Luis Guzmán to Appear on the Upcoming Season of Showtime’s “Shameless”

Posted on September 12, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

There’s a little shame(less)in Luis Guzmán’s game…

The 62-year-old Puerto Rican actor has landed a recurring role in the upcoming ninth season of Showtime’s Shameless.

In Season 9, political fervor hits the South Side and the Gallaghers take justice into their own hands. A few highlights: Frank (William H. Macy) sees financial opportunity in campaigning and decides to give voice to the underrepresented South Side working man. Fiona (Emmy Rossum) tries to build on her success with her apartment building and takes an expensive gamble hoping to catapult herself into the upper echelon. Lip (Jeremy Allen White) distracts himself from the challenges of sobriety by taking in Eddie’s niece, Xan (Amirah Johnson). Ian (Cameron Monaghan) faces the consequences of his crimes as the Gay Jesus movement takes a destructive turn.

Guzmán will portray Mikey O’Shea. Frank (Macy) meets his match in O’Shea, a fellow lush and contender in an ad campaign competition to find the new face of Hobo Loco, a cheap liquor aimed at fraternities and alcoholics.

Guzmán’s recent television credits include Code Black, Roadies and Narcos. He’ll next be seen on the big screen in The Padre, set for release next month.

Shameless‘ expanded 14-episode Season 9 will air in two parts, premiering September 9 and January 20.

Created by Paul Abbott, Shameless is produced by Bonanza Productionsin association withJohn Wells Productionsand Warner Bros. Television. Developed for American television by John Wells, the series is executive produced by Wells and Nancy M. Pimental.

Damián Alcázar to Star in Netflix & Univision’s Upcoming Orignal Drama “Tijuana”

Posted on June 10, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

Damián Alcázar is heading to the Texas/Mexico border…

The 65-year-old Mexican actor has been cast alongside Tamara Vallarta in the upcoming original drama Tijuana, a co-production of Netflix and Univision-owned Story House Entertainment.

The show is billed as an unvarnished look at what journalists in Mexico face every day in the pursuit of the truth. As with other series in the companies’ long-term partnership, Tijuana will premiere in the U.S. on Univision later this year, followed by its global rollout on Netflix.

Alcázar, best known for portraying Colombian drug lord Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela on Narcos, plays Antonio Borja, co-founder and director of the renowned newspaper Frente Tijuana, and Vallarta plays Gabriela Cisneros, an idealistic young reporter fighting her way into his newsroom.

When the gubernatorial front-runner is shot in the street, the reporters of Frente Tijuana race to cover the story, but the facts they uncover run much deeper than the assassination—insidious corruption has been allowed to grow in the shadows. Violence and intrigue become the norm for Borja’s team of journalists as they risk their lives in their crusade to expose the truth.

Additional cast announced today includes Claudette Maille as Federica, co-founder of Frente Tijuana; Rodrigo Abed as G. Muller, an eccentric businessman who controls the city of Tijuana; Tete Espinosa as Malu, an intrepid photographer for the paper; Rolf Petersen as Lalo Ferrer, a native of Mexico City who leads the editorial team; and Ivan Aragon as Andy Borja an aspiring documentarian who is also the son of the director of Frente Tijuana and longs to capture the love and respect of his father.

Directors include Al-Rahmoun Font, Clara Roquet (El Adiós), Francisco Vargas Quevedo (El Violin), and Carlos Rincones (El Chapo, The Bad Guys).

CBS Gives Stephanie Sigman’s Drama Series “S.W.A.T.” a Full Season Order

Posted on December 4, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Stephanie Sigman is going full time…

CBS has ordered two episodes each the new drama series S.W.A.T., starring the Mexican-American actress.

Hailing from Sony Pictures Television Studios and co-produced by CBS Television Studios, S.W.A.T. originally received an order for seven more episodes two weeks ago, bringing its total to 20 episodes. That was two short of a traditional full season (22 episodes) but was considered full season as S.W.A.T. launched more than a month after the start of the season.

S.W.A.T.‘s total is now going up to 22 episodes.

