Colman Domingo to Serve as a Presenter at This Weekend’s Screen Actors Guild Awards

Posted on February 21, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Win or lose, Colman Domingo will be taking the stage at the SAG Awards…

The 54-year-old Belizean-Guatemalan American actor, who is nominated for two SAG Awards, is among 30 presenters announced for the 30th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards set for Saturday in Los Angeles.

Domingo is among a roster of presenters that includes America Ferrera, nominated for being part of the cast of Barbie, Idris Elba, Margot Robbie, Jessica Chastain, Erika Alexander, Emily Blunt, Danielle Brooks, Sterling K. Brown, Michael Cera, Robert Downey Jr., Fran Drescher, Phil Dunster, Billie Eilish, , Brendan Fraser, Taraji P. Henson, Troy Kotsur, Greta Lee, Melissa McCarthy, Cillian Murphy, Glen Powell, Issa Rae, Storm Reid, Tracee Ellis Ross, Alexander Skarsgård, Omar Sy, Hannah Waddingham, Naomi Watts and Jeffrey Wright.

More presenters will be announced later.

Elba will open the ceremony, which has been host-free since 2021, and Aniston will present the 59th SAG Life Achievement Award to legendary actor, singer, producer, writer and director Barbra Streisand.

Barbie and Oppenheimer lead with four nominations apiece in the film races, while on the TV side the last season of Succession scored five nominations to top the field.

Barbie and Oppenheimer are joined in the Cast category by American Fiction, The Color Purple and Killers of the Flower Moon, with each scoring multiple nominations.

The SAG Awards historically have been an almost certain predictor of future Oscars success. Last year, Everything Everywhere All at Once scored the ensemble Cast trophy as well as wins for Michelle Yeoh, Jamie Lee Curtis and Ke Huy Kwan — all four repeated the feat later at the Oscars, as did SAG Best Actor winner Brendan Frasier from The Whale.

Winners in SAG’s 15 categories will be announced Saturday, February 24 at the Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall in Los Angeles in a ceremony streaming live on Netflix.

Netflix Releases New Teaser for Anime Series “Scott Pilgrim Takes Off,” Featuring Aubrey Plaza

Posted on November 11, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Aubrey Plaza’s latest project is taking off later this month…

Netflix is preparing for the release of Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, featuring the 39-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress.

The anime series is set to hit the platform on November 17 and, in anticipation, a new teaser was released during Netflix’s Geeked Week.

The teaser gives a look at the budding love story between Scott and Ramona.

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off follows as Scott Pilgrim meets the girl of his dreams, Ramona Flowers, and discovers he must defeat her seven evil exes in order to date her. But this time, things get even more complicated as Scott takes Ramona Flowers, her evil exes and his friends off on a mysterious new action-packed journey to find love.

Voices for the anima series include Michael Cera (Scott Pilgrim), Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Ramona Flowers), Satya Bhabha (Matthew Patel), Kieran Culkin (Wallace Wells), Chris Evans (Lucas Lee), Anna Kendrick (Stacey Pilgrim), Brie Larson (Envy Adams), Alison Pill (Kim Pine), Plaza (Julie Powers), Brandon Routh (Todd Ingram), Jason Schwartzman (Gideon Graves), Johnny Simmons (Young Neil), Mark Webber (Stephen Stills), Mae Whitman (Roxie Richter) and Ellen Wong (Knives Chau).

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off was created for television by executive producers and co-showrunners O’Malley and BenDavid Grabinski.

“Barbie,” Starring America Ferrera, Becomes Highest-Grossing Movie of the Year in North America

Posted on August 24, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

America Ferrera is a box office champ…

Barbie, starring the 39-year-old Honduran American Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actress, is officially the highest-grossing movie of the year in North America.Greta Gerwig’s fantasy-comedy, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, has generated $575.4 million at the domestic box office, overtaking the previous champion, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which has collected $574 million domestically.

Barbie has grossed $1.3 billion globally and will soon surpass The Super Mario Bros. Movie (with $1.35 billion globally) as the biggest worldwide release of 2023 as well.

