Miguel Cazarez Mora to Star in “The Black Phone” Sequel

Posted on December 4, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Miguel CazaMora has answered the call…

The Mexican American actor will star in the Black Phone 2, the sequel to the hit 2022 Blumhouse–Crooked Highway Production–Universal horror film. A theatrical release is set for June 27, 2025.

In addition to Mora, who in his Hollywood debut starred as Robin in The Black Phone, will be joined by Ethan Hawke, Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw and Jeremy Davies are set to return.

The first film, directed by Scott Derrickson and co-written by Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill racked up over $161M worldwide, becoming a sleeper hit in a rebounding summer last year from the Covid-19 pandemic. The film also made Deadline’s list of most profitable movies last year with an estimated net of $68M.

The duo are back penning Black Phone 2 and are producing with Blumhouse’s Jason Blum.

In the first movie, a 13-year old boy, who is abducted by a child killer in a suburban neighborhood and locked in a soundproof basement, begins to receive calls on a disconnected phone from the killer’s previous victims. Derrickson and frequent collaborator Cargill adapted from Joe Hill’s short story. Hill is an executive producer on the sequel.

Black Phone received high marks on Rotten Tomatoes with an 81% certified fresh critics score and 88% with audiences.

Pedro Almodóvar to Take Part in Toronto International Film Festival’s Conversation With… Series

Posted on August 11, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Pedro Almodóvar is preparing for a special conversation…

The 73-year-old Spanish Oscar-winning film director and screenwriter will appear as part of the Toronto International Film Festival’s Conversation With… (ICW) series for this year’s fest.

In addition to Almodovar, others taking part in the series include Hong Kong actor Andy Lau and Concrete Utopia Korean stars Lee Byung-hun and Park Seo-jun.

“TIFF’s 2023 In Conversation With… series exemplifies our belief that film can ignite perspectives and fuel transformation,” said Anita Lee, TIFF Chief Programming Officer. “We are delighted to welcome a powerhouse lineup of international iconoclasts from Spain, South Korea, and Hong Kong for film lovers of all genres.”

Almodóvar is already set to receive TIFF’s Jeff Skoll Award in Impact Media this year at the fest’s Tribute Awards. His short, Strange Way of Life, which played at Cannes, will also make its North American premiere at TIFF. Short follows the relationship between a sheriff (Ethan Hawke) and a rancher (Pedro Pascal) and their shared past.

Sony Pictures Classics to Release Pedro Almodóvar’s “Strange Way of Life” Short Film in U.S. Theaters

Posted on August 3, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Pedro Almodóvar’s latest short film will be hitting theaters in the United States this fall.

The 73-year-old Spanish Oscar-winning filmmaker’s Strange Way of Life, which had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in the spring, will arrive in theaters in New York City and Los Angeles on October 4 thanks to Sony Pictures Classics.

There will be an expansion nationwide on Oct. 6.

The short film, starring Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal, will play in theaters alongside Almodóvar’s 2020 short film, The Human Voice, starring Tilda Swinton, which was also distributed by Sony Pictures Classics. Together, the two shorts represent Almodóvar’s only English-language projects to date.

Strange Way of Life follows two gunmen who reunite after many years. In the film, a man rides a horse across the desert that separates him from Bitter Creek. He comes to visit Sheriff Jake. Twenty-five years earlier, both the sheriff and Silva, the rancher who rides out to meet him, worked together as hired gunmen. Silva visits him with the excuse of reuniting with his friend from his youth, and they do indeed celebrate their meeting, but the next morning Sheriff Jake tells him that the reason for his trip is not to go down the memory lane of their old friendship…

Produced by Almodóvar’s El Deseo and presented by Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello, Strange Way of Life, stars Pedro Casablanc, Manu Ríos, George Steane, José Condessa, Jason Fernández and Sara Sálamo. It is produced by Agustín Almodóvar, with Esther García as EP and Bárbara Peiró, Diego Pajuelo, and Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello as associate producers.

The score is composed by four-time Oscar nominee Alberto Iglesias, a regular Almodóvar collaborator who received his most recent Oscar nomination in 2022 for Almodóvar’s Paralell Mothers. All characters are costumed by Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello.

SPC has long-teamed with Almodóvar on a majority of his films, including most recently Parallel Mothers in 2021 and Pain and Glory in 2019. Sony Pictures Classics, which received two Oscar nominations each.

Pedro Pascal in Final Negotiations to Star in Paramount’s Untitled “Gladiator” Sequel

Posted on May 1, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Pedro Pascal is ready to Rome…

The 48-year-old Chilean actor is thisclose to joining the cast of the untitled Gladiator sequel for Paramount.

Pascal would join Paul Mescal, who will star as Lucius, as well as Barry Keoghan, Joseph Quinn, Connie Nielsen and Denzel Washington.

Ridley Scott is returning to direct.

Pascal’s role is unknown.

The new film follows the 2000 blockbuster Gladiator, which earned more than $460 million in worldwide box office and was nominated for 12 Oscars, winning five including Best Picture.