In its most recent airing last night, the drama toplined by Shemar Moore drew 6.63 million viewers and a 1.0 rating in adults 18-49 (Live+Same Day). The viewership was up +14% from last week when CBS’ primetime lineup was boosted by a big NFL lead-in, logging the crime drama’s largest L+SD audience since the series premiere. In the 18-49 demo, S.W.A.T was off by a tenth from its football-assisted Thanksgiving delivery but up a tenth from the Thursday before that.

Sigman, who previously appeared on The Bridge, Narcos and American Crime, stars at Jessica Cortez on the series.

Ciro Guerra Executive-Producing Netflix’s First Colombian Original Series

Posted on November 23, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Ciro Guerra is (net)flixing out about a Colombian first…

The 36-year-old Colombian filmmaker and screenwriter is set to executive produce Netflix’s first Colombian original series.

Guerra, who received an Oscar nomination for his film Embrace of the Serpent, will work with Narcos producer Dynamo on the project, which will debut worldwide in 2019.

Written by Carlos Contreras, the as-yet untitled series will follow a young detective and her partner deep into the Amazon, on the border of Brazil and Colombia, to investigate a series of bizarre murders. They soon realize that there’s more mystery to the jungle than the deaths, as they encounter an enigmatic indigenous tribe with an incredible secret that they will take great risks to protect.

Composed of eight hour-long episodes and shot entirely in 4K, the series will showcase the country’s geographic diversity and magnificent landscapes, as well as the region’s complex social and environmental climate.

“We are thrilled to be launching our first Colombian original, featuring great Colombian filmmakers and producers,” said Erik Barmack, Vice President of International Originals. “From 2011, we have been committed to providing a great service in Colombia, and this show, with local talent, will add to our incredible slate of originals throughout Latin America.”

“This is a great opportunity to expand the reach of our local stories and share them with global audiences. Netflix is an extraordinary platform that we are thrilled to collaborate with, and we think this new show will be a great first step in that direction,” added Guerra.

The new series joins a growing slate of original productions being filmed in Latin America, including Ingobernable, Club de Cuervos, La Casa de las Flores, Edha, Narcos, Samantha!, O Mecanismo, O Matador, 3% and Coisa Mais Linda, among others.

Production is slated to begin summer 2018.

Raul Mendez to Star in Lifetime’s Original Movie “Cocaine Godmother”

Posted on June 12, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Raul Mendez has landed a Godmother of a role…

The 42-year-old Mexican actor will star in Lifetime’s original movie Cocaine Godmother, starring Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Directed by Guillermo Navarro, Cocaine Godmother is based on the life of Miami drug lord Griselda Blanco (Zeta-Jones), one the original “Cocaine Cowboys” who pioneered the drug trade between Colombia and the U.S. in the 70s and 80s.

Mendez will star as Dario, an associate of Pablo Escobar and Griselda’s third husband.

In addition to Mendez, the list of recent cast additions includes Jenny Pellicer (The Bridge) as Carolina, one of Griselda’s female lovers; Jose Julian (A Better Life) as Uber, Griselda’s second-oldest son (she had 4 boys); Juan Pablo Espinosa (La Fan) as Alberto, one of Griselda’s criminal associates, and her second husband; and Warren Christie (The Catch) as Jimmy, the DEA agent who hunted her down.

Blanco was living in Queens, NY, when she became embroiled with local drug runners. After moving to Miami to expand her empire, the death of her second husband gave rise to her nickname The Black Widow. She later moved to California, was deported to Colombia and was gunned down in 2012. In her lifetime, Griselda’s drug distribution network spanned across the United States and she was suspected of ordering over 200 murders.

The film will go into production this year and premiere in 2018 on Lifetime.

Mendez’s credits include major recurring roles on Narcos and Sense8.

Cocaine Godmother is produced by Asylum Entertainment for Lifetime.

Navarro (Pan’s Labrynth, Narcos) will direct from a script written by David McKenna (American History X).

Compte to Appear on Starz’s Hit Crime Drama “Power”

Posted on March 2, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Maurice Compte is powering up…

The Latino actor has landed a recurring role on the upcoming fourth season of Starz’s hit crime drama series Power.

Maurice Compte

It follows James “Ghost” St. Patrick, a drug kingpin living a double life who in Season 4 seeks to find redemption.

Compte will play Maurice, a high-level drug dealer.

Compte is best known for his role as tough Colombian cop Carillo in Netflix’s Narcos. He has also been cast in the upcