of Watch, which Ayer directed.

The plot is being kept under wraps.

Soto’s previous credits include appearances on S.W.A.T.,Generator Rex, Lie to Meand For the People, as well as a role in the film A Better Life.

Tessa Ferrer Lands Starring Role on AT&T Audience Network’s Series “Mr. Mercedes”

Posted on January 22, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

Tessa Ferrer is going into overdrive…

The 31-year-old part-Puerto Rican actress and former Grey’s Anatomy star will star as a series regular opposite Jack Huston in Season 2 of AT&T Audience Network’s breakout series Mr. Mercedes.

The second season will be based on King’s best-selling Bill Hodges Trilogy, which includes Mr. Mercedes, Finders Keepers and End of Watch.

Season 1 followed a demented killer Brady Hartsfield (Harry Treadaway) who taunts a retired police detective Bill Hodges (Brendan Gleeson) with a series of lurid letters and emails, forcing the ex-cop to undertake a private, and potentially felonious, crusade to bring the killer to justice before he is able to strike again.

Ferrer will play Cora Babineau, wife of Dr. Felix Babineau (Huston) and head of marketing at a major pharmaceutical corporation, who’s even more ambitious than she is beautiful. If her husband has a genius for manipulating people from the inside out as he reaches into their brains and rewires them, Cora has a genius for influencing people from the outside in. Her beauty, brains and force of will, judiciously softened with poise and extreme charm, make her a formidable saleswoman, of whatever she’s peddling.

Ferrer is onscreen in Blumhouse’s Insidious 4: The Last Key. On television, she played the series regular role of Leah Murphy on Grey’s Anatomy and recurred on CBS’ Extant and FXX’s You’re the Worst.

Production begins next month in Charleston, SC, on the Sonar Entertainment-produced Stephen King adaptation.

Season 2 of Mr. Mercedes will air this summer on AT&T Audience Network.

Maximiliano Hernandez Cast In AT&T Audience Network’s Hit Series “Mr. Mercedes”

Posted on January 14, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

Maximiliano Hernandez is ready to prosecute…

The 44-year-old Latino actor has joined the cast of AT&T Audience Network’s breakout series Mr. Mercedes.

Production begins next month in Charleston, South Carolina on the Sonar Entertainment-produced Stephen King adaptation for premiere this summer on DirecTV, AT&T U-verse and DirecTV Now.

The second season will be based on King’s best-selling Bill Hodges Trilogy, which includes, Mr. Mercedes, Finders Keepers and End of Watch.

Hernandez will portray Assistant DA Antonio Montez.

Hernandez joins returning cast members Jharrel Jerome as Jerome Robinson, Scott Lawrence as Detective Peter Dixon, Breeda Wool as Lou Linklatter, Justine Lupe as Holly Gibney and Holland Taylor as Ida Silver.

David E. Kelley and Dennis Lehane (Mystic River, The Drop, Live by Night) will be leading the season 2 writers room. Jack Bender will return to direct 8 of 10 episodes.

Hernandez is best known for his roles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and in the first season of The Americans.

Cabral Returning for Season 3 of ABC’s “American Crime”

Posted on July 9, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Richard Cabral isn’t leaving his Crime family…

The Mexican American actor has joined Felicity Huffman and Regina King as the third cast member to sign on for the upcoming third installment of John Ridley’s acclaimed ABC anthology series American Crime.

In Season 3, the series will be set in North Carolina and will deal with labor issues, economic divides and individual rights.

American Crime earned 10 Emmy nominations for its first season, winning for King. Cabral received a supporting actor Emmy nomination for his portrayal of Hector Tontz. The series, executive produced by Ridley and Michael McDonald, is coming off a well-received second season.

Cabral’s feature work includes Ridley Scott’s The Counselor, Chris Weitz’s A Better Life and End of Watch opposite Jake Gyllenhaal, and he also had guest-starring turns on ABC’s Body of Proof and HBO’s Luck.

He’ll next be seen in Blood Father, a Taken-style action thriller directed by Jean-Francois Richet (Mesrine) and starring Mel Gibson.

Ferrera Among 683 Stars Invited to Become Members of The Academy

Posted on June 30, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

America Ferrera is joining the Academy…

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited a record 683 people to joins its ranks, including the 32-year-old Honduran American actress, more than double last year’s 322 invitees.

Best known for her Golden Globe-, Screen Actors Guild Award and Emmy-winning role on ABC’s Ugly Betty, Ferrera has also starred in several acclaimed films including Real Women Have Curves, Under the Same Moon, End of Watch, Cesar Chavez and Lords of Dogtown.

The Academy was careful to include a breakdown by gender and race, with the new list comprising of 46% women, including Girl in Progess star Eva Mendes and Fast & Furious star Michelle Rodriguez, and 41% people of color, including Luis Guzman, Oscar Isaac and Spanish director J.A. Bayona.

“We’re proud to welcome these new members to the Academy and know they view this as an opportunity and not just an invitation — a mission and not just a membership,” Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs said in a statement. “This class continues our long-term commitment to welcoming extraordinary talent reflective of those working in film today. We encourage the larger creative community to open its doors wider and create opportunities for anyone interested in working in this incredible and storied industry.”

The new invitees include 28 Oscar winners, range in age from 24 to 91 and represent 59 countries.

Other Latinos invited to join AMPAS include Enrique Castillo, Sal Lopez, Marisa Paredes, Jacob Vargas, Daphne Zuniga, Ciro Guerra and Nicole Garcia.

Check out the complete list here.

“Fury,” Starring Brad Pitt & Michael Peña, to Premiere at the BFI London Film Festival

Posted on August 13, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Michael Peña is bringing a little Fury to Londontown…

The tank drama Fury, starring Brad Pitt and the 38-year-old Mexican American actor, will rumble into the United Kingdom on October 19 for its European premiere as the closing film at the BFI London Film Festival.

No word on whether Peña will attend the festivities. But Pitt and the film’s writer and director David Ayer have been confirmed to attend the closing night gala at London’s Leicester Square, with simultaneous screenings taking place in cinemas across the UK.

“Fury is a resounding cinematic achievement,” said BFI London Film Festival Director Clare Stewart. “Rarely is a film so successful at balancing the human drama o war with such thrilling action sequences. We looking forward to welcoming LFF alumni David Ayer and Brad Pitt to London as we draw the 58th BFI London Film Festival to a monumental close.”

Ayer, whose End of Watch, which also starred Peña, screened at the festival in 2012, said it was a “great honor” to be chosen for the closing night.

“It’s a true pleasure to be returning to England, where we shot the film – the fields of Oxfordshire and Bovingdon Airfield in Hertfordshire were our home for 12 weeks last year, so it’s something of a homecoming for us to present the movie at its European premiere,” he said. “I’m thrilled that festival audiences will be among the first in Europe to see it.”

Fury sees Pitt play a battle-hardened army sergeant named Wardaddy, in command of a U.S. Sherman tank and her five-man crew on a mission behind enemy lines as the allies make their final push against Germany in 1945.

In addition to Pitt and Peña, the film also stars Shia LaBeouf, Logan Lerman, Jon Bernthal, Jason Isaacs and Scott Eastwood.

It is due for release in the U.S. on October 17, having recently been moved by Sony Pictures from a November 14 slot.

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