del Toro Eyeing Benedict Cumberbatch for “Frankenstein” Role

Posted on July 12, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Guillermo del Toro has set his sites on a Star Trek-sized leading man for his next big project…

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, the 48-year-old Mexican filmmaker divulged that he’d like to direct British actor Benedict Cumberbatch in his reimaging of Frankenstein, which is currently slated for release in 2015.

Cumberbatch recently garnered rave reviews for his portrayal of Khan in Star Trek Into Darkness, in which he starred opposite Zoë Saldaña.

del Toro’s Frankenstein project has been in the works since 2009, and he hasn’t attached any cast yet. Considering that he’s wanted Hellboy actor Doug Jones to play the monster for years, Cumberbatch would most likely portray Dr. Victor Frankenstein, the role he already played in the 2011 stage production of Frankenstein directed by Danny Boyle.

del Toro will work with Cumberbatch in Crimson Peak, the upcoming horror thriller from Universal Pictures. Set for release in April 2015, the film will also star Charlie Hunnam, Jessica Chastain and Mia Wasikowska.

del Toro is currently busy promoting Pacific Rim, which opened this Friday, on July 12.

del Toro Lands All-Star Cast for His Next Film “Crimson Peak”

Posted on April 5, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Guillermo del Toro has rounded out an A-list ensemble for his next film…

The 48-year-old Mexican filmmaker has cast Benedict Cumberbatch, Jessica Chastain, Emma Stone and Charlie Hunnam in his haunted house thriller Crimson Peak for Legendary Pictures.

The film – the next movie to be directed by del Toro after helming the highly anticipated Pacific Rim, which comes out later this year – and is set to begin shooting in January 2014.

del Toro, who originally wrote the ghost story script with collaborator Matthew Robbins for Universal Pictures, is having Lucinda Coxon rewrite the script.

del Toro previously told Deadline.com that Crimson Peak is best described as “a very set-oriented, classical but at the same time modern take on the ghost story. It will allow me to play with the conventions of the genre I know and love, and at the same time subvert the old rules.”

Legendary will produce the film and be a participating financing partner, with Universal retaining an option to finance at a later date.

Meanwhile, del Toro’s Pacific Rim is due out July 12 via Warner Bros.

Rodriguez to Present at This Year’s WGA Award

Posted on February 5, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Rico Rodriguez has a date with the Writers Guild of America…

The 14-year-old Modern Family star, who just earned his third straight SAG Award for best comedy ensemble, has been confirmed as a presenter at the 2013 Writers Guild Awards (WGA Awards) Los Angeles ceremony later this month.

Rodriguez, an ALMA Award winner, will present alongside his Modern Family co-stars Julie Bowen and Eric Stonestreet.

Other presenters include Zero Dark Thirty’s Jessica Chastain, Private Practice’s Kate Walsh, Castle’s Stana Katic and Parks and Recreation’s Amy Poehler.

Nathan Fillion, the star of ABC’s Castle, will serve as the night’s host.

The WGA Awards will take place on Sunday, February 17, at the JW Marriott L.A. LIVE.

del Toro Looking to Cast Emma Stone for “Crimson Peak”

Posted on January 17, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Guillermo del Toro has set his sights on a new leading lady…

The Amazing Spider-Man’s Emma Stone is in talks to star in the 48-year-old Mexican filmmaker’s latest project Crimson Peak.

Stone is still in early negotiations to join the haunted house thriller, according to Variety. It’s still unclear what Stone would tackle as the movie’s plot details are still being kept under wraps.

In addition to directing the film, del Toro will write the script along with Lucinda Coxon.

Crimson Peak will mark del Toro’s return to horror film genre following his work on the sci-fi action flick Pacific Rim.

Further details of the project are still scarce, but it is said that the Hellboy helmer is looking at a February 2014 start date for the project.

del Toro recently served as the executive producer for Andres Muschietti‘s horror film Mama, which stars Jessica Chastain. The film will open in theaters this Friday, January 18.

del Toro Offers Behind-The-Scenes Look at “Mama”

Posted on January 9, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Curious to learn what it takes to create a thriller? Then you’re in luck…

Mexican filmmaker Guillero del Toro is giving the online community an inside look at Mama, the supernatural thriller he produced, through a special featurette.

Starring Jessica Chastain and Game Of Thrones’ Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, the film tells the haunting tale of two little girls who disappeared into the woods the day that their parents were killed.

They are rescued years later and taken in by family, but they apparently aren’t the only ones who make their way into the girls’ home.

“We are not only telling a story of a monster, we are telling the story of a very human emotion,” says del Toro.

Mama will open in theaters on Friday, January 18.

New Trailers Released for the del Toro-Produced Thriller “Mama”

Posted on January 7, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Guillermo del Toro has produced a film that will likely scare the bejesus out of moviegoers…

Universal Pictures has released new clips from Mama, a supernatural thriller produced by the 48-year-old Mexican filmmaker behind the highly anticipated sci-fi film Pacific Rim.

Starring Jessica Chastain and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, the clips highlight eerie scenes centered around two mysterious little girls who are rescued by Chastain’s and Coster-Waldau’s characters.

In one trailer, Chastain and Coster-Waldau welcome the two girls into their home, but one the little girls seems terrified for no apparent reason as she keeps hiding her face behind her sister’s back. In another, Chastain is seen playing a guitar alone in the kitchen when suddenly the light dies down and she’s freaked out by the sudden appearance of one of the girls on top of the kitchen table.

del Toro’s “Mama” tells the haunting tale of two little girls who disappeared in the woods the day that their parents were killed. When they are rescued years later and begin a new life, they find that someone or something still wants to come tuck them in at night.

Mama was directed by Andres Muschietti, from a script penned by Muschietti and Barbara Muschietti.

Mama is due to open in the U.S. on January 18.

NY Film Critics Circle Names Ramírez’s “Zero Dark Thirty” Best Film

Posted on December 3, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Édgar Ramírez’s latest film is already proving to be an awards darling, even though it hasn’t been released in theaters yet…

The New York Film Critics Circle has named Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty, which stars the 35-year-old Venezuelan actor as a military member, its film of the year.

The group also named Bigelow its best director for the war drama, which centers on the hunt for Osama bin Laden.

Zero Dark Thirty came under criticism from various groups recently, claiming that Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal were granted access to classified documents by the Obama administration while making the film, which chronicles the manhunt that led to the eventual killing of bin Laden in a Navy SEA raid.

Bigelow and Boal went on Nightline last week to deny they had received classified information. “I certainly did a lot of homework, but I never asked for classified materials; to my knowledge, I never received any,” Boal told Martha Raddatz.

Zero Dark Thirty, which also stars Jessica Chastain, Chris Pratt and Joel Edgerton, will be released in U.S. theaters on December 19.

del Toro’s “Mama” Trailer Released…

Posted on October 18, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

He’s tackled the supernatural and dark fantasy worlds on the big screen… And, now Guillermo del Toro is getting his horror on.

Universal has released a new trailer for Mama, a horror film executive-produced by the 48-year-old Mexican filmmaker, who is best known for his films Hellboy and Pan’s Labyrinth.

The film centers on a couple, Annabel and Lucas, that is faced with the challenge of raising Lucas’ young nieces, who were discovered in a forest after being lost there for five years. It soon becomes apparent that the girls are being haunted by a ghostly woman they believe to be their mother. Meanwhile, Annabel plans to use the girls in a bid to bring back her own dead children.

Directed by Andres Muschietti, the supernatural thriller starring Jessica Chastain and Game Of Thrones’ Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.

The film is based on Muschietti’s Spanish-language short film Mamá, which was released in 2008.

Mama opens nationwide January 18, 2013.

Ramirez Appears in Latest Trailer for “Zero Dark Thirty”

Posted on October 12, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

I spy Édgar Ramírez’s next big hit…

The 35-year-old Venezuelan actor, who will soon be starring as Simón Bolívar on the big screen, appears in the latest trailer for Zero Dark Thirty.

The film, directed by Kathryn Bigelow, chronicles the decade-long hunt for Osama bin Laden by the United States and CIA operatives, ending with the May 2, 2011 raid by Navy Seal Team 6 and the bin Laden’s death.

In addition to Ramírez, the Sony picture stars Jessica Chastain, Chris Pratt and Joel Edgerton.

Zero Dark Thirty is scheduled for release December 19.

Bichir Receives First-Ever Oscar Nomination…

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Demián Bichir is following in the footsteps of legendary actor Anthony Quinn…

The 48-year-old former telenovela star has become only the second Mexican actor to receive a lead actor Academy Award nomination; nearly 50 years after Quinn won an Oscar for his role in Zorba the Greek.

Bichir received the nod for his starring role in A Better Life where he played Carlos Galindo, an illegal immigrant gardener living in East Los Angeles. Struggling to remain employed but undetected by immigration authorities, Galindo attempts to provide a better life for his American-born son.

“I’m overwhelmed for having my name among those incredible actors,” Bichir tells Us Weekly in a statement. “This could have never happened if Chris Weitz had not been the head of this film. He is my brother and I thank him deeply.”

Bichir’s performance—which led to a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination and Independent Spirit Awards nod, has simmered on Hollywood’s back burner since awards season began.

“You know, when you encounter a character like this and a project like this, the first reaction is how lucky I am,” said Bichir in a recent interview with USA Today. “Because this is my Hamlet. This is my King Lear… It’s a bigger-than-life character that any actor would fight for it, would die to do it.”

Bichir will face-off against George Clooney (The Descendants), Jean Dujardin (The Artist), Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) and Brad Pitt (Moneyball).

Meanwhile, Bérénice Bejo is also a first-time Oscar nominee. The 35-year-old Argentine star—who was the best-dressed Latina at this year’s Golden Globes—received a Best Supporting Actress nod for her star-making role in The Artist.

Bejo is up against Jessica Chastain (The Help), Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids), Janet McTeer (Albert Nobbs) and  Octavia Spencer (The Help).

Here’s a look at the other Latinos nominated for an Academy Award this year:

Music (Original Score):
Alberto Iglesias, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Music (Original Song):
Sergio Mendes, Carlinhos Brown & Siedah Garrett, “Real in Rio” from Rio

Martin Scorsese’s Hugo was this year’s most nominated film with 11 nods, followed by Michel Hazanavicius’ The Artist, with 10.

The 84th Academy Awards will be televised on ABC on Sunday, Feb. 26.

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