Gabriel Luna to Star in Peacock’s Limited Series “Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy”

Posted on August 27, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Gabriel Luna has landed a devilish role…

The 41-year-old Mexican American actor and former Matador star will appear as a series regular in Peacock’s upcoming limited series Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy.

Luna is joined by fellow series cast members James Badge Dale, Michael Angarano, Chris Sullivan and Marin Ireland.

They join previously announced Michael Chernus, who portrays the titular real-life serial killer.

The scripted, dramatized series chronicles the harrowing crimes of one of America’s most notorious serial killers and the investigation that ultimately brought him down. It’s inspired by the 2021 Peacock docuseries produced by NBC News Studios of the same name.

From 1972-1978, thirty-three young men were kidnapped, murdered and buried in a crawl space beneath the house of their killer, Gacy, who went undetected for years because he was charming and funny, had a good, all-American job, was a community leader and even volunteered to entertain sick kids… while dressed as a clown.

Luna will play Detective Rafael Tovar; Dale will play Chief of Detectives Joe Kozenczak; Angarano will play Sam Amirante; Sullivan will play Lead Prosecutor Bill Kunkle; Ireland will play Elizabeth Piest.

Peacock reveals Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy peels back the twisted layers of Gacy’s life while weaving in the heartrending stories of his mostly gay victims; exploring the grief, guilt, and trauma of their families and friends; and exposing the systemic failures, missed opportunities and societal prejudices that fueled his reign of terror. peels back the twisted layers of Gacy’s life while weaving in the heartrending stories of his mostly gay victims; exploring the grief, guilt, and trauma of their families and friends; and exposing the systemic failures, missed opportunities and societal prejudices that fueled his reign of terror.

Luna’s previous credits include The Last of Us, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Wicked City and Terminator: Dark Fate.

Desmin Borges Starring in Indie Drama “On the End”

Posted on July 29, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Desmin Borges has reached the end…

The 40-year-old half-Puerto Rican actor is starring in On the End, an indie drama for Moontown Productions and Wise Child Studios.

The film, Ari Selinger’s feature debut as writer-director, has wrapped production in Montauk, NY.

The film’s leads include Tim Blake Nelson, Mireille Enos, James Badge Dale, Lois Smith and Anna Chlumsky.

In addition to Borges, who starred in Shotgun Wedding, the support cast includes Matthew Maher, Glenn Fleshler, Michelle Hurd and Sawyer Spielberg.

Inspired by a true story, On the End centers on Tom (Nelson), a down-on-his-luck Montauk mechanic who finds unexpected love with Freckles (Enos), a fellow outcast. Their budding romance faces a dire threat when local elites conspire to forcibly remove Tom from his beachfront home and auto repair shop. As Tom and Freckles fight back, their love story evolves into a David vs. Goliath battle against greed and power in the rapidly changing town known locally as “The End.”

In a statement on the origins of the project, Selinger told Deadline, “I met a mechanic named Tom Ferriera on Navy Beach back in 2011. Little did I know his life would become the blueprint for On the End, a real-life fable set in a hidden corner of the Hamptons. Although it begins in 2008, the film explores issues of class disparity and gentrification that resonate just as powerfully today. At its core, though, it’s a raw and poignant love story. For my first feature, having collaborators like Tim and Mireille was something out of a dream. I can only hope the audience feels the same magic that I felt filming on the beach in Montauk.”

Borges’ previous credits include You’re the Worst, Utopia, The Time Traveler’s Wife and Living with Yourself.

Starz to Premiere Third & Final Season of Monica Raymund’s “Hightown” in January

Posted on December 13, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Monica Raymund is preparing for her swan song…

Starz has announced that season three of its drama series Hightown, starring the 37-year-old half-Dominican American actress, will be its last.

From creator Rebecca Cutter, Hightown premiered in 2020 with Raymund set as the gritty crime drama’s star.

