The 51-year-old Mexican actress will star opposite Dave Bautista in the action film Trap House.
del Castillo is among a roster of new cast additions that includes Jack Champion, Sophia Lillis, Tony Dalton, Whitney Peak and Bobby Cannavale.
Inde Navarrette, Zaire Adams and Blu del Barrio have also joined the cast.
Principal photography is set to begin today.
Michael Dowse will direct a script written by Fast & Furious creator Gary ScottThompson and Tom O’Connor. The action film follows an undercover DEA agent and his partner who embark on a game of cat and mouse with an audacious group of thieves: their own rebellious teenagers, who have begun robbing from a dangerous cartel, using their parents’ tactics and top-secret intel to pull off their heists.
Trap House is produced by Marc Goldberg and Sarah Gabriel of Signature Films, Michael Pruss and Rebecca Feuer of Scott Free Productions with Ridley Scott executive producing alongside Bautista and Jonathan Meisner of Bautista’s Dogbone Entertainment and Todd Lundbohm of 828 Productions.
The feature is financed and executive produced by Christian Mercuri’s Capstone Studios, Signature Entertainment, Creativity Media and Koala, and Ashland Hill Media Finance.
Dogbone and Signature developed Trap House after working together on 2018’s actioner Final Score, which starred Bautista alongside Pierce Brosnan.
del Castillo currently stars in Fox’s The Cleaning Lady.
Cannavale’s film credits include Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman and Old Dads.
The 51-year-old Mexican actress and former telenovela star and 45-year-old Chilean actor Santiago Cabrera will play siblings Ramona and Jorge Sanchez in series regular roles on the third season of Fox’s The Cleaning Lady.
del Castillo’s character is described as the elegant, beautiful and regal matriarch of the Sanchez family who has the grace and quiet wisdom that belies a ruthless cunning below the surface. To the world, she’s a benevolent philanthropist, art collector and loving aunt to a young child, but behind closed doors, she’s shrewd, powerful and fiercely protective of her family, her business and her many dark secrets.
Her brother, portrayed by Cabrera, is intelligent and intuitive with a deep inner strength. He was born in Mexico but raised in the U.S. with all the privileges that newfound wealth has brought to his family. A Harvard Law grad, Jorge has been working as a successful businessman using legitimate business fronts to launder money and serve as a fixer in his family’s organization. Struggling with his wife’s untimely death, he cycles through stages of grief and an insatiable rage at the world, often making him volatile and unpredictable. The only joy left in his life is his daughter, Violeta, whom he strives to protect above all else.
Based on the hit original Argentine series, The Cleaning Lady follows Thony De La Rosa (Élodie Yung), a whip-smart Cambodian doctor who comes to the U.S. for a medical treatment to save her ailing son, but when the system fails and attempts to push her down, Thony refuses to be marginalized, and instead takes matters into her own hands. Forced to use unconventional measures to protect her family and save the ones she loves; Thony further crosses the moral line as she gets deeper entwined in the criminal underbelly of Las Vegas.
The series also stars Adan Canto, Martha Millan, Sebastien & Valentino LaSalle, Sean Lew, Faith Bryant and Eva De Dominic.
Miranda Kwok developed the series. Kwok and Jeannine Renshaw serve as showrunners and executive producers of season three.
Rose Marie Vega and Paola Suarez also are executive producers. Shay Mitchell and David Dean Portelli are executive consultants.
del Castillo’s previous credits include the career-defining hit telenovela La Reina del Sur, Ingobernable and Dallas.
Cabrera’s previous credits include The Flight Attendant, Star Trek: Picard and Merlin..
Nickelodeon is relaunching the famed Latina explorer in new animated theatrical short, Dora and the Fantastical Creatures, featuring the Latina actress in the voice cast as the titular character, exclusively in theaters on Friday, September 29.
The short film will precede the Spin Master Entertainment/Nickelodeon Movies/Paramount picture, PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie.
It’s a Dora like you’ve never seen her before — in complete CGI animation.
The new CGI animated preschool series of Dora will debut in spring 2024 on Paramount+ stateside. Internationally, Dora will stream day-and-date on Paramount+ and air on Nickelodeon channels in all markets where available.
In Dora and the Fantastical Creatures, Dora (Zermeño) and Boots (Asher Spence) embark on an incredible adventure to the land of alebrijes, the most magical and colorful creatures in the rainforest. There, they must band together against Swiper (Marc Weiner) to save the beloved alebrijes and their Copal Tree Celebration.
The short film also features: Anairis Quiñones as Luna Arcoiris; Danny Burstein as Sol; and Kate del Castillo as Ale. Following the debut of Dora and the Fantastical Creatures, additional Dora content will also be available across Nickelodeon platforms, Paramount+ and Noggin.
The short is produced by Nickelodeon Animation in Burbank, Calif. William Mata is directing from a screenplay by Alejandro Bien-Willner and a story by Bien-Willner and Sean Gill. Production is overseen by Eryk Casemiro, Executive Vice President, Global Animated Series, Nickelodeon. Miriam Ritchie and Marielle Kaar serve as Nickelodeon’s Executives in Charge of Production for the short. Dora the Explorer is created by Chris Gifford, Valerie Walsh Valdes and Eric Weiner.
Joining the cast of Dora and the Fantastical Creatures in the new Dora series are additional voice actors, including: Anairis Quiñones as Map and The Fiesta Trio’s armadillo; Maria Canals-Barrera as Abuela; Danny Burstein as Grumpy Old Troll, and The Fiesta Trio’s frog and marmoset; Katarina Sky as Backpack; Donovan Monzon-Sanders as Tico; Tandi Fomukong as Isa; Quintún Muñoz as Benny; and Chris Gifford as Big Red Chicken.
Esai Morales could be preparing for a little shadow play soon…
The 60-year-old Puerto Rican actor is in talks to star in the action thriller Shadow, which XYZ Films has boarded.
XYZ acquired world sales — minus select territories — to the film, which is inspired by true events.
Colombian filmmaker Antonio Negret is directing from a screenplay he co-wrote with his brother Daniel Negret.
The film will begin production in the fall in Colombia.
The plot follows a real-life Colombian police dog named Sombra, who, after piling up hundreds of arrests, became the cartel’s public number one enemy. As a result, a bounty is put on her head. After the cartel’s new leader sets a trap to abduct the dog, Sombra’s once reluctant handler must risk his life and career to save his partner.
The cast features Colombian actors Juan Pablo Raba and Natalia Reyes alongside Kate Del Castillo.
Previously sold territories include Latin America (CDC), Brazil (CDC), Mexico (CDC), Russia (Volga), Middle East (Selim), Korea (Noori), and Indonesia (PT Amero).
“After having spent a great deal of time in Colombia, I became incredibly passionate about and committed to telling important and inspiring stories from a regional perspective with local stars like Juan Pablo & Natalia,” said Sentient president Renee Tab. “I’m looking forward to once again teaming up with long-term collaborators Pierre Morel, and Antonio Negret (as well as his brother Daniel) to shape this true story into an action narrative inspired by a drug-sniffing German Shepherd named Sombra.”
Morales’ previous credits include La Bamba, American Family, Resurrection Boulevard, Ozark and Titans.
Negret is best known for his debut film Towards Darkness, starring America Ferrera, which premiered in competition at Tribeca. His follow-ups Seconds Apart, a supernatural horror/thriller, was released by Lionsgate, and thriller Transitstarring Jim Caviezel, was released by Silver Pictures/Dark Castle.
The 49-year-old Mexican actress and telenovela star has signed with Buchwald.
del Castillo stars in Telemundo’s hit drama La Reina del Sur.
One of the highest rated Spanish-language series in the world, La Reina del Sur adapts the bestseller by Spanish novelist Arturo Perez-Reverte. In the crime drama, which recently wrapped filming for Season 3, del Castillo plays Teresa Mendonza, a woman from Mexico who becomes the most powerful drug trafficker in southern Spain.
Castillo recently completed a two-series deal with Telemundo. Her production company, Cholawood, has a first-look development deal with Boomdog, the Mexico City-based division of Endemol Shine North America.
The actress starred opposite Will Smith as the villain in Sony’s Bad Boys for Life, also recently featuring on NBC’s sitcomMr. Mayor, from creators Tina Fey and Robert Carlock, and the Netflix animated series Maya and the Three, created by Jorge R. Gutiérrez.
She rose to acclaim in America with her performance in Fox Searchlight’s Under the Same Moon, which is one of the highest-grossing Spanish-language theatrical releases in U.S. history, and has also featured in such films as Bordertown, No Good Deedand All About Nina.
del Castillo has also appeared in series including PBS’ Golden Globe and Emmy-nominated drama American Family, The CW’sJane the Virgin and Showtime’s Weeds, among others. Her one-woman Off-Broadway show, The Way She Spoke, made her the first Latina actress to earn Drama Desk, Drama League and Lucille Lortel Award nominations.
A philanthropist and outspoken global activist, del Castillo was appointed Ambassador for the Mexican Commission on Human Rights to combat human trafficking in 2009.
The 38-year-old Mexican American actor and former Quinceañera star has landed the lead role in Eva Longoria’s feature directorial debut Flamin’ Hot from Searchlight Pictures and Franklin Entertainment.
Garcia will play Richard Montanez, the architect of the Flamin’ Hot Cheeto, while Annie Gonzalez of Gentefied will portray his wife, Judy.
Flamin’ Hot tells the true life story of Richard Montanez, the Frito Lay janitor who took inspiration from his Mexican American heritage to create Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, the snack that disrupted the food industry and became a pop culture phenomenon.
Desperate Housewives actress and Telenovela, Grand Hotel, and Devious Maids EP Longoria beat out several directors for the job after impressing Franklin and Searchlight with her authentic approach to the project.
“It has been my biggest priority to make sure we are telling Richard Montañez’s story authentically,” said Longoria in a statement. “I am so happy to have two extremely talented and fellow Mexican-Americans on board in these pivotal roles. Jesse and Annie have a deep understanding of our community and will be able to help tell this story of great importance for our culture.”
Also new to Flamin’ Hot is scribe Linda Yvette Chavez who has come aboard for revisions on the Lewis Colick-penned screenplay. Chavez is the creator of Netflix’s Gentefied and she’s also adapting I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughterat the streamer for America Ferrera’s upcoming directorial debut.
Garcia appears in the Searchlight Pictures title Under the Same Moon, alongside Kate del Castillo and Ferrera. He has been widely recognized for his role in the highly acclaimed Quinceañera winner of the Audience Award and the Grand Jury Prize at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. For his performance as Carlos, Garcia was nominated and won the prestigious ALMA Award (American Latino Media Arts) as Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture in 2007. Garcia can also be seen in The Avengers.
Gonzalez is a Chicana actress and East Los Angeles native. She grew up singing with the band Quetzal, (which has been a noted force in the Chicano movement), was one of the original dancers on Jamm X Kidsfor the WB and has been appearing on TV since the age of 10. She is most known for her roles in Gentefied, Vida, Shameless, and Legion. She was recently cast in the ABC pilot, Bucktown starring opposite Jane Lynch and Nicole Richie. Gonzalez also has a YouTube page with videos dedicated to her thoughts on spirituality, self-love, peace, positivity and living life as a Latina.
Created by José Luis Acosta, in Armas De Mujer, four women suffer their worst nightmare after the police arrest their husbands for being linked to the same criminal organization. Accustomed to a life of abundance, they will now need to join forces in the most unusual manner.
del Castillo stars as Ángela, the wife of the cartel’s accountant and the fortuitous leader of the group of women who have gone from being care-free wives living in luxurious homes, to using all the weapons at their disposal just to survive.
