Freddy Rodriguez Starring in the Shudder Horror Film “V/H/S/85”

Posted on August 22, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Freddy Rodriguez is going on the hunt…

The 48-year-old Latino actor and Emmy-nominee leads the cast of the Shudder horror film V/H/S/85, which is set to premiere at Fantastic Fest next month.

He portrays Detective Wayne Johnson, a seasoned detective investigating a variety of gruesome murders while on the trail of an elusive serial killer.

The cast is rounded out by Jordan Belfi, James Ransone, Dani Deetté, Rolando Davila-Beltran, Justen Jones, Marcio Moreno, Ari Gallegos, Forrest Hartl, Duffy McManus, Eric Pierson, Felipe de Lara, Tom Reed and Vivian Morse.

V/H/S/85 takes viewers on a journey into the grim underbelly of the forgotten 1980s. Unveiled through a made-for-TV documentary, five chilling tales emerge: scientists observe an unusual boy fixated on his TV, kids embark on a lake skiing adventure, a TV crew fights to survive a natural disaster, the early days of VR awaken something terrifying, and a deadly dream is captured on tape. Sinister secrets of the 1980s come to life in a way you’ve never seen before.

The project is written by Zoe Cooper, Evan Dickson, Scott Derrickson, C. Robert Cargill, Mike P. Nelson, Gigi Saul Guerrero.

Directors include David Bruckner, Derrickson, Nelson, Guerrero and Natasha Kermani.

Rodriguez most recently portrayed Detective Greco in the Hulu series Wu-Tang: An American Saga for the show’s final season on the small screen, and Cal in the as-yet-unreleased indie film Days When The Rains Came opposite True Blood‘s Sam Trammell and Beau Bridges.

He is best known for his portrayal of Federico Diaz on the hit HBO series Six Feet Under, which earned him an Emmy nomination in 2002 for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. Rodriguez was part of the main ensemble cast alongside Michael C. Hall, Peter Krause, Frances Conroy and Lauren Ambrose across the show’s 5 seasons.

Justina Machado played his wife Vanessa Diaz. Together, Rodriguez and Machado broke ground for Latinos by playing non-stereotypical characters in the early 2000s when such roles were basically non-existent.

Across his nearly three decades in the industry, his big screen credits also include roles in A Walk In The Clouds (1995), M. Night Shyamalan’s Lady in the Water (2006), Grindhouse (2007) for Robert Rodriguez and David Ayers’ directorial debut, Harsh Times (2005). On the small screen, Ugly Betty, ER, The Night Shift, Bull, Scrubs and Party of Five.

Gigi Saul Guerrero to Direct Biopic About the Late Jenni Rivera

Posted on August 3, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Gigi Saul Guerrero is bringing a Mexican American icon’s life story to the big screen…

The 32-year-old Mexican Canadian filmmaker and actress will direct “Jenni,” a film about the life of the late Jenni Rivera.

The biopic, which is authorized by the late artist’s estate, will be produced by Los Angeles-based multimedia company Mucho Mas Media and De Line Pictures.

Developed by Guerrero and screenwriter Shane McKenzie, the movie follows Rivera’s rise as a Spanish singer who successfully crossed over to U.S. and global audiences, as well as her work as a women’s rights activist. She died in a plane crash in 2012 at age 43.

Rivera’s variety of banda, mariachi and norteño music made her one of the best-selling regional Mexican artists ever, with 15 gold and platinum records and top-drawing tours.

She produced multiple television series like “Chiquis & Raq-C” and “I Love Jenni,” and in 2012 she was named one of the top 25 most powerful women by People en Español. She also established charities like the Jenni Rivera Love Foundation, which supports single mothers and children who have been victims of domestic abuse.

Jenni will premiere on TelevisaUnivision’s premium streaming tier VIX+ and in select theaters throughout the U.S. and Mexico. A release date has not been announced yet.

Saul Guerrero was named by Variety in 2019 as a Latinx talent to watch. Since then, she signed a first-look deal with Blumhouse Productions after the debut of her first movie, Culture Shock.

On the acting front, she has voiced characters in “Supernatural Academy” and “Angry Birds: Summer Madness.”

Gurrero also created and directed the 2017 web horror series La Quinceañera and short film El Gigante, and she co-founded the Latin genre-focused company LuchaGore Productions.

McKenzie, a frequent collaborator of Saul Guerrero’s at LuchaGore Productions, wrote the screenplays for “El Gigante,” “La Quinceanera” and “Bingo Hell.”

Jenni Rivera Enterprises will executive produce.

“Gigi is so confident in her voice and storytelling and has an innate understanding of Jenni’s life.

