Manolo Cardona & Juancho Cardona’s 11:11 Films & TV Signs First Look Deal with VIS

Posted on November 10, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Manolo Cardona has a new content deal…

The 44-year-old Colombian and his brother Juancho Cardona’s production company 11:11 Films & TV has signed a first-look deal with VIS, a division of ViacomCBS.

The agreement will encompass creating and developing content including series, films, and special-format programs for a global audience.

“We are excited to continue adding the best talent to our studio’s roster, to create quality content across the globe,” said Federico Cuervo, Senior Vice President of VIS Americas. “Manolo Cardona brings unique insights with his experience both in front and behind the camera as a successful actor and talented producer and we are thrilled to be working with him.”

“We are extremely excited to work with ViacomCBS,” says Cardona. “Our vision is to develop compelling content to entertain audiences around the world and we feel this will be the perfect partnership.”

Manolo is a notable actor and producer known for his work in Narcos, Who Killed Sara?, Covert Affairs, and Reign. His credits also include work in Spanish language television in Rubirosa, El Cartel de Los Sapos, and Maria Magdalena, in which he portrayed Jesus Christ.

His brother Juancho is a film and television director and producer with a long history of creating premium content in Latin America and serves as 11:11 Films & TV’s General Director. The duo founded the company in 2005.

VIS develops and produces content in all formats and genres for global audiences. Current projects in development and production include La Gran Ola, At Midnight, Medusa, and Los Enviados, among others.

Roberto Urbina Starring in Indie Thriller “Deadland”

Posted on November 4, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Roberto Urbina is patrolling the U.S./Mexico border…

The 38-year-old Colombian actor will star in Deadland, an independent thriller from director Lance Larson, which has wrapped production in Oklahoma and Texas.

Urbina stars opposite McCaul Lombardi, Julieth Restrepo, Kendal Rae, Luis Chávez, Julio César Cedillo, Manuel Uriza and Chris Mulkey in the film.

The film centers on border agent Angel Waters (Urbina), who is called to investigate a man who walks the harsh plains of the South Texas desert, finding that what should be a routine apprehension quickly turns into his worst nightmare.

In an unexpected turn of events, the migrant is accidentally killed, with Waters and his fellow officers quickly burying the body in the desert. They swear to an oath of silence—but the migrant refuses to stay silent.

Larson and Jas Shelton wrote the script, with David Elliot providing creative supervision.

Urbina’s credits include Heroes, Grey’s Anatomy, Narcos and Snowpiercer.

Luis Chávez starred in Our Brand in Crisis, In Time and Crash; Julio César Cedillo’s credits include Cowboys & Aliens (2011), Sicario and The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada.

Uriza starred in Better Call Saul.

Sofia Vergara to Portray Drug Queenpin Griselda Blanco in New Netflix Series “Griselda”

Posted on November 3, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Sofia Vergara is dealing her way to the small screen…

The 49-year-old Colombian-American actress, television producer, presenter and model is set to portray notorious drug queenpin Griselda Blanco in a new Netflix limited series.

The six-episode series Griselda chronicles the real-life of Griselda Blanco, who created one of the most profitable cartels in history. A devoted mother, Blanco’s lethal blend of charm and unsuspecting savagery helped her expertly navigate between family and business leading her to become widely known as the “Black Widow”.

The series comes from writer Ingrid Escajeda, who is showrunner, writer, and executive producer, as well as Eric Newman, Doug Miro, Andrés Baiz, and Carlo Bernard— the creative team behind Narcos – but it is unrelated to Netflix’s drug thriller franchise.

Vergara will also serve as executive producer of the project with Luis Balaguer for Latin World Entertainment. Colombian native Baiz will direct all episodes.

“Griselda Blanco was a larger-than-life character whose ruthless but ingenious tactics allowed her to rule a billion dollar empire years before many of the most notorious male kingpins we know so much about,” Vergara said. “We are thrilled to have found the perfect partners in Eric, Andrés and Netflix to help us bring this story of her life to the screen.”

Newman added, “Griselda Blanco has long been a passion project for Sofia and we are grateful that she and her partners at LatinWe have chosen us to help her tell that story. Sofia is a brilliant talent and her passion combined with a fantastic story from Doug and Ingrid, and the amazing Andrés Baiz at the directing helm, means we have a very exciting series to share with audiences.”

Peter Friedlander, VP, UCAN scripted series at Netflix, said, “Eric Newman has deftly brought to life among the most dynamic characters and stories on screen today. We’re excited to continue on this creative path with him and for this collaboration with Sofia Vergara — a force in entertainment and a world-beloved talent. With an incredible team at the helm — we can’t wait for the world to see how Ingrid Escajeda, Doug Miro, and Andrés Baiz take on the twists and turns of Griselda Blanco’s epic story.”