The series is set in the beautiful but bleak world of Cape Cod and follows Jackie Quiñonez’s journey to sobriety is overshadowed by a murder investigation dragging her into its fold.

Set to premiere on January 26, the third and final season follows Massachusetts State Trooper Jackie Quiñones (Raymund) who has fallen off the wagon and her job due to it. Jackie doesn’t let any of that stop her from trying to help save many of the most often ignored and forgotten victims in Cape Cod, sex workers.

In Season 2, Quiñones finally becomes a real cop with the hope of doing some good in this world. Thrust immediately into the crime wave of deadly carfentanyl flooding the Cape, she was laser-focused on bringing down drug dealer Frankie Cuevas (Amaury Nolasco), the man she holds responsible for the death of her best friend, Junior (Shane Harper). With disgraced officer Ray Abruzzo (James Badge Dale) off the force and mired in depression, Jackie finds a new partner in Leslie (Tonya Glanz), the only other female on the force. Through it all, Jackie must walk the tightrope of sobriety as she struggles to stay above an ocean of secrets, betrayal and the shame and failure of her past.

In addition to Raymund, Dale and Nolasco, the returning cast includes Riley Voelkel, Atkins Estimond and Dohn Norwood. Imani Lewis, Mark Boone Junior and Mike Pniewski return in recurring roles while Ana Nogueira, Taja V. Simpson, Michael Drayer, Garret Dillahunt and Jeanine Serralles all guest star.

Michael Mando Starring in Crime Drama “King Ivory”

Posted on July 25, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Michael Mando is back on the set of King Ivory…

After being forced to halt production with the launch of the SAG-AFTRA strike, the crime drama King Ivory, starring the 42-year-old Latino-Canadian actor, has returned to filming in and around Tulsa, Oklahoma.

From writer-director John Swab, the film has been named just recently as one of 39 productions that will benefit from a SAG Interim Agreement.

Previously unannounced actors who have been able to return to set, pursuant to the agreement, include James Badge Dale, Ben Foster, Mando (Better Call Saul), Rory Cochrane, Ritchie Coster, George Carroll, Sam Quartin, Graham Greene and Melissa Leo.

While production on the majority of studio projects has been shuttered, amidst a dual strike by SAG-AFTRA and the WGA, the actors guild is offering interim agreements to the projects of “truly independent producers,” with no affiliation to the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, the understanding being that these producers will be bound retroactively to contract terms secured once the SAG-AFTRA strike resolves.

Based on extensive research involving Oklahoma law enforcement and active gang members, King Ivory offers a never-before-seen, authentic look inside the underworld of fentanyl trafficking from gangs inside the Oklahoma State Penitentiary at McAlester a.k.a. “Big Mac.” With potency 100 times that of heroin and nearly undetectable at the border, the drug nicknamed King Ivory has flooded the market, triggering a tidal wave of overdoses, crime and addiction. The film chronicles the efforts of a joint local, state and federal task force, led by Layne West (Dale), Ty (Carroll) and Beatty (Cochrane), to prevent the trafficking of the Irish Mob’s George “Smiley” Greene (Foster), his mother Ginger (Leo) and uncle Mickey (Coster), in partnership with the Indian Brotherhood’s Holt (Greene) and the New Generation Mexican cartel’s Ramón (Mando).

Newly minted PGA member Jeremy M. Rosen is producing the film under his Roxwell Films banner, alongside Nicole Flores.

“John and I feel strongly that King Ivory is our best and most timely script and cast to date,” said Rosen in a statement to Deadline. “Fentanyl has proven to be perhaps the most fatal pandemic in modern history, claiming countless lives, including our late friend and Body Brokers lead actor, Michael Kenneth Williams. King Ivory is a proudly independent production. We are grateful to SAG-AFTRA for making the Interim Agreement available to us amidst this climate of important change.”

