Zoe Saldana to Receive Critics Choice Association‘s Groundbreaker Award

Posted on October 14, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Zoe Saldana is a special Critics Choice honoree…

The 46-year-old 44-year-old Puerto Rican and Dominican American actress is among the honorees from the Critics Choice Association‘s 4th Annual Celebration of Latino Cinema & Television taking place on October 22, 2024 at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood.

Saldaña will receive the Groundbreaker Award for her starring role in Netflix’s Emilia Pérez, which won the Best Actress prize for the ensemble cast at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year.

The Director Award – Film will be awarded to Pablo Larraín for his directorial work on Netflix’s Maria.

The film competed in the Venice Film Festival and was one of the official selections for both the Telluride Film Festival and the New York Film Festival this year.

The Vanguard Award will be given to filmmaker Fede Alvarez for his writing and directorial work in creating 20th Century Studios’ Alien: Romulus.

The film notably earned $45.1 million in its domestic opening weekend at the box office and became the highest grossing horror film in IMAX history.

Emmy-nominated director, writer and producer Issa López will receive The Director Award – Series for her directorial work on the HBO Original Series True Detective: Night Country.

The series received 19 Emmy nominations, the most for any limited or anthology series this year and won star Jodie Foster the award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for a Limited Series, Anthology, or Television Movie.

The Showrunner Award will recognize Emmy-nominated television writer and producer Francesca Sloane for her work on Prime Video’s series Mr. & Mrs. Smith. The series was nominated 16 times at this year’s Emmys and was awarded two wins.

Oscar and Emmy-nominated actress Adriana Barraza will be honored with the Actress Award – Film for her role in Roadside Attractions’ film My Penguin Friend.

Barraza previously earned an Academy Award nomination in 2007 for Best Supporting Actress for her work in Alejandro González Iñárritu’s film Babel and just received a 2024 International Emmy nomination for Best Actress for her work in the award-winning Netflix film El último vagón.

Actress and writer Fernanda Torres will receive the Actress Award – International Film for her role in Sony Pictures Classics’ film I’m Still Here, which notably garnered the Best Screenplay award at this year’s Venice Film Festival and has been selected as Brazil’s 2024 submission for Best International Feature Film at the Oscars.

Emayatzy Corinealdi will accept the Actress Award – Series for her performance on Hulu/Onyx Collective’s Reasonable Doubt.

Corinealdi also recently appeared in the HBO series Ballers and in the Miles Davis biopic Miles Ahead. STARZ will bestow Emayatzy Corinealdi’s award with a special STARZ #TakeTheLead designation as part of its ongoing commitment to amplifying narratives by, about, and for women and underrepresented audiences.

Ramón Rodríguez will be awarded with the Breakthrough Actor Award – Series for his starring role in the ABC series Will Trent.

Rodríguez was also nominated in the Best Actor in a Drama Series category for season one at last year’s Critics Choice Awards.

The Comedy Series Award will be bestowed upon the acclaimed Apple TV+ series Acapulco, starring Emmy-winner Eugenio Derbez, Enrique Arrizon, Fernando Carsa, and Camila Perez.

The International Series Award will recognize the Apple TV+ Spanish-language drama series Familia de Medianoche, which features an entirely Latino cast and crew led by performers Renata Vaca, Joaquín Cosío, and Diego Calva.

The Celebration honors standout performances and work, both onscreen and offscreen from the Latino entertainment community.

Fede Alvarez’s “Alien: Romulus” to Have UK Premiere at Edinburgh International Film Festival

Posted on July 1, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Fede Alvarez is preparing for an out-of-this-world premiere in Scotland…

The 46-year-old Uruguayan filmmaker’s Alien: Romulus will make its UK premiere at the revamped Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) in August.

The highly anticipated reboot of Ridley Scott’s horror franchise will open the festival’s new Midnight Madness strand on August 15.

20th Century Studios will release the film in the UK and Ireland on August 16, the same day as its U.S. launch.

Produced by Scott and co-written and directed by Alvarez, the film stars Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, Spike Fearn and Aileen Wu.

Billed as a return to the franchise’s roots, the film follows a group of young space colonizers who, while scavenging on a derelict space station, come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe.