Blanco burst onto the pop culture scene after her exploits were highlighted in the 2006 documentary Cocaine Cowboys and its sequel two years later from Billy Corben. She was portrayed by Catherine Zeta-Jones in the Lifetime biopic Cocaine Godmother in 2018.

Jennifer Lopez announced she’d portray Blanco in the film The Godmother, a project she is rumored to also direct.

Arturo Castro to Star in the Gourmet Dark Satire “The Menu”

Posted on October 6, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Arturo Castro is ordering off The Menu…

The 35-year-old Guatemalan actor has been cast in Searchlight Pictures’ gourmet dark satire The Menu, which is currently filming in Savannah, GA.

Castro joins a roster of new cast additions that includes Paul Adelstein, Rob Yang, Mark St. Cyr, Rebecca Koon, Peter Grosz and Christina Brucato.

They join the previously announced line-up of the Mark Mylod-directed feature: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Fiennes, Nicholas Hoult, Hong Chau (Elsa), Janet McTeer (Lillian Bloom), John Leguizamo (as Movie Star), Aimee Carrero (Felicity), Reed Birney (Richard) and Judith Light (Anne).

Based on an original screenplay by Seth Reiss and Will Tracy, The Menu follows a young couple, Margot and Tyler (Taylor-Joy and Hoult), who travel to a remote island to eat at an exclusive restaurant where Chef Slowik (Fiennes) has prepared a lavish menu, with some shocking surprises.

Castro will portray Soren.

He previously appeared on the Comedy Central series Broad City and the Netflix series Narcos.

Florencia Lozano to Appear in Netflix’s Drama Series “Breathe”

Posted on July 26, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Florencia Lozano is breathe-ing easy…

The 51-year-old Latina actress, best known for portraying Téa Delgado on ABC’s daytime series One Life to Live, has landed a recurring role in Breathe, Netflix’s one-hour drama series from Blindspot creator Martin Gero and writer-executive producer Brendan Gall, and Warner Bros. Television.

Lozano will recur alongside 40-year-old Colombian actor Juan Pablo Espinosa on the series, which stars Melissa Barrera.

In Breathe, written by Gero and Gall, when a small plane crashes in the middle of the Canadian wilderness, a lone woman (Barrera) must battle the elements and odds to survive. Barrera’s Liv is a razor-sharp Manhattan attorney who finds herself profoundly out of her comfort zone when her plane crashes and she must battle for survival.

Lozano and Espinosa will play Liv’s mother and father, respectively.

Lozano co-wrote and stars in Life After You, which was awarded Best Feature and Best Actress at the Nice International Film Festival. She will next be seen in the feature Here After. Her previous television credits include the starring role of Claudia Messina on Netflix’s Narcos, as well as Madam Secretary, The Blacklist, Blue Bloods, Law & Order: SVU, among others.

Espinosa most recently starred in Focus Features’ comedy Half Brothers. His other recent credits include Apple TV’s Acapulco, Cocaine Godmother opposite Catherine Zeta Jones, and a recurring role as Luis Carlos Galán on Netflix’s Narcos. In Latin America, he’s known for his work on El Secretario, A Corazon Abierto and La Fan with NBC/Telemundo, among others.

Manolo Cardona Signs with United Talent Agency (UTA)

Posted on June 21, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Manolo Cardona has new representation…

The 44-year-old Colombian actor, the star of Netflix’s acclaimed series Who Killed Sara?, has signed with United Talent Agency (UTA).

The Hollywood agency will represent Cardona in all areas, including his on screen roles and his Mexican production company 11-11.

Cardona plays lead Alex Guzmán in the Mexican mystery thriller, known locally as ¿Quién mató a Sara?, which recently aired its second season and is expected to return for a third season.

In the series, which is one of the streamer’s most successful non-English language dramas, Cardona plays Guzmán, who after spending 18 years in prison for a crime he did not commit, is hellbent on finding out who killed his sister Sara and getting revenge on the Lazcano family who wronged him.

He’s also set to star in Apple TV+ drama series Now and Then opposite Marina de Tavira.

Previously, he starred in Netflix’s Narcos, Mexican drama Maria Magdalena and Colombian series 2091.

Cardona owns, with his brother, Mexican television and film production company 11-11 and UTA will help amplify the company’s presence in the U.S. market.

Netflix Lands José Padilha’s Expert Knife Fighting Project “Sharp

Posted on April 30, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

José Padilha is sharpening his skills…

Netflix has landed Sharp, an action script set in the world of expert knife fighting by the 53-year-old Brazilian film director, producer and screenwriter and Nicolette Noble that Padilha will direct.

It brings Padilha back to the Netflix fold after a long collaboration on the Narcos and Narcos: Mexico series.

The streamer hopes to launch an original action film franchise set in the world of knife fighting.