Only two Hollywood blockbusters this year have crossed the $1 billion mark and, notably, neither were superhero adventures or sequels in popular franchises.

Barbie started its record-breaking theatrical run in July with the best debut of the year ($162 million) and remained the No. 1 movie for four consecutive weekends. It also landed the biggest opening weekend for a film directed by a woman and became the highest-grossing movie directed solely by a woman.

At this point, Barbie is the 14th-biggest domestic release and 20th-biggest global release of all time.

Barbie also recently surpassed Christopher Nolan’s superhero epic The Dark Knight ($536 million) as the highest-grossing domestic release in Warner Bros. history. It could eventually eclipse 2011’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 ($1.34 billion) as the studio’s highest-grossing worldwide release in 100 years.

Gerwig, the Oscar-nominated director of Lady Bird and Little Women, co-wrote the screenplay with her partner Noah Baumbach. The cotton candy-colored blockbuster follows the popular doll as she leaves behind the seemingly perfect world of Barbie Land to discover the highs and lows of life in the real world. The cast also includes Issa Rae, Will Ferrell, Kate McKinnon, Simu Liu and Michael Cera.

Aubrey Plaza to Lend Voice to Netflix’s “Scott Pilgrim” Anime Series

Posted on March 31, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Aubrey Plaza is going on a pilgrimage…

Netflix has picked up an anime series about beloved slacker-musician Scott Pilgrim from the classic graphic novels, with the 38-year-old half-Puerto Rican Emmy-nominated actress/comedian set to participate as part of the voice cast.

Scott Pilgrim was made into a 2010 film that starred Michael Cera.

Cera will lend his voice to the new series as Scott, a member of a garage band who falls for a gal named Ramona but must first defeat her seven previous lovers. Mary Elizabeth Winstead will reprise the role as Ramona.

Plaza will reprise her role as Julie Powers.

Other actors from the film who will be lending their voice for the Netflix series are Satya Bhabha as Matthew Patel, Kieran Culkin as Wallace Wells, Chris Evans as Lucas Lee, Anna Kendrick as Stacey Pilgrim, Brie Larson as Envy Adams, Alison Pill as Kim Pine, Brandon Routh as Todd Ingram, Jason Schwartzman as Gideon Graves, Johnny Simmons as Young Neil, Mae Whitman as Roxie and Ellen Wong as Knives Chau.

Bryan Lee O’Malley and BenDavid Grabinski, the author and artist of the graphic novels published from 2004 to 2010, will serve as executive producers, writers and showrunners. Edgar Wright — the director, co-writer and producer of the 2010 film — will serve as executive producer on the new project while Science SARU will serve as the animation studio with executive producer Eunyoung Choi and director Abel Gongora.

“We’re getting the band back together!” said O’Malley and Grabinski in a joint statement. “A stellar cast, perfectly assembled by Edgar Wright. And, with Science SARU leading the phenomenal animation, we couldn’t ask for a better team for this adventure. We can’t wait for fans and newcomers alike to see what we and our partners at Science SARU have been cooking up. It’s going to be a wild ride.”

“One of the proudest and most enjoyable achievements of my career was assembling and working with the dynamite cast of Scott Pilgrim,” Wright added. “Since the film’s release in 2010 we’ve done Q&A’s, remembrances and charity read throughs, but there was never the occasion to reunite the whole gang on an actual project until now. Original creator Bryan Lee O’Malley, along with writer BenDavid Grabinski, have conjured up an anime series of Scott Pilgrim that doesn’t just expand the universe, but also…well, just watch it. I’m more than happy to announce that I have helped coax the entire original cast back to voice their characters on this epic new adventure. You are in for a treat.”

“It’s official … we’ve been obsessed with Scott Pilgrim!” said Choi. “This series has been a wild ride, full of fresh and thrilling experiences for everyone at Science SARU. Working with such amazing artists and animators under the visionary leadership of director Abel Gongora has been an absolute dream come true. Our team is over the moon about bringing the Scott Pilgrim world to life. We can hardly contain our excitement … this is going to be epic!”