The role of Maximus, the Roman general-turned-gladiator, was a career-changer for Russell Crowe, not only delivering him the Best Actor Oscar but also launching him to the top of every leading-man list. Once it was made clear last year that the sequel would be Scott’s next movie, every male actor in town that fit the profile began chasing the part.

David Scarpa penned the script.

Also returning from the original film are John Mathieson (director of photography), Arthur Max (production designer) and Janty Yates (costume designer).

Paramount Pictures has dated the film for November 22, 2024.

The first film was co-production between Universal and DreamWorks, and while DreamWorks will not be involved in the sequel, Universal has the right to partner again when the project is packaged.

Pascal has been a major player following his scene-stealing role in his one season on Game of Thrones, but his star has blasted off following The Last of Us, which has become one of the most popular shows in HBO’s history. While HBO is looking to get the show up and going next year, Pascal had been weighing a number of options to shoot before jumping back in to that and the opportunity on this film was too hard to pass up.

Besides The Last of Us, which will certainly have him in award season chatter this Emmy season, he also reprised his role on the Disney+ series The Mandalorian, which just had its Season 3 finale last week.

Pascal can next be seen starring alongside Ethan Hawke in Pedro Almodovar’s short film Strange Way of Life, which will premiere at the Cannes Film Festival and will be distributed by Sony Pictures Classics this fall.

Additionally, Pascal is in Ethan Coen’s film Drive-Away Dolls, distributed by Focus Features and releasing in September. Pascal also stars in Anna Boden’s Freaky Tales, which is likely to come out later this year.

He also hosted Saturday Night Live earlier this year, earning rave reviews, and is also in contention for some Emmy love this awards season.

Sony Pictures Classics Acquires Worldwide Rights to Pedro Almodovar’s “Strange Way of Life,” Starring Pedro Pascal

Posted on April 27, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Pedro Pascal’s strange way of life will be on full display globally…

Sony Pictures Classics has acquired the worldwide rights (outside of the UK, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Spain, Italy and Latin America) to Strange Way of Life, the buzzy short film starring the Chilean actor.

The film, from Pedro Almodóvar, also stars Ethan Hawke.

The short will premiere as an official selection of the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.

The film, acquired at the pre-production phase, is slated for release this fall and will almost certainly be positioned for awards consideration, given the caliber of talent behind it.

Following two gunmen who reunite after 25 years, Strange Way of Life marks the latest in a long line of collaborations between Almodóvar and SPC, coming on the heels of the filmmaker’s first English-language project The Human Voice — a short also distributed by SPC, which starred Tilda Swinton.

Almodóvar describes the plot as follows: “A man rides a horse across the desert that separates him from Bitter Creek. He comes to visit Sheriff Jake. Twenty-five years earlier, both the sheriff and Silva, the rancher who rides out to meet him, worked together as hired gunmen. Silva visits him with the excuse of reuniting with his friend from his youth, and they do indeed celebrate their meeting, but the next morning Sheriff Jake tells him that the reason for his trip is not to go down the memory lane of their old friendship…”

Produced by Almodóvar’s El Deseo and presented by Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello, Strange Way of Life also stars Pedro Casablanc, Manu Ríos, George Steane, José Condessa, Jason Fernández and Sara Sálamo.

Agustín Almodóvar produced, with Esther García as executive producer, and Bárbara Peiró, Diego Pajuelo and Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello as associate producers.

Four-time Oscar nom and regular Almodóvar collaborator Alberto Iglesias penned the score, with Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello handling the costumes.

Pedro Almodóvar’s Short Film “Strange Way of Life” to World Premiere at Cannes Film Festival

Posted on April 11, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Pedro Almodóvar’s latest project is headed to the Cannes Film Festival.

The 73-year-old Spanish Oscar-winning director’s short film Strange Way of Life will have its world premiere at the upcoming 76th edition of the festival, which will run from May 16-27.

The Western shot in southern Spain stars Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal and is the filmmaker’s second English-language experience, after The Human Voice in 2020.

The film had been widely expected to play at Cannes after the director told singer-songwriter Dua Lipa that he expected it to premiere the festival in an interview for her At Your Service podcast in January.

The screening of Almodóvar’s Strange Way of Life will be followed by a conversation with the director and the filmmaking team.

The work revolves around a reunion between a sheriff and a rancher who knew one another in a previous life.

The synopsis provided by Almodóvar and posted by the festival reads: “A man rides a horse across the desert that separates him from Bitter Creek. He comes to visit Sheriff Jake. Twenty-five years earlier, both the sheriff and Silva, the rancher who rides out to meet him, worked together as hired gunmen. Silva visits him with the excuse of reuniting with his friend from his youth, and they do indeed celebrate their meeting, but the next morning Sheriff Jake tells him that the reason for his trip is not to go down the memory lane of their old friendship.”

“I must say no more so as not to give away all the surprises of the script,” adds the director. “The strange way of life referred in the title alludes to the famous fado by Amalia Rodrigues, whose lyrics suggest that there is no stranger existence than the one that is lived by turning your back on your own desires.”

The film is produced by Agustín Almodóvar with Esther García as executive producer and Bárbara Peiró, Diego Pajuelo and Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello as associate producers.