“We are absolutely ecstatic to be the UK premiere host for this viciously entertaining new vision for the Alien franchise from one of the most exciting horror filmmakers currently working,” said EIFF Director, Paul Ridd

“Fede Alvarez brings a sense of tradition and legacy, as well as gory originality and swagger to the table, and we can think of no better way to open our Midnight Madness programme than with this showstopping new film. Plus knowing that Ridley Scott’s seminal original ALIEN also played a midnight UK premiere at the Festival back in 1979 is the icing on a spectacular, albeit very gnarly, cake. Bring it on.”

Former Picturehouse Cinema acquisitionns exec Ridd is gearing up for this first edition of EIFF at the helm, with the festival undergoing a revamp after a difficult few years.

The EIFF will run from August 15 to 21.

The full program will be unveiled on July 10.

Harvey Guillén Among National Hispanic Media Coalition’s Impact Award Honorees

Posted on May 28, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Harvey Guillén is being feted for his impact…

The National Hispanic Media Coalition has revealed the 2024 Impact Award honorees for its annual gala taking place on June 14, with the 34-year-old Mexican American actor among those being recognized.

Annie Gonzalez (Flamin’ Hot) and Mayan Lopez (Lopez vs. Lopez) will host the celebration.

The Impact Awards is a part of the NHMC’s overall mission to spotlight the importance of accurate, fair and positive representation in media.

Each year, the organization honors individuals who are truly making an impact, shifting societal narratives and setting an example for Latine communities.

The 2024 honorees include:

Harvey Guillén, star of the hit FX series What We Do In The Shadows which is gearing up to premiere its sixth and final season. He will receive the Outstanding Performance in a Series Impact Award.

Issa López, a multi-hyphenate who most recently co-wrote and directed HBO’s True Detective Season 5 starring Jodie Foster. NHMC will recognize López’s achievements with the Trailblazer Impact Award.

Fede Alvarez, writer, director and executive producer of the upcoming feature Alien: Romulus, the seventh installment of the Alien franchise. NHMC will give him the Outstanding Film Director Impact Award.

Tatyana Ali, who most famously portrayed Ashley Banks in the hit comedy series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, will receive the Advocacy Impact Award for her advocacy and policy work in maternal health and reproductive justice.

The Los Angeles Football Club will be honored with the Community Impact Award for their commitment to multiculturalism and creating change for marginalized communities

Tubi will be honored with the For the People Impact Award for its diverse programming providing a platform for Latine series showcasing authentic representations of our communities.

“We are honored to celebrate these powerful figures who represent the present and future of the entertainment industry. This year’s honorees embody where our community is headed and are pushing their industries forward simply by taking up space and using their platforms to uplift other Latine creatives.,” said Brenda Victoria Castillo, President & CEO of the NHMC. “This year more than ever, it is imperative that we continue to celebrate our Latinidad in all aspects of our society, and NHMC is committed to ensuring that our community is recognized – not just at our gala, but in every space.”

Isabela Merced to Star as Hawkgirl in Warner Bros. DC Film “Superman: Legacy”

Posted on July 10, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Isabela Merced has landed a super role…

The 22-year-old half-Peruvian American actress has joined the cast of Warner Bros. DC franchise resetter Superman: Legacy, as announced by studio chief Peter Safran in a new article with Vanity Fair.

Merced, who starred in Dora and the Lost City of Gold, is among new cast additions that includes Nathan Fillion and Edi Gathegi.

Merced will portray Hawkgirl, while Fillion will portray Guy Gardner — one iteration of the superhero Green Lantern — and Gathegi as Mister Terrific. David Corenswet will play Clark Kent aka Superman, as previously announced.

Studio boss James Gunn is directing from his own script, which draws on DC characters created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Safran is serving as producer.

Merced has a full dance card up ahead with roles in everything from Sony’s Madame Web to the Fede Alvarez-helmed Alien: Romulus, action thriller Ballerina Overdrive and Hannah Marks’ Turtles All the Way Down. Recent credits for the actress on the film side include Rosaline and Father of the Bride.

Isabela Merced to Star in 20th Century’s New “Alien” Movie

Posted on March 2, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Isabela Merced has landed an out of this world role…

The 21-year-old half-Peruvian American actress and singer will star opposite Cailee Spaeny in 20th Century’s new Alien movie.