Best known for his role as Nacho Varga on Better Call Saul, Mando has also been seen in films like The Hummingbird Project and Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Gravitas Ventures Acquires Worldwide Rights to Jordana Brewster’s “On Our Way”

Posted on March 22, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Jordana Brewster’s latest project is on its way to a theater near you…

Gravitas Ventures has acquired the worldwide rights to the drama On Our Way, starring the 42-year-old half-Brazilian Panamanian actress.

The film is the feature directorial debut of Sophie Lane Curtis and also stars Micheál Richardson, Keith Powers and James Badge Dale.

Vanessa Redgrave, Paul Ben-Victor, Ruby Modine and Franco Nero also star.

Gravitas will release the film in theaters and on-demand on May 19.

On Our Way centers a tormented young filmmaker (Richardson) struggling to accept his latest script, which reveals how he lost the love of his life (Curtis). Shuffling between past, present and fantasy, the film explores art’s ability to heal the wounds that inspire it.

On Our Way premiered internationally at Tallinn Black Nights and Ischia Global Film Festival where it was awarded Best Director (Curtis) and Best Actor (Richardson). Shot between New York and the South of France, this non-linear story aims to ignite the will to keep going when all hope seems lost.

Luis Guzmán to Appear on Season 2 of Starz’s Crime Drama Series “Hightown”

Posted on November 21, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Luis Guzmán is coming to (High)town…

The 64-year-old Puerto Rican actor has been cast for a season-long arc on the second season of Starz’s crime drama series Hightown, starring Monica Raymund, from Jerry Bruckheimer and Lionsgate Television.

Production is currently underway on the 10-episode second season of the series created by Rebecca Cutter, who will make her television directorial debut this season. Oscar–nominated filmmaker Rachel Morrison will return to direct two episodes. Raymund, Dawn Wilkinson, Radium Cheung and Eagle Egilsson are also tapped to direct this season.

Guzmán will play Jorge Cuevas, Frankie’s (Amaury Nolasco) cousin. A charming and hilarious yet dangerous sociopath. Also joining the recurring cast are Jona Xiao as Daisy, a stripper at Xavier’s. Bubbly and working class with a hard edge. She’s got swag and can handle herself. Charline St. Charles as Henriette, first generation Haitian-American, wife of Sgt. Saintille (Dohn Norwood) and Dominic L. Santana as Chuleta, Jorge (Guzman) & Frankie’s (Nolasco) muscle.

They join returning cast members Raymund, James Badge Dale, Riley Voelkel, Nolasco, Atkins Estimond and Dohn Norwood. Tonya Glanz also returns in a heavily recurring role as Leslie Babcock, Jackie’s (Raymund) partner in the Narcotics Unit.

“I’m so in love with this cast and the way they brought my vision to life in Season One,” said Cutter, who recently entered an overall deal with Lionsgate Television. “Now I feel inspired to create in a whole new way, through directing. I will be learning from some of the best in the business – Rachel Morrison and Monica Raymund — and I can’t wait to showcase Cape Cod in a new light as we focus on the off-season. We are thrilled to be back in production and bringing you the next chapter in this story.”

Jordana Brewster to Star in the Surreal Indie Drama “On Our Way”

Posted on October 29, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Jordana Brewster is on her way…

The 40-year-old half-Brazilian Panamanian actress and The Fast & the Furious franchise star will star in the surreal indie drama On Our Way.

The film, which will also star Micheàl Richardson, Keith Powers and James Badge Dale, marks the directorial debut for actress Sophie Lane Curtis. Paul Ben Victor and Ruby Modine are also on board.

The film follows a deeply troubled filmmaker (Richardson) as he battles a voice inside his head while making his first film. When a muse in the form of an aspiring actress (Curtis) enters the picture, he’ll be forced to face a tragic past he is desperate to escape from.

The film is shooting in New York City this fall.

Brewster’s previous credits include TNT’s Dallas reboot, the drama The Invisible Circus, the action comedy D.E.B.S. and the horror film The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning.

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