Further cast members alongside Hawke and Pascal include Pedro Casablanc, Manu Ríos, George Steane, José Condessa, Jason Fernández, Sara Sálamo, Ohiana Cueto and Daniela Medina.

Manu Rios Signs with William Morris Endeavor (WME)

Posted on March 16, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Manu Rios has new representation…

The 24-year-old Spanish actor and singer, best known for his starring role on Netflix’s popular Spanish YA series Elite, has signed with William Morris Endeavor (WME) for representation.

Rios portrays Patrick Blanco on the international hit series, which is heading into its seventh season on the streamer.

Rios will next be seen starring alongside Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal in the upcoming short film Strange Way of Life from Oscar-winning director Pedro Almodóvar. The short is set to premiere at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. The story follows the reunion of an outlaw and a sheriff after 25 years apart, and the romance that followed them there.

Rios is also set to star in the upcoming Netflix limited series El Silencio from Aitor Gabilondo.

He was previously seen in the limited series La Edad de la Ira for Atresmedia.

Maribel Verdú Starring in Apple Studios’ “Raymond and Ray”

Posted on October 24, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Maribel Verdú is providing care…

The 51-year-old Spanish actress has been cast in Apple Studios’ Raymond and Ray alongside Oscar nominee Sophie Okonedo.

Verdu and Okonedo join a cast that includes Ewan McGregor and Ethan Hawke.

The Rodrigo García-directed and written feature, which is currently filming in Virginia, follows half-brothers Raymond (McGregor) and Ray (Hawke) who have lived in the shadow of a terrible father. Somehow, they still each have a sense of humor, and his funeral is a chance for them to reinvent themselves. There’s anger, there’s pain, there’s folly, there might be love, and there’s definitely grave-digging.

Verdú will star as Lucia, a partner and caretaker to Raymond and Ray’s father. Her character is described as one having the innate strength and alluring personality that will mend the broken family in the wake of the father’s death.

Verdú , an 11-time Goya Award nominee and two-time winner, starred in Y tu mamá también and Pan’s Labyrinth.

Raymond and Ray is produced by Oscar winner Alfonso Cuarón, Bonnie Curtis and Julie Lynn, who’ll produce through their Mockingbird Pictures.

John Leguizamo to Star in the Off Broadway Streaming Production of Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot”

Posted on April 12, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

There’s more waiting in John Leguizamo’s future…

The 56-year-old Colombian actor, stand-up comedian, producer, playwright and screenwriter will star opposite Ethan Hawke in an Off Broadway streaming production of Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, directed by Scott Elliott and premiering online on Tuesday, May 6.

The New Group production will co-star Wallace Shawn, Tarik Trotter and Drake Bradshaw.

Leguizamo will portray Estragon, Hawke will play Vladimir.

The production is the first in a new venture called The New Group Off Stage, from The New Group in association with John Ridley’s Nō Studios and Frank Marshall.

“This project is the epitome of what we mean by ’theatrical expressions in different media’: bringing together top tier artists across disciplines – film, television, stage, music – to collaborate in a hybrid, on-screen world, finding a way to make a play newly alive for themselves,” said Elliott, Artistic Director of The New Group. “It was a unique and singularly meaningful experience for all of us.”

The New Group describes the production as an “experimental exploration of a storied play” that “combines theatrical invention and innovative filmmaking.”

Waiting for Godot will be co-produced by MiLa Media, with production design by Derek McLane and costume design by Qween Jean. Director of Photography is Kramer Morgenthau.

Waiting for Godot will premiere online o Thursday, May 6 at 7:00 pm ET, and will be available to stream at www.thenewgroup.org.

Tickets can be purchased for 72-hour or seven-day rentals.

Eiza González’s Heist Drama “Cut Throat City” to Open in Limited Theater Release Next Month

Posted on June 24, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a Cut Throatworld for Eiza González…

The RZA-directed heist drama Cut Throat City, starring the 30-year-old Mexican actress/singer, will open in limited release on Friday, July 17.

Written by P.G. Cuschieri, the plot follows four childhood friends in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward who return after Hurricane Katrina to find their homes decimated, with no jobs and no help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Out of options, they reluctantly turn to a local gangster, who offers them one shot at turning their situations around – by pulling off a dangerous heist in the heart of the city. When the job goes bad, the friends find themselves on the run, hunted by two relentless detectives and a neighborhood warlord who thinks they stole the heist money.

The film was originally set to open in theaters April, but those plans were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Well Go USA and Patriot Pictureswill now release the film in 300 screens across the U.S.

Demetrius Shipp Jr., Denzel Whitaker, Isaiah Washington, Kat Graham, Keean Johnson, Shameik Moore, and Tip T.I. Harris star in the film along with González, who portrays Lucinda Valencia, Ethan Hawke, Terrence Howard and Wesley Snipes.

The film was originally scheduled to have its world premiere at SXSW 2020.

The distributors have committed to donating a portion of the film’s proceeds to lowernine.org, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the long-term recovery of New Orleans’ historic Lower Ninth Ward.

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