Larissa Dias to Lead Voice Cast of Peacock’s YA Animated Fantasy Series Adaptation “Supernatural Academy”

Posted on December 3, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Larissa Dias is heading to the academy…

Peacock has ordered Supernatural Academy, a YA animated fantasy series adaptation of Jaymin Eve’s The Supernatural Academy books, with the Brazilian actress named to the voice cast.

The project was developed and written by Gillian Horvath and hails from executive producer Allen Bohbot and 41 Entertainment.

Supernatural Academy chronicles an otherworldly adventure of sisters marked at birth. One twin sister was raised in the Supernatural world, confident and popular. The other was raised in the human world, an offbeat outsider. Now they’re about to be reunited at the Supernatural Academy, and neither one of them is thrilled about it. These adversarial twins will have to learn to get over their differences and trust each other in order to save themselves – and save the world.

Set to premiere on Thursday, January 20, 2022, Supernatural Academy features Dias, Gigi Saul Guerrero, Vincent Tong, Cardi Wong and Shannon Chan-Kent.

Bethany Brown, Brian Drummond, Barbara Kottmeier, Alessandro Juliani, Ali J. Eisner, Diana Kaarina and Kathleen Barr.

Dias will play as Jessa Lebron. Jessa is a popular Wolf Shifter in her junior year at the Supernatural Academy. She has everything a girl could ever ask for including a supportive father and four best friends with their own unique supernatural skills.

Guerrero will voice Mischa Jackson/Lebron. Raised by a single mom with a tendency to move from place to place, Mischa has never fit in anywhere. The timid, creative and sweet natured girl transforms after realizing her mother has hidden who she truly is for sixteen years.

“It is so incredible to see my original story come to life in this high-quality animation project,” said Eve.’ “I am so grateful to both Peacock and 41 Entertainment for believing in me and I am sure that all of the fans of the books are anxiously marking January 20th on their diaries.”

The series is produced by 41 Entertainment. Steve Ball serves as series director, Jody Prouse as animation director. Animation services are provided by ICON Creative Studio.

Lissette Feliciano Signs with Verve

Posted on April 14, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Lissette Feliciano has new representation…

The 31-year-old Latina writer, director and actress has signed with Verve following the success of her SXSW debut feature, Women Is Losers, which she wrote, directed, and produced.

Set during the 1960s in San Francisco, Women Is Losers follows bright and talented Catholic school girl Celina Guerrera (Lorenza Izzo), who survives a difficult home life by following the rules. That is until an indiscretion creates a series of devastating consequences. As Celina faces the compounded obstacles of being young and alone, she sets out to rise above the oppression of poverty and invest in a future that sets new precedents for the time.

The film is inspired by real women and the Janis Joplin song of the same title.

Simu Liu, Chrissie Fit and Liza Weil (How to Get also star.

A graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Feliciano is a Tribeca Film Institute AT&T Untold Stories grant recipient, and was named as one of Shoot Magazine’s new directors to watch.

Her production company, Look at the Moon Pictures, develops original content that shines a lens on underrepresented groups, joining the ranks of creators filling the market gap in storytelling for a new young, multicultural audience.

Under Feliciano’s leadership, Look at the Moon was among the first production companies to mandate 50 percent BIPOC representation across leadership positions on and off-camera.

Feliciano joins Verve’s growing roster of Latin filmmakers including Gigi Saul Guerrero, Peter Murrieta, Cristina Gallego, David Blue Garcia, Aitch Alberto, Marvin Lemus and Aurora Guerrero.

Adriana Barraza to Star in Amazon Studios’ ‘Welcome To The Blumhouse’ Anthology Horror Film “Bingo”

Posted on March 3, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Adriana Barraza is playing bingo…

The 65-year-old Mexican Oscar-nominated actress will serve up some scares in Amazon Studios’ next slate of films in the horror anthology Welcome To The Blumhouse. Barraza will star in Bingo directed and co-written by rising genre filmmaker Gigi Saul Guerrero. The film is currently in production.

The collaboration is a Latinx-driven narrative that includes two generations of Mexican artists. In this case, Barraza and the up and comer Guerrero.

Set in the barrio of Oak Springs, Bingo follows a strong and stubborn group of elderly friends who refuse to be gentrified. Barraza plays the leader of the pack, Lupita, a “chingona” who grew up in the neighborhood formerly filled with crime and dangerous characters. Lupita has dedicated her life to cleaning up the neighborhood and creating a community the residents could be proud to call home. Little does Lupita and her friends know, their beloved bingo hall (hence the title) is about to be sold to a much more powerful force than money itself.

Bingo continues Amazon Prime Video’s Welcome to the Blumhouse slate of genre, horror-thriller films highlighting female and emerging filmmakers, and diverse casts with new and established actors in unexpected roles. The upcoming 2021 slate for the anthology also includes The Manor, Black as Night, and Madres.