Sharp follows a group of six knife-wielding assassins who, after a globally-synchronized hit goes wrong, are forced to work together to save themselves and discover who betrayed them.

Padilha directs and is a producer with Greg Silverman of Stampede Ventures. Taylor Zea will oversee the project for Netflix.

Padilha and Noble said they “read at least 20 books on blades, from different times and cultures, before writing Sharp. It boils down to this: gunfights are often anonymous; you can shoot someone from afar. Knife fights are always intimate, up close, and personal. We’re happy Netflix got the point, no pun intended.”

Said Stampede’s Silverman: “‘If you consider yourself an action fan and have not seen Elite Squad 1 and 2, you
need to reevaluate your fandom. José Padilha is quite simply the most dynamic, groundbreaking action director working today and we are so grateful he and Nicolette brought us on as partners to this great franchise.”

Padilha’s The Elite Squad 2 is the highest-grossing Brazilian film of all time. He is wrapping production on Narcos: Mexico‘s third season.

AGC Studios to Fully Finance Andres Baiz’s Thriller Panopticon, Starring Shailene Woodley

Posted on March 1, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Andres Baiz’s latest film is moving forward…

AGC Studios has announced plans to fully finance Panopticon, the 46-year-old Colombian film director’s thriller.

The film is set to star Shailene Woodley, Anthony Mackie and Jacob Latimore.

Scott Free and AGC are producing, with AGC International and CAA Media Finance launching worldwide sales.

Baiz’s film will shoot in New Mexico this summer.

In the Emily Jerome-scripted thriller, Woodley plays Chase, an ambitious young Wall Street trader who seizes upon a hot investment opportunity in PCC Correctional, a private prison group racking up huge profits. She soon uncovers an operation rife with violence and malfeasance. Forced to choose between profiting from a gold mine career opportunity and doing the right thing, Chase teams up with a local prison guard (Mackie) to take on a culture of corrupt boardrooms, white supremacists, prison gangs and crooked correctional officers, to break apart the system that’s made her a rising star.

Baiz has been directing episodes of Netflix’s Narcos and Narcos: Mexico.

Wagner Moura to Star in Apple TV+’s Metaphysical Thriller Series “Shining Girls”

Posted on February 27, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Wagner Moura has a shining new role…

The 44-year-old Brazilian actor, filmmaker, musician, journalist and Narcos star has been cast as a lead opposite Elisabeth Moss in Shining Girls, Apple TV+’s metaphysical thriller series.

The series, based on Lauren Beukes’ 2013 best-selling novel, comes from Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way and MRC Television.

Created and written by Silka Luisa, The Shining Girls book centers on a Depression-era drifter who must murder the “shining girls” in order to continue his travels.

Moura will play Dan, a veteran journalist breaking the widening story of a copycat attack. Moss plays a Chicago reporter who survived a brutal assault only to find her reality shifting as she hunts down her attacker.

In addition to starring, Moss executive produces via her Love & Squalor Pictures. MRC Television is the studio.

Moura is known for his scene-stealing role as real-life drug cartel boss Pablo Escobar in the first two seasons of Narcos, which earned him a Golden Globe nomination. He recently was seen in the Netflix thriller Sergio and is set to co-star in Gray Man, Joe and Anthony Russo’s next big-budget action film at Netflix.

Moura is repped by WME, Brent Travers and attorney Greg Slewett.

Jesse Garcia to Star in Michael Bay’s Action Feature “Ambulance”

Posted on February 6, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Jesse Garcia is calling 9-1-1…

The 39-year-old Spanish and Mexican American actor has joined the cast of Michael Bay’s Endeavor Content–Universal Pictures action feature Ambulance.

Garcia joins a growing cast that includes Jake Gyllenhaal, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Eiza Gonzalez, Garret Dillahunt, A Martinez, Keir O’Donnell, Moses Ingram, rapper Wale Folarin, Cedric Sanders, Jackson White, Colin Woodell and Olivia Stambouliah.

Ambulance is based on the original Danish film Ambulancen and is in the spirit of such 1990s action films as Speed and Bad Boys. Chris Fedak wrote the original screenplay.

Garcia recently wrapped the new season of Narcos and was attached to the Marvel/Hulu series Ghost Rider before it was stalled. Garcia plays Ranger Freddie Gonzalez in the El Rey Network’s From Dusk Till Dawn. He is also known for the award-winning film Quinceañera, written and directed by Wash Westmoreland and Richard Glatzer, executive produced by Todd Haynes. The film won both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival in the Dramatic Independent Feature Competition. Garcia won Best Actor at the 2007 ALMA Awards for his role as Carlos, a troubled gay teenager. In 2012, Garcia played a supporting role in The Avengers, in addition to roles in Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day and Manifest Destiny. His TV work also includes Edward James Olmos’ movie Walkout for HBO, recurring roles on Sons of Anarchy, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and The Shield.

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