Ochoa to Star in the Indie Film “The Samuel Project”

Ryan Ochoa is going indie

The 20-year-old Latino actor has been cast in indie film The Samuel Project, alongside Hal Linden, Ken Davitian, Mateo Arias, Michael B. Silver, and Philippe Bowgen.

The feature centers on a teen (Ochoa) who gets to know his grandfather Samuel (Linden) when he makes him the subject of an animated art project for school. With dreams of becoming a professional artist, the young man discovers that his grandpa, a Jewish dry cleaner, was heroically saved from Nazi capture in Germany by a young woman when he was a boy.

Marc Fusco is directing the film from a script he co-wrote with Chris Neighbors.

Filming is said to begin in San Diego this week.

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Bichir to Star Opposite Mateo Arias in the Teen Coming-of-Age Comedy “Good Kids”

Demián Bichir has landed a good role…

The 51-year-old Mexican actor has landed a role in in the teen coming-of-age comedy Good Kids.

Demian Bichir

Bichir, the star of FX’s border drama series The Bridge, will star opposite Ashley Judd, Nicholas Braun, Zoey Deutch, Israel Broussard and Mateo Arias in the teen coming-of-age comedy for Voltage Pictures.

The story follows four overachieving high school students living on Cape Cod who, upon graduation, realize that they’ve missed out on key life experiences by always being the “good kids.” They decide to completely reinvent themselves when the summer kids show up, in order to truly enjoy their last time together before college.

Bichir, who earned an Oscar nomination for his performance in A Better Life, will play the senior tennis coach at a local club. Judd will play a beautiful Cape Cod tennis wife.

Also joining the cast are Dayo Okeniyi, Julia Garner and Ginny Gardner.

Chris McCoy wrote the 2011 Black List script and is making his directorial debut on the film.

Produced by Depth of Field, Good Kids is currently shooting in Massachusetts.

Disney XD Renews Arias’ “Kickin’ It” for a Fourth Season

Mateo Arias will be kickin’ it on Disney XD for another season…

The network has renewed its highest-rated series Kickin’ It, which stars the 17-year-old Colombian American actor, for a fourth-season.

Mateo Arias

Production on the martial arts-inspired series set to resume in Los Angeles this November for a 2014 premiere.

Kickin’ It continues to pack a punch with relatable storytelling, aspirational characters and non-stop action,” said Disney Channel’s Worldwide EVP Original Programming Adam Bonnett.

Along with Arias, Season 4 will see the return of the show’s fellow stars Jason Earles, Leo Howard and Dylan Riley Snyder; Olivia Holt, who starred in the first three seasons, is leaving to star in the Disney Channel comedy series I Didn’t Do It premiering in 2014.

Season 3 of Kickin’ It is the boys-targeted network’s No. 1 series in total viewers and the key demos, with the current run outperforming Season 2 in all metrics by double-digits.

The series, which airs Mondays, was created by Jim O’Doherty.

Disney XD Picks Up Arias’ “Kickin’ It” for a Third Season

Mateo Arias will be kickin’ it for another season…

Disney XD has ordered a third season of its top-rated comedy series Kickin’ It, an American martial arts inspired comedy television series that stars the 17-year-old Colombian American actor.

Mateo Arias

In the series, which follows a crew of lovable misfits at Bobby Wasabi Martial Arts Academy, Arias plays Jerry – a lone Spanish-speaking wolf and talented dancer who ends up at the dojo to complete his school P.E. credit.

Along with Arias, Kickin’ It stars Jason Earles, black-belt martial artist Leo Howard, Dylan Riley Snyder and Olivia Holt.

Production on the third season of Kickin’ It is scheduled to start in January.

Arias is the younger brother of former Hannah Montana star, Moisés Arias.