Guerrero co-wrote Bingo with Shane McKenzie and Perry Blackshear. The film comes from Blumhouse Television and Amazon Studios.

Prime Video launched the Welcome to the Blumhouse in October of last year with Black
Box, The Lie, Evil Eye and Nocturne.

Barraza’s career spans more than 40 years in film, television and theater. In 1999, Barraza starred in a breakout role opposite Gael Garcia Bernal in Amores Perros directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu, who she worked with again in 2006 on Babel. She is one of only six Mexican actresses to ever receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

Tenoch Huerta to Star in “Madres,” One of Amazon Prime Video’s Final Four “Welcome to the Blumhouse” Films

Posted on October 31, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Tenoch Huerta is heading to the Blumhouse…

The next chapter of Welcome to the Blumhouse is ready to deliver thrills while highlighting some of today’s emerging and inclusive talent in front of and behind the camera, including the 39-year-old Mexican actor.

Amazon Prime Video has unveiled The Manor, Black as Night, Madres, starring Huerta, and Bingo as the final four films in the eight-film genre anthology. The quartet will debut on the streaming platform in 2021.

Welcome to the Blumhouse kicked off at the beginning of October with its first slate of films including The Lie from Veena Sud, Black Box from up-and-coming writer-director Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour Jr., Evil Eye from emerging filmmakers Elan Dassani and Rajeev Dassani, and Nocturne from filmmaker Zu Quirke.

“Coming off the successful launch of the first four films of the program, which has surpassed our expectations, we are excited to reveal the next chapter coming in 2021,” said Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios. “The spine-tingling, edge-of-your-seat thrills continues in this next collection of titles that will surely entertain, surprise and shock our global customers.”

“We’re thrilled to see how audiences around the world have responded to the films in the Welcome to the Blumhouse slate,” said Jeremy Gold, president of Blumhouse Television. “We couldn’t be prouder of the work of these talented filmmakers, cast and crew on all the movies…and we’re excited to introduce the next wave of films and the incredible filmmakers at their helm.”

The second round of thrillers continues the anthology’s original, elevated, genre storytelling that is a Blumhouse signature. Centered around unsettling themes of institutional horrors and personal phobias, the films tap into people’s deepest fears, presenting a distinctive vision and unique perspective.

Similar to the first four films of the program, the slate continues with a thruline, making it the first-ever program of Amazon Original movies on Prime Video that are thematically connected.

Here are details about the final four films and the talent behind them.

The Manor is written and directed by Axelle Carolyn, and stars Barbara Hershey, Bruce Davison, Nicholas Alexander, Jill Larsen, Fran Bennett and Katie Amanda Keane. After suffering a stroke, Judith Albright moves into a historic nursing home, where she begins to suspect something supernatural is preying on the residents. In order to escape she’ll need to convince everyone around her that she doesn’t actually belong there after all. Executive produced by Jason Blum, Jeremy Gold, Marci Wiseman, Lisa Bruce, Sandy King and Richard J Bosner.
Black as Night is directed by Maritte Lee Go and written by Sherman Payne. The cast stars Asjha Cooper, Fabrizio Guido, Craig Tate, Keith David, Mason Beauchamp, Abbie Gayle and Frankie Smith. A teenage girl with self-esteem issues finds confidence in the most unlikely way, by spending her summer battling vampires that prey on New Orleans’ disenfranchised with the help of her best friend, the boy she’s always pined for, and a peculiar rich girl. Executive produced by Jason Blum, Jeremy Gold, Marci Wiseman, Lisa Bruce, Maggie Malina and Guy Stodel.
Madres is directed by first-time feature director Ryan Zaragoza and written by Marcella Ochoa & Mario Miscione. Starring Tenoch Huerta, Ariana Guerra, Evelyn Gonzalez, Kerry Cahill, and Elpidia Carrillo. A Mexican-American couple expecting their first child relocate to a migrant farming community in 1970’s California. When the wife begins to experience strange symptoms and terrifying visions, she tries to determine if it’s related to a legendary curse or something more nefarious. Executive produced by Jason Blum, Jeremy Gold, Marci Wiseman, Lisa Bruce, Sanjay Sharma and Matthew Myers.
Bingo is directed by Gigi Saul Guerrero and written by Shane McKenzie & Gigi Saul Guerrero, along with Perry Blackshear. In the Barrio of Oak Springs live a strong and stubborn group of elderly friends who refuse to be gentrified. Their leader, Lupita, keeps them together as a community, a family. But little did they know, their beloved Bingo hall is about to be sold to a much more powerful force than money itself. Executive produced by Jason Blum, Jeremy Gold, Marci Wiseman and Raynor Shima.

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