Sánchez portrays Sofía, the tough wife to the cartel’s assassin. Sáenz plays Viri, wife to one of the top chiefs in the hierarchy of the cartel. Osorio is Esme, the independent and courageous wife to the head of the cartel’s assassins.
Armas De Mujer is produced by Telemundo Global Studios. The series is directed by Enrique Begné and Claudia Pedraza.
Gloria Estefan isn’t leaving the (red) table anytime soon…
The 63-year-old Cuban singer-songwriter, producer, actress and entrepreneur’s Red Table Talk: The Estefans, a spin-off of Jada Pinkett Smith’s interview series, has been renewed for an additional 12 episodes.
Facebook Watch has ordered the supersized order after the first season debuted in October 2020.
The series is hosted by Grammy winner Estefan, her daughter and rising musician Emily Estefan and El Gordo y La Flacahost Lili Estefan.
New episodes will debut later this year on Facebook Watch and will highlight the three generations of women, as they come together with family, celebrity guests and experts.
The first season featured discussions with Michelle Rodriguez, Rosie O’Donnell, the family of Vanessa Guillén, Kate del Castillo and Lele Pons.
Red Table Talk: The Estefans is produced by Westbrook Studios with Pinkett Smith, Estefan, Ellen Rakieten and Miguel Melendez serving as executive producers.
“We’ve missed you, Red Table Talk: The Estefans fans and can’t wait to see you again. Taking on the iconic Red Table has been an immense privilege and enlightening journey for myself, Emily, and Lili,” said Gloria. “We look forward to continued exploration, growth, and healing in our upcoming episodes – and with my red gavel, much more than the ‘rhythm’ is gonna get you.”
Red Table Talk creator and executive producer Pinkett Smith added, “It’s been an honor to work with Gloria and her family on a project that means so much to all of us. By inviting us into their lives, with such honest and vulnerable conversations, the Estefans have touched the hearts of people everywhere, shining the light on topics that aren’t traditionally discussed in the Hispanic community. We are looking forward to the new episodes of Red Table Talk: The Estefans. We hope you will join The Estefans and the entire Red Table Talk community as we continue the journey of healing with important, honest conversations that hopefully will inspire understanding, unity and encouragement all over the world.”
Mina Lefevre, Head of Development & Programming, Facebook Watch said, “Each episode of the Estefans has been truly impactful, and Gloria, Emily and Lili have opened up the Red Table to a whole new audience. The Estefans tackled complex issues with vulnerability, awareness, and poise that truly resonated with our audience. I’m looking forward to seeing what they bring to the Red Table in 2021.”
The 48-year-old Mexican actress and telenovela star has teamed up with former Netflix VP Erik Barmack to produce and star in the womanhunt thriller Cold, Dead Hands (working title).
The film is set up at del Castillo’s Cholawood Productions, Barmack’s Wild Sheep Content and Top Dead Center Films, headed by Gary and Julie Auerbach, creators of the film.
Gary Auerbach directs the film, which went into production on January 4, shooting in Utah.
The film opens with del Castillo’s character waking up in a log cabin in deep forest, having been drugged and abducted. A message on a stereo tells her to press play.
“I’m a hunter,” a voice says, explaining she’s been placed there because she’s a “worthy prey.” There’s a snow mobile five miles from the cabin. If she makes it to that, she wins. There’s no civilization around and nothing in the cabin of value to her, the voice warns. But he’ll give her a couple of minutes heads start.
Co-starring Marc Blucas, the film naturally packs multiple twists and a backstory about why del Castillo’s character is such worthy prey and the moral choices she had to make to escape the first time round.
The movie is written by Julie Auerbach, as well as Kevin Tavolaro and co-written by Blucas.