Fede Alvarez is directing with Scott Free producing the film.

Not much is known about the film other than the iconic ferocious race of alien beings called Xenomorphs will be front and center, again reigning terror against the humans that cross their paths.

Merced recently starred as Juliet in the feature film Rosaline, 20th Century’s revisionist Romeo & Juliet tale opposite Kaitlyn Dever, streaming now on Hulu.

She can be seen next as the lead in New Line’s Turtles All the Way Down, the upcoming film adaptation of John Green’s New York Times best-selling novel for HBOMax.

She is also set to star alongside Dakota Johnson and Sydney Sweeney in Sony Pictures’ Madame Web, based on the Marvel comics.

Merced most recently appeared in Warner Bros.’ remake of Father of the Bride with Andy Garcia and Gloria Estefan. She also starred in the Netflix original thriller motion picture Sweet Girl opposite Jason Momoa and was the voice of Lucky Prescott in DreamWorks Animation’s Spirit Untamed.

Daniel Zovatto to Star Opposite Russell Crowe in Screen Gems’ Supernatural Thriller “The Pope’s Exorcist”

Posted on July 29, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Daniel Zovatto exorcising his right to work…

The 31-year-old Argentinian-Costa Rican actor will star opposite Russell Crowe in Screen Gems’ supernatural thriller The Pope’s Exorcist.

Directed by Julius Avery, the film stars Crowe as Father Gabriele Amorth, the legendary Italian priest who performed over 100,000 exorcisms for the Vatican—drawing on his international bestselling memoirs An Exorcist Tells His Story and An Exorcist: More Stories.

Father Amorth, who died in 2016, left behind a trove of additional accounts of his exploits pulling the devil out of people all over the world.

Screen Gems acquired his life rights for the project, along with rights to his memoirs.

Details on Zovatto’s role have not been disclosed.

The Pope’s Exorcist has been gestating at Screen Gems for a number of years, with Ángel Gómez having previously been attached to direct as of 2020.

Evan Spiliotopoulos wrote the current draft of the script, with revisions by Chuck MacLean, which is based on Michael Petroni-revised original drafts by Chester Hastings & R. Dean McCreary.

Zovatto can currently be seen on HBO Max’s Station Eleven and has also appeared on series like Penny Dreadful: City of Angels and Here and Now.

His other notable film credits include Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird, Drake Doremus’ Newness, Fede Alvarez’s Don’t Breathe, David Robert Mitchell’s It Follows, and the late Lynn Shelton’s Laggies.

Fede Alvarez to Direct Hulu’s Original “Alien” Film

Posted on March 4, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Fede Alvarez has landed an out of this world project…

The 44-year-old Uruguayan filmmaker will write and direct an original Alien film for 20th Century Studios.

The Don’t Breathe filmmaker will direct the film for Hulu as part of studios deal to provide 10 films a year to the Disney-owned OTT service.

Alvarez’s pitch is reportedly completely separate from the previous films, according to Deadline.

Ridley Scott, who directed the 1979 original and two millennial editions, will produce through his Scott Free banner.

The new Alien film also will be distinct from Noah Hawley’s FX TV series, which network boss John Landgraf has said won’t feature Sigourney Weaver’s alien hunter Ripley.

“Alien takes place before Ripley. It’s the first story that takes place in the Alien franchise on Earth,” said Landgraf about the series. “So, it takes place on our planet. Right near the end of this century we’re in — so 70-odd years from now.”

Despite five scripts already being in for Alien, and Fargo only one, Hawley will shoot the latter series first as it needs to go into production this winter given its Midwest setting.

Rosario Dawson to Star in Apple TV+’s Genre-Bending Auditory Adaptation of Canal+’s “Calls”

Posted on March 5, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Rosario Dawson is placing some calls…

Apple TV+ announced the cast, which includes the 41-year-old Puerto Rican and Cuban American actress and activist, and set the premiere date for its genre-bending auditory adaptation of Canal Plus’ Calls.

In addition to Dawson, the stars featured in the first season of the nine-part drama, include Nick Jonas, Pedro Pascal, Lily Collins, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Aubrey Plaza are among the stars featuring in the first season of the nine-part drama.