Ana Cruz Kayne to Star in Warner Bros. & Mattel’s Upcoming “Barbie” Film

Posted on April 15, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Ana Cruz Kayne is getting dolled up…

The 37-year-old Latina actress will star in Warner Bros. and Mattel’s upcoming Barbie film

Cruz Kayne is part of a roster of new cast additions that include Kingsley Ben-Adir, Rhea Perlman, Ncuti Gatwa, Emerald Fennell, Sharon Rooney, Scott Evans, Connor Swindells, Ritu Arya and Jamie Demetriou.

They join Margot Robbie, who will star in the titular role, Ryan Gosling, America Ferrara, Kate McKinnon, Simu Liu, Ariana Greenblatt, Emma Mackey, Alexandra Shipp, Issa Rae, Michael Cera, Hari Nef and Will Ferrell.

Greta Gerwig is directing and co-wrote the script with Noah Baumbach.

Plot details are unknown, but given Gerwig’s track record as a director, one can expect this won’t be a typical take on the doll’s story.

Robbie is producing the film under her LuckyChap Entertainment production banner along with LuckyChap’s Tom Ackerley.

The film will be released worldwide sometime in 2023.

Sebastián Lelio’s “Gloria Bell,” the English Reimaging of His Hit “Gloria,” Opens Big in Limited Release

Posted on March 10, 2019 by Tom Castaneda

Sebastián Leliois making waves with his own English-language adaptation of his hit Spanish film…

The 45-year-old Chilean director’s Gloria Bell handily took the best specialty debut mantle over the weekend with one of the highest opening weekend per-theater averages for a limited release title this year.

The A24 feature starring Julianne Moore, John Turturro and Michael Ceragrossed an estimated $154,775 in three-days, averaging $30,955.

Gloria Bellis the re-imagined English-language and L.A.-set drama of a free-spirit, based on Lelio’s 2014 title, Gloria, set in Santiago, Chile, which took in over $2.1M via Roadside Attractions stateside.

Gloria Bell’s nearly $31K opening PTA outpaced Lelio’s 2014 original, Gloria, which took in over $56K in its opening weekend in January of that year, averaging $18,818. That film, however, was set in Chile, was in Spanish and starred a veteran Chilean actor, Paulina García, who is not well known to North American audiences. The film proved to have legs though with its $2.1M North American cume, which in part made it attractive for a re-make in English starring a well known actor here.

Lelio adapted the story into English and then went on to direct his other projects, including Oscar-winning A Fantastic Woman ($2.02M cume) and Disobedience starringRachel Weiszand Rachel McAdams. That film, released by Bleecker Streetlast April, continues to be the filmmaker’s North American benchmark with a $237K opening weekend in five theaters ($47,479 PTA). It went on to cume over $3.49M on this continent.

Lelio and Moore reconnected after the director completed Disobedience. “She finished her other projects and we had a window in 2017,” said Lelio earlier in the week. “We put financing together very quickly and built a ‘family’ around Julianne including John Turturro and Michael Cera. I’ve always loved John Turturro’s work.”

A24 reported “enthusiastic sellouts” for Gloria Bell in New York and L.A. throughout the weekend. The company will roll the title into top markets this week ahead of a nationwide expansion set for March 22.

NEW RELEASES
3 Faces (Kino Lorber) NEW [1 Theater] Weekend $7,196
Babylon (Kino Lorber Repertory / Seventy-Seven) NEW [1 Theater] Weekend $20,096
Badla (Reliance) NEW [94 Theaters] Weekend $614,328, Average $6,535
Ferrante Fever (Greenwich Entertainment) NEW [1 Theater] Weekend $4,000
Gloria Bell (A24) NEW [5 Theaters] Weekend $154,775, Average $30,955
The Kid (Lionsgate Premiere) NEW [267 Theaters] Weekend $505,000, Average $1,891

Miranda to Narrate Alexander Hamilton-Themed Episode of “Drunk History”

Posted on July 24, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Lin-Manuel Miranda is ready to school you in American History…

The 36-year-old Broadway star, the creator of the Tony Award-winning musical Hamilton, will be offering a Drunk History lesson on Comedy Central this upcoming season.

Drunk History transports viewers back in time to hang with the Founding Fathers. And this season, Miranda, who just wrapped up his last performance as Alexander Hamilton on Broadway, will narrate the rivalry between the first United States Secretary of the Treasury and politican Aaron Burr, who was the third Vice President of the United States.

Other guest stars featured this season include Allan McLeod, Billie Joe Armstrong, Steve Berg, Rachel Bilson, Michael Cera, Josh Charles, Kat Dennings, Ben Folds, Dave Grohl, Tony Hale, Ed Helms, Thomas Middleditch, Elizabeth Olsen, Aubrey Plaza, Ronda Rousey, Liev Schreiber, Alia Shawkat and Duncan Trussell.

Season 4 of Comedy Central’s Emmy-winning comedy series will premiere Tuesday, September 27.

Created for television by Derek Waters and Jeremy Konner, Drunk History is produced by Gary Sanchez Productions.

Carey In Talks to Voice Commissioner Gordon in “The Lego Batman Movie”

Posted on November 10, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Mariah Carey may be going Bat-ty…

The 45-year-old half-Venezuelan American singer/actress is in talks to take on the role of Commissioner Gordon in The Lego Batman Movie, the spinoff of The Lego Movie from Warner Bros.

The studio is trying to keep everything under lock and key, but sources tell Deadline.com that Carey will join Ralph Fiennes (Alfred the Butler), Will Arnett (Batman), Michael Cera (Robin), Rosario Dawson (Batgirl) and Zach Galifianakis (The Joker).

Earlier this year, the Grammy-winning songstress aligned herself to a Christmas-themed movie pitch that New Line pre-emptively bought from RatPac Entertainment, writers David Diamond and David Weissman and producer Jon Shestack.

Carey will star in the yuletide themed pic., a natural for the woman who wrote and performed “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” the insta-Christmas classic released in 1994 tune that has sold more than 14 million copies globally to become the biggest holiday perennial in recent memory and the biggest international hit of Carey’s career.

Her past screen credits include the Lee Daniels-directed Precious and the box office miss Glitter.

Perez Joins the Cast of Larry David’s Broadway Play “Fish in the Dark”

Posted on September 3, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Rosie Perez is gone fishin’…

The 49-year-old Puerto Rican Oscar-nominated actress has joined the cast of Fish in the Dark, the new play written by and starring Larry David.

The comedy, which has lined up its Broadway dates and theater, revolves around a death in the family.

In addition to Perez, the ensemble cast will include Jayne Houdyshell and Jonny Orsini.

Nurse Jackie alum Jake Cannavale, Bobby Cannavale’s son, and veteran character actor Jerry Adler will also appear alongside David.

Fish in the Dark will be directed by Anna D. Shapiro.

Perez’s most recent Broadway outing was the 2007 production of Terrence McNally’s The Ritz.

Produced by Scott Rudin, Fish in the Dark swims into the Cort Theater for a run that begins previews February 2, prior to a March 5 opening. The Cort’s current occupant — This Is Our Youth starring Michael Cera, Kieran Culkin and Tavi Gevinson — also is produced by Rudin and helmed by Shapiro, in a run currently set to end in January.

Hayek to Lend Her Voice to Seth Rogen’s R-Rated Animated Film “Sausage Party”

Posted on April 10, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Salma Hayek’s next project may be animated, but it might not be family friendly…

The 47-year-old Mexican actress will lend her voice to the raunchy animated tale of a sausage’s quest to discover the truth about his existence.

The Oscar-nominated actress will play Teresa the Taco in Sausage Party, the R-rated animated film written by Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Kyle Hunter and Ariel Shaffir.

Hayek joins a voice cast that includes Rogen, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Kristen Wiig, Michael Cera, Edward Norton and David Krumholtz.

After falling out of a shopping cart, the hero sausage and his new friends embark on a journey through the supermarket to get back to their aisles before the Fourth of July sale.

Sony Pictures is planning to distribute the film worldwide with a 2015 release date in the plans.

Hayek most recently appeared in Grown Ups 2 and Here Comes The Boom. She next stars in How To Make Love Like An Englishman and Everly.

Hispanically Yours

Celebrating the Latino Influence

Tag Archives: Michael Cera