Tag Archives: J.J. Abrams

Garcia’s Alcatraz Premieres Tonight

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He played one of the most beloved characters on ABC’s Lost… And, now Jorge Garcia heading back to a different island… Alcatraz!

The 38-year-old half-Cuban/half-Chilean American actor will be returning to television on Fox’s highly anticipated series Alcatraz.

Alcatraz

Premiering tonight, the midseason show presents Garcia as amateur Alcatraz historian Diego Soto, called upon by the government to investigate when inmates from the ’60s mysteriously start showing up in the present day.

Alcatraz has plenty of intrigue, but also plenty of comic relief from Garcia, who can effortlessly charm his way through the thickest of mysteries.

Alcatraz

So how did Garcia, who didn’t know what his next role would be after winning the hearts of millions on Lost, end up on another J.J. Abrams-produced project?

“It was a weird moment of serendipity, in a way,” Garcia tells NYMag.com. “I came back to California and went back into my acting class. I was at one point sitting in that class thinking, Well, let’s see. It’ll probably be a while probably before I get, like, a big job. But right now, I could probably get work playing experts of some kind. And I actually did say ‘experts’ to myself. Then like, a day or so after that, suddenly they released a breakdown, or a character breakdown, for the Alcatraz script. And this part that I already knew they were looking at me for was described as an ‘expert.’”

So is Garcia worried about comparisons between his character on Alcatraz and his beloved Hurley on Lost?

“I’m not worried about it. I’m assuming that they’re going to happen. Ever since Lost ended — actually, correct that, even while Lost was still on, people were looking for what was going to be the next Lost,” says Garcia. “So I wasn’t that concerned. I figured I’m not going to be able to stop these people from trying to make a point of comparison. From the moment I got cast [in Alcatraz], I just knew it was going to be stuff like, ‘From one island to another,’ or those types of little clichés that they’ll use to describe my new job.”

Alcatraz’s two-hour premiere airs tonight on Fox at 8:00 pm ET.

 

Star Trek 2: del Toro Out, Ramirez In?

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Edgar Ramirez received critical acclaim for his playing the infamous terrorist and murderer Carlos the Jackal in the TV miniseries Carlos… And, now he could be playing an out of this world baddie.

With Benicio del Toro no longer interested in starring as the villain in the sequel to the Star Trek reboot  and production set to begin soon, J.J. Abrams is working ‘round the clock to cast the important role. And, he’s reportedly set his sights on Ramirez.

Edgar Ramirez Star Trek

The 34-year-old Venezuelan actor is reportedly in talks to play the villain in Star Trek 2. Although Abrams hasn’t confirmed the role, several sources report the villain character in the film will be Khan. Mexican actor Ricardo Montalban played Khan in the classic Star Trek: Wrath of Khan.

Ramirez reportedly tested for the role via Skype this week.

But he isn’t the only Latino that Abrams is considering.

Jordi Mollà Star Trek

Jordi Mollà is reportedly in the running as well. The 43-year-old Spanish actor has starred in Colombiana, Knight and Day and Bad Boys 2.

Production on the new Star Trek movie is expected to begin on January 15, with Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, John Cho and Anton Yelchin expected to return to the cast.

The movie is scheduled to hit theaters nationwide on May 17, 2013.

 

Del Toro: Star Trek Bound?

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Benicio del Toro could soon be headed to “space: the final frontier”…

The 44-year-old Puerto Rican actor is currently in talks to appear in the Star Trek sequel, as confirmed by the film’s director J.J. Abrams.

Benicio del Toro in talks to star in Star Trek sequel

“Well, we’re just in negotiations, we’re in discussions,” Abrams told MTV News. “It’s not even negotiations—just in discussion. But I would love
to work with him. I’ve wanted to work with him for years, and this felt like a good opportunity. It’s too early to talk about what the role is, but he’s such an amazing actor. He’s so versatile. He could sort of do anything. Except play Uhura. I wouldn’t buy that.”

Abrams reportedly wants Del Toro to play a villain in the sequel to Star Trek, the critically acclaimed 2009 reboot of the Star Trek film franchise that earned a total worldwide gross of $385,494,555.

If Del Toro and Abrams can come to an agreement, he’d star opposite much of the same cast, including fellow Hispanic star Zoe Saldana, who plays Nyota Uhura.

del Toro won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a BAFTA Award for his role as Javier Rodríguez in Traffic.

Jorge Garcia Prison-Bound?

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Former “Lost” star Jorge Garcia is jail-bound… But don’t worry; it’s not for committing a heinous crime.

The 38-year-old half-Cuban, half-Chilean actor and stand-up comedian will star as Dr. Diego “Doc” Soto, an Alcatraz expert and comic book aficionado, in J.J. Abrams’ new thriller “Alcatraz.”

The-cast-of-Alcatraz_
One of the most anticipated new mid-season shows, the new FOX thriller is set in and around San Francisco and follows a team of investigators working on crimes committed by inmates who mysteriously vanished from Alcatraz Island’s notorious prison five decades earlier and come back to continue their evil ways.

The new series is getting a lot of comparisons to ABC’s cult classic “Lost,” which was co-created by Abrams. It’s doesn’t just feature Garcia—who played the lovable Hurley on the drama–but it focuses on a mysterious island, features an extensive use flashbacks and could even include some time travel.

“The big difference between this show and ‘Lost’ is that this show has an incredibly aggressive story engine,” says Alcatraz’s showrunner Elizabeth Sarnoff, who served as a writer on “Lost.” “There’s gonna be a bad guy they’re gonna have to catch every week. We want to answer these questions. We want to explore the mythology. We want to do flashbacks and see Alcatraz in [its] heyday.”

Debuting in January 2012 as a midseason replacement on FOX, “Alcatraz” will air on Mondays at 9 pm Eastern.