Launching on Friday, March 19, the show uses audio and minimal abstract visuals to tell nine short-form stories. Each episode follows a dark mystery that unfolds through a series of seemingly average, unconnected phone calls that quickly become surreal as the characters face growingly unsettling experiences.

Based on a French series created by Timothée Hochet, it is directed by Fede Álvarez, who directed 2013’s Evil Dead feature and 2016’s horror film Don’t Breathe.

Nicholas Braun, Clancy Brown, Mark Duplass, Karen Gillan, Judy Greer, Paul Walter Hauser, Danny Huston, Riley Keough, Joey King, Stephen Lang, Jaeden Martell, Paola Nuñez, Edi Patterson, Danny Pudi, Ben Schwartz and Jennifer Tilly also appear in the first season.

Calls was the streamer’s first international series order back in June 2018 and it also marks its first global co-production – a tie up with French pay-TV broadcaster Canal+. Apple will launch the series, which is produced with Studiocanal and Bad Hombre, in 100 countries, while Canal+ will premiere a French-language version in a number of markets.

Apple will launch the series in a number of Spanish-speaking Latin America markets as Llamadas with Spanish-language custom graphics.

Fede Alvarez Agrees to Overall Deal with Legendary Pictures

Posted on November 21, 2019 by Tom Castaneda

Fede Alvarez has a legendary deal…

The 41-year-oldUruguayan filmmaker, the writer and director behind Sony’s The Girl in the Spider’s Web starring Claire Foy, and his writing partner Rodolfo Sayagues have closed an overall deal with Legendary Pictures.

Under the pact, Alvarez and Sayagues will create, develop and produce films through their Bad Hombre Films banner starting with a Washington, D.C.-based horror film written by Joe Epstein, which Alvarez will direct.

Plot details are being kept under wraps, but the pic is described as The Shining set in the White House. Bad Hombre is also set to produce a reboot of the 1974 cult classic, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which will be penned by Chris Thomas Devlin.

Past projects from the duo include scripting Evil Dead and Don’t Breathe, both of which were directed by Alvarez. The former went on to gross $100m worldwide, while Don’t Breathe has a global cum of $157 million.

Sony Pictures Moving Forward with Alvarez’s “The Girl in the Spider’s Web”

Posted on March 15, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Fede Alvarez is definitely walking into a spider’s web…

Sony Pictures will move forward with The Girl in the Spider’s Web, the long-in-the-works follow-up to the studio’s 2011 pic The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, with the 39-year-old Uruguayan filmmaker still on board to direct.

Principal photography is set to begin in September with a release date scheduled for October 5, 2018.

The Don’t Breathe helmer has been aboard to direct the new pic based on the Millennium book series created by Stieg Larsson.

It will feature a whole new cast, including the role of the books’ linchpin Lisbeth Salander, played by Noomi Rapace in the original Swedish trilogy and Rooney Mara in Sony’s Dragon Tattoo directed by David Fincher.

Steven Knight, Alvarez and Jay Basu penned the script for the new movie.

The Girl in the Spider’s Web is the fourth book in the Millennium series and was written by David Lagercrantz after Larsson’s death; the fifth, also from Lagercrantz, was just launched at the London Book Fair.

Columbia Pictures president Sanford Panitch announced the new pic at the post-launch cocktail party and said Alvarez is meeting with actresses to play Salander. David Beaubaire is overseeing the project for the studio, which holds rights to the entire Millennium book series.

Columbia/Sony’s 2011 film was based on the first book in Larsson’s hot international-bestselling series centering on Salander, a tough-as-nails hacker with a steel-trap mind and a heart of gold. It was nominated for five Oscars including for Mara as Best Actress and won one for Editing. The film made $232.6 million worldwide, but a planned sequel never materialized.

Larsson died suddenly in 2004 before the books were published.

“I’m hugely excited and grateful for this opportunity,” Alvarez said in the announcement. “Sony has become family to me, and I can’t think of a more thrilling project to celebrate our relationship. Lisbeth Salander is the kind of character any director dreams of bringing to life. We’ve got a great script and now comes the most fun part — finding our Lisbeth.”

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