Anthony Ramos to Star in Legendary/Warner Bros.’ Monster Sequel “Godzilla: King of the Monsters”

Posted on May 2, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Anthony Ramos has landed a monster of a role…

The 25-year-old Puerto Rican actor and Hamilton star has been cast in Legendary/Warner Bros.’ upcoming monster sequel Godzilla: King of the Monsters.

Ramos, who recently landed a role opposite Lady Gaga in A Star is Born, joins a stellar cast that includes Millie Bobby Brown, Vera Farmiga, Kyle Chandler, Ken Watanabe, O’Shea Jackson Jr. and Aisha Hinds.

Michael Dougherty is directing from a script he co-wrote with Zach Shields.

Ramos will play Cpl. Mendoza, who keeps calm and cool on the surface but whose bravery isn’t to be underestimated in battle.

No plot details have been released for the film, which hits theaters March 22, 2019.

Ramos stars as Mars Blackmon in Spike Lee’s forthcoming Netflix series She’s Gotta Have It and co-stars in the Sundance Film Festival’s breakout film Patti Cake$, which Fox Searchlight nabbed for $9.5M and will release it in select theaters July 7.

He originated the roles of John Laurens and Philip Hamilton, Alexander Hamilton‘s eldest son, in the Broadway musical Hamilton. Prior to that, he created the role of Justin Laboy in the Lin-Manuel Miranda short musical, 21 Chump Street.

Fox Searchlight to Release del Toro’s Cold War Drama “The Shape of Water” in December

Posted on April 21, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Guillermo del Toro is getting in Shape for December…

Fox Searchlight will release the 52-year-old Mexican filmmaker’s Cold War drama The Shape of Water on December 8, right in the wheelhouse of the annual film awards season.

The fantasy adventure film, which has been mostly shrouded in secrecy stars Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Doug Jones, Lauren Lee Smith, Michael Stuhlbarg and Octavia Spencer.

Fox Searchlight describes the film as “an other-wordly fairy tale, set against the backdrop of Cold War era America circa 1963. In the hidden high-security government laboratory where she works, lonely Elisa (Hawkins) is trapped in a life of silence and isolation. Her life is changed forever when she and co-worker Zelda (Spencer) discover a secret classified experiment.”

The experiment apparently is an “aquatic man,” played by Jones, a frequent del Toro collaborator who has appeared in the writer-director’s Pan’s Labyrinth and Hellboy movies, as well as his FX series The Strain.

del Toro directs from the script he wrote with Vanessa Taylor.

Larrain’s “Jackie” Joins the Film Slate at This Year’s AFI Fest

Posted on October 24, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Pablo Larraín’s latest film will get the AFI Fest treatment…

The 40-year-old Chilean director’s latest film Jackie has joined the American Film Institute’s slate of AFI Centerpiece Galas at this year’s AFI Fest.

From Fox Searchlight and starring Oscar winner Natalie Portman, the film will screen on Monday, November 14, at the TCL Chinese Theatre.

Jackie, which debuted at the Venice Film Festival and Toronto Film Festival, is an intimate portrait of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, which takes us into the iconic First Lady’s world during the difficult days immediately following her husband’s assassination.

Noah Oppenheim penned the screenplay.

In addition to Portman, the film stars Peter Sarsgaard, Greta Gerwig, Billy Crudup and Oscar nominee John Hurt.

Jackie joins previously announced Mike Mills-directed 20th Century Women; Elle directed by Paul Verhoeven; and Damien Chazelle-helmed La La Land starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone.

The AFI Fest runs from November 10-17.

del Toro to Direct Untitled Supernatural Romance for Fox Searchlight

Posted on May 7, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Guillermo del Toro’s next project is taking Shape…

The 51-year-old Mexican filmmaker will direct an untitled supernatural romance for Fox Searchlight with Michael Shannon is in talks to star.

The project, rumored to be titled The Shape of Water, is set in 1963 with Shannon playing the villain of the story. A mute laboratory worker, to be played by Sally Hawkins, falls in love with an amphibious man who’s being held captive.

Richard Jenkins, Octavia Spencer and Michael Stuhlbarg will co-star.

del Toro is directing and producing with Callum Greene, who worked with him on both Pacific Rim and Crimson Peak.

de la Huerta to Star in Modern-Day Film Adaptation of William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”

Posted on April 24, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Paz de la Huerta is living the Dream…

The 31-year-old half-Spanish American actress will star in a modern-day film adaptation of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, according to Variety.

de la Huerta will star alongside Rachel Leigh Cook, Hamish Linklater, Avan Jogia, Fran Kranz, Charity Wakefield, Lily Rabe, Ted Levine and Finn Whitrock in the film, which completed production on Dec. 18.

