Tag Archives: Kahlil Gibran

Salma Hayek’s Ventanarosa Productions Developing HBO Max Series Based on Leslie Lehr’s Book “A Boob’s Life”

Posted on by
Reply

Salma Hayek is putting the boob in boob tube…

The 54-year-old Mexican actress/producer’s Ventanarosa Productions is helping develop Leslie Lehr’s book A Boob’s Life as a series for HBO Max.

Salma Hayek

The project marks the first project they’ll develop under their new first-look deal with the company.

A Boob’s Life is a half hour comedy about Leslie, a woman turning 40 and in crisis, whose life gets turned upside down when her boobs start talking to her, forcing her to look at herself in a completely different light. The show blows open the reality of life in a female body in a culture that is obsessed with breasts.

The series will be based off Lehr’s book A Boob’s Life: How America’s Obsession Shaped Me—and You, which is being released on March 2 by Pegasus Books. Lehr will also serve as an executive producer.

Hayek will executive produce alongside Jose Tamez and Siobhan Flynn under their Ventanarosa Productions banner.

Cynthia Mort, who created and produced the HBO series Tell Me You Love Me, will write and serve as showrunner and executive producer for the series.

“We are so appreciative that HBO Max was insightful and bold enough to develop this show with us,” said Hayek. “In A Boob’s Life, we use breasts as a metaphor for the constant judgement women are submitted to, creating a collective sensation that no matter what we do we are never enough. In this show, we give the breast a voice that takes us through the life of a woman from a unique perspective that often we don’t dare to see.”

Ventanarosa Productions was founded by Hayek in 1998. The company’s highlights include Frida, which won two Academy Awards, The Maldonado Miracle, Ugly Betty and Kahlil Gibran’s animated film The Prophet. Other credits include the recently announced Santa Evita at Fox Latin America and Netflix’s Monarca, which recently released its second season.

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

Posted on by
Reply

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.

 

GKIDS to Release Hayek’s “Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet” in August

Posted on by
Reply

Salma Hayek’s latest personal project is headed to theaters in August…

GKIDS has announced plans to release Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet on August 7 in Los Angeles and New York before expanding it nationwide the following week.

Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet

The animated film, adapted from Kahlil Gibran‘s book The Prophet, was spearheaded by Hayek and features a narrative story written and directed by Roger Allers (The Lion King), with “chapters” based on Gibran’s poems designed and directed by animation directors including Tomm Moore, Joan Gratz, Bill Plympton, Nina Paley, Joann Sfar, Paul and Gaetan Brizzi, Michal Socha and Mohammed Harib.

Hayek, Liam Neeson, Quvenzhané Wallis, John Krasinski, Frank Langella and Alfred Molina make up the voice cast.

The Prophet is a book of 26 prose poetry essays written in English by the Lebanese artist, philosopher and writer. It was originally published in 1923 by Alfred A. Knopf. It is Gibran’s best-known work. The Prophet has been translated into over 40 different languages and has never been out of print.

Hayek Executive-Producing “The Cisco Kid” Reboot for CBS

Posted on by
Reply

Salma Hayek is looking to bring an iconic Latino character back to television…

CBS has put in development The Cisco Kid – a reimagining of the half-hour Western television series starring Duncan Renaldo in the title role – with the 46-year-old Mexican actress, director and producer and X-Men’s Lauren Shuler Donner executive producing the project.

Salma Hayek

The Cisco Kid, written by Diego Gutierrez, is being hailed as a modern day retelling of the classic story of a handsome outlaw and his faithful sidekick similar to Lethal Weapon. It follows Cisco as he returns to Los Angeles after serving several tours as a Marine in Afghanistan.

After witnessing the murder of his father, Cisco and his best friend/fellow Marine, Sam, team up to solve the case and subsequently find themselves doing what the authorities can’t — defending the city’s oppressed and disenfranchised.

The Cisco Kid

First introduced in O. Henry’s 1907 short story The Caballero’s Way, the Cisco Kid became a fixture of 20th century pop culture — a rare achievement for a Latino character. The character went on to headline more than a dozen movies, beginning with the 1914 silent film The Caballero’s Way and most recently a 1994 TV movie starring Jimmy Smits as Cisco and Cheech Marin as his sidekick Pancho. The role won an Academy Award for Warner Baxter, who played Cisco in several movies. The Cisco character also spawned radio shows, comic books as well as an oft-covered song by War. On television, The Cisco Kid syndicated series starring Renaldo ran from 1950-56.

In its quest to create Latino-themed projects, CBS – the network behind the drama series Cane and comedy Rob, decided to place its bets on this fourth high-profile reboot at the network this season. CBS also has reboots of Beverly Hills Cop from Shawn Ryan and Eddie Murphy, the Vince Vaughn-produced The Brady Bunch, and Have Gun, Will Travel from David Mamet.

Hayek’s production company Ventanarosa co-produced the ABC dramedy Ugly Betty as part of its goal to develop, produce and acquire mainstream projects that either draw on Latin themes or feature Latin talent, both in front of and behind the camera. In features, the company has produced films like Frida. In addition, she’s developing The Prophet, an animated adaptation of Kahlil Gibran’s book, which has sold more than 100 million copies worldwide.