This is “the story of a woman who lives through unspeakable hardships in her life yet she identifies as a survivor, not a victim,” del Castillo tells Variety, adding that her character shows “a tremendous amount of strength, courage, intelligence and compassion, all admirable traits innate to our culture” and that she “personally relates to this character particularly in how she overcomes her fears and refuses to let her past define her.”
The movie catches del Castillo coming off Bad Boys for Life, where she stars opposite Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, and del Castillo’s starring role on Season 2 of La Reina del Sur.
During its transmission, ending July 2019, the sophomore season kept Telemundo broadcast network among the top three networks in the U.S. regardless of language in the adults 18-49 and adults 18-34 demos in the 10 p.m. Monday-Friday berth.
Telemundo has renewed La Reina del Sur for a third season with the 47-year-old Mexican actress set to reprise her iconic role as Teresa Mendoza.
“I love playing Teresa Mendoza and am proud of the success of La Reina del Sur, the series that unleashed a new genre in Spanish language television,” del Castillo said. “Each season, Teresa Mendoza’s character evolves and gets more interesting. She is a very human character with her own flaws and imperfections. Over the years, I’ve had a lot of fun playing her, and I’m curious to see what will happen in this new season. She’s a woman I learn from in every season and every episode, who continues to surprise me.”
The first season of the series, based on Arturo Perez-Reverte’s novel, launched in 2011 and returned for a second season in 2019.
The second season picked up eight years after the events of the season one finale with Mendoza pregnant and unsure of her future. When La Reina returns, it emerged that she’s disappeared into the U.S. Federal Witness Protection Program and is currently living in Italy under the name of Maria Dantes with her daughter Sofia.
Last year, del Castillo said she “hated” the fact that she had to have a double for Mexico-set scenes of the narco drama after she became a major player in the El Chapo saga, helping to set up a meeting between Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán and Sean Penn in 2015.
But she’ll now be able to return to Mexico if the series films there.
“La Reina del Suris a high-level production that has taken us to shoot all over the world season after season. But yes, if the story takes us to Mexico next season, I will be there. I’m so excited,” she added.
Showrunner Marco Santana, who’s also president of Telemundo Global Studios, said that the company was currently in the script and overall development phase of the new season.
“We are working with an incredible group of writers to bring to life the continuation of a thrilling and involved story that we are all very excited for,” he told Deadline. “We have filmed La Reina del Suraround the world. It’s a story that travels through different locations, and season three won’t be an exception. We are planning for, and are hopeful that, by the time we begin production in 2021, restrictions due to the coronavirus will have eased.”
The third season will start production early next year, as long as production can resume as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The third season will be a co-production between Telemundo Global Studios and Netflix; Telemundo holds rights in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, while the streamer airs the series globally.
La Reina del Suris Telemundo’s most successful ‘Super Series’, used to differentiate it from its traditional long-running telenovelas.
“It is the show that propelled the network to the top of the charts and kicked off Telemundo’s Super Series franchise as the most successful Super Series in the network’s history,” said Ronald Day, EVP, Entertainment, Telemundo Networks. “It was the show that redefined Hispanic media and set a new standard in our content offering. There is a tremendous fan base for the first two seasons and for Teresa Mendoza, the iconic character played by Kate del Castillo, so we knew we had to bring her back. This is a series that resonates with the new Latino of today who craves for contemporary cutting-edge narratives coupled with strong characters in a premium-level production. The first two seasons were wildly successful on linear and across all platforms, so as we continue to look at all new IP through an omnichannel lens, it made a lot of sense to bring La Reina back.”
“The return of La Reina del Surcomes at a great time when we continue to shape a new era in Hispanic media with content exclusively made for Latinos living in the US looking for culture-centric stories that are both American and Latino,” Day added.
del Castillo is among a roster of new cast additions that includes Jack Champion, Sophia Lillis, Tony Dalton, Whitney Peak and Bobby Cannavale.