Producers announced the project Saturday to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death.

The new version takes place in present-day Hollywood where fantasy and reality collide. It’s set in a world where glamorous stars, commanding moguls, starving artists and vaulting pretenders all vie to get ahead.

Casey Wilder Mott wrote and directed the feature, marking his directorial debut.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream will feature original music by Mia Doi Todd and Saul Williams, both of whom also appear in the film.

de la Huerta starred in Boardwalk Empire for two seasons. Her other credits include The Cider House Rules, Riding in Cars with Boys and A Walk to Remember.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream has been adapted into movies numerous times, most recently in the 1999 Fox Searchlight film, which included Kevin Kline, Michelle Pfeiffer, Rupert Everett, Stanley Tucci, Calista Flockhart and Christian Bale.

Morales to Star in Fox Searchlight’s Tennis-Themed Film “Battle of the Sexes”

Posted on April 14, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

It’s game, set and match for Natalie Morales…

The 31-year-old Cuban American actress has been cast in Battle of the Sexes, Fox Searchlight’s film about the historic 1973 tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs.

Emma Stone and Steve Carell will play the leads, while Morales will portray Rosie Casals, a one of “The 9” — the first women to form their own tennis league and go on tour. She became good friends with King and supported her leading up to the big match with Riggs.

Jonathan Faris and Valerie Dayton are directing the film from a script by Simon Beaufoy.

Morales currently co-stars on Fox’s The Grinder, and her credits also include Trophy Wife, Parks and Recreation, Girls and 90210.

del Toro to Direct & Produce a Cold War Drama for Fox Searchlight

Posted on March 21, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Guillermo del Toro is going off to war…

The 51-year-old Mexican filmmaker is set to direct and produce an untitled Cold War drama from Fox Searchlight.

It’s described as a mysterious and magical otherworldly love story set in 1963 America. J.Miles Dale will produce with del Toro.

Sally Hawkins is set to star in the film, and Octavia Spencer is in talks to join the cast.

Meanwhile, the Crimson Peak and Pacific Rim filmmaker is developing and might direct Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark for CBS Films, based on the book trilogy by Alvin Schwartz.

Ortiz Cast in Disney’s “The Finest Hours”

Posted on September 27, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

John Ortiz’s finest hour has arrived…

The 46-year-old Puerto Rican actor, director and producer has joined the cast of Disney’s The Finest Hours, which chronicles the massive rescue mission that’s launched when a pair of oil tankers split in two off the coast of Cape Cod in 1952.

Directed by Craig Gillespie, the film stars Chris Pine and Casey Affleck, as well as Keiynan Lonsdale, Michael Raymond James and Rachel Brosnahan

Seen recently in Fox Searchlight’s The Drop, Ortiz will play A.B. Seaman Wallace Quirey.

His recent credits also include Michael Mann’s upcoming feature Blackhat as well as a recurring role on HBO’s Togetherness.

His other film credits include Carlito’s Way, Miami Vice and American Gangster.

Gonzalez Inarritu’s “Birdman” to Close the New York Film Festival

Posted on August 6, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Alejandro González Iñárritu is bringing his bird to the Big Apple…

Birdman, a dramedy co-written and directed by the 50-year-old Mexican filmmaker, has been selected as the closing night film at this year’s New York Film Festival on October 12, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The film, which is being distributed by Fox Searchlight and will be released in theaters on October 17, will have its world premiere on the opening night of the Venice Film Festival on Aug. 27.

Birdman stars Michael Keaton as a washed-up movie star trying to revive his career on Broadway. The cast also includes Emma Stone, Andrea Riseborough, Zach Galifianakis, Merritt Wever, Edward Norton, Amy Ryan and Naomi Watts.

The film was lensed by Oscar-winning cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki (Gravity), reportedly in a way that gives the appearance that the entire film is one continuous shot.

A González Iñárritu film closed the NYFF once before: 21 Grams screened in that slot in 2003. (The director’s first trip to the fest, though, was in 2000, with Amores Perros.)

International Trailer Released for González Iñárritu’s “Birdman”

Posted on August 2, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Alejandro González Iñárritu’s ready give audiences the bird(man)…

Fox Searchlight has released the international trailer for the 50-year-old Mexican filmmaker’s black comedy Birdman, which will have its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival.

Michael Keaton leads the ensemble cast that includes Edward Norton, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts, Zach Galifianakis, Amy Ryan and Andrea Riseborough.

He portrays an actor, famous for having portrayed an iconic superhero, who struggles to mount a Broadway play.

Birdman marks a big departure from González Iñárritu’s more gritty and dramatic fare, including Babel, 21 Grams and Biutiful.

“It’s inventive and light” and full of surprises, says one of the film’s critics.

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