Tag Archives: Irene Azuela

HBO Begins Production of Season Two of Azul Guaita-Starring Original Series “Like Water For Chocolate”

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Azul Guaita is back for another round of chocolate…

HBO‘s original series Like Water For Chocolate, starring the 23-year-old Mexican Actress, has begun production on the second and final season.

HBO, Azul Guaita, Like Water For ChocolateBased on the Laura Esquivel novel of the same name, the series follows star-crossed lovers Tita (Guaita) and Pedro (Andres Baida), whose romance is thwarted by her family’s traditions, forcing Tita to navigate magic and flavors in the kitchen as she fights for love and embraces her destined path.

HBO reveals that Season 2 “will continue to tell the story of love and struggle, rich in traditional flavors, set during the Mexican Revolution.”

“This will be a season of change and growth for many of our characters, particularly Tita,” said executive producer Salma Hayek Pinault, founder of Ventanarosa Productions, which produces the project. “We are proud to partner with Max and Endemol again for this new season, which will be an intense journey, full of dramatic but also romantic, magical events. I can’t wait for the audience to experience how our story concludes.”

In addition to Guaita and Baida, the returning cast includes Irene Azuela as Mamá Elena; Ana Valeria Becerril as Rosaura, Tita’s sister and love rival; Andrea Chaparro as the brave Gertrudis, Tita’s half-sister; Ángeles Cruz as Nacha, the cook and Tita’s mentor; Francisco Angelini as Dr. Brown; Louis David Horné as the battle-hardened Juan Alejandrez; Mauricio García Lozano as Don Pedro Múzquiz; and Ari Brickman as Don Felipe Múzquiz.

“The success of the first season shows how an authentically Mexican story can also resonate with a global audience, deeply connecting with its universe of flavors and passions. This success drives us to take the second season even further, betting on the high quality of its production and the magnificent team of artists and creators that make this story a truly magical production,” shared Mariano César, SVP, General Entertainment and Programming Strategy at Warner Bros. Discovery Latin America and U.S. Hispanic.

Season 2 is directed by Julián de Tavira, with Ximena Amann serving as director of photography. Jerry Rodríguez serves as showrunner. Head writer is Silvia Ortega Vettoretti with script assistance from Check cinco. Production design by Antonio Muño – Hierro, costume design by Annaí Ramos, and makeup design by María Paz Robles.

The HBO Original series is a production of Ventanarosa Productions, José Tamez, and Siobhan Flynn serving as executive producers, along with Sharon Levy, Lisa Fahrenholt and Flavio Morales for Endemol Shine North America; and Alejandro Rincón, Clara Machado, and Jerry Rodríguez for EndemolShine Boomdog. The executive production of Warner Bros. Discovery is led by Mariano César, Vanessa Miranda, and Anouk Aarón.

Season 1 is available to stream via Max.

Alcon Television Acquires Rights to Diego Gutierrez’s Lucha Libre-Inspired Action Drama “Luchador”

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Diego Gutierrez is wrestling with a new project…  

Alcon Television Group has acquired the rights to the Latino editor, writer and director’s Mexican wrestling drama Luchador.

Diego Gutierrez

Written by Gutierrez, thecharacter-driven action drama centers on a fictional, Lucha Libre-inspired city run by colorful gangs of Mexican wrestlers at the brink of tyranny, and the unlikely young wrestler who becomes its champion and savior, both in and out of the ring.

Lucha Libre

Gutierrez will serve as the executive producer alongside Alcon Television Group’s Andrew Kosove, Broderick Johnson and Ben Roberts. 

Roberts brought the project into Alcon, which will take the project to market later this year.

“We are thrilled to work with Diego in this exciting world he has envisioned for these rich characters,” said Kosove and Johnson. “Creatively we see this as ripe ground for many types of stories in many different mediums.”

Gutierrez is best known as the creator and executive producer of the popular Spanish-language Netflix series Monarca starring Irene Azuela and Juan Manuel Bernal. 

His previous credits include working as a writer and executive producer on From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series, as well as Syfy Network’s Warehouse 13 and Paramount Network’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Netflix Orders Salma Hayek-Produced Original Drama Series “Monarca”

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Salma Hayek is on Flix…

Netflix has ordered Monarca, an original drama series from Mexico produced by the 51-year-old Mexican actress/producer’s Ventanarosa Productions, Lemon Studios and Michael McDonald’s Stearns Castle.

Salma Hayek

Irene Azuela and Juan Manuel Bernal are attached to star, and production is scheduled to begin in the fall for a 2019 global premiere.

Created by Diego Gutierrez, who also serves as showrunner, and written by Lemon Studios’ Fernando Rovzar, Julia Denis, Ana Sofia Clerici and Sandra García Velten, Monarca will follow the world of wealthy Mexican elites riddled by corruption, scandal and violence. Set in the powerful world of Mexican billionaires, Monarca is a high stakes, multi-generational family saga about a tequila-born Mexican business empire, and the battle that ensues when a member of the family decides to fight the dirty system her family helped create.

“I’m extremely excited to partner with Netflix, and to be working with amazing Mexican talent in front of and behind the camera. We are proud to show Mexico as a vibrant, sophisticated and culturally rich nation, fighting to control its own destiny,” said Hayek.

“Mexico is a top priority for us in which to continue to develop series,” said Erik Barmack, VP International Originals, “and we look forward to bringing the best originals to the world through partnerships with key players such as Ventanarosa and Lemon Studios.”

Added Gutierrez: “This is the definition of a passion project for me. Having been born and raised in Mexico, I’m humbled to have the opportunity to tell this story with Netflix and the incredibly talented team of people we’re assembling, both in the U.S. and Mexico.”

Ventanarosa produced Frida, which earned Hayek nominations for an Oscar, Golden Globe, SAG and BAFTA. Its other titles include Emmy and Golden Globe winner Ugly Betty, animated film Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet, The Maldonado Miracle, El coronel no tiene quien le escriba and In the Time of the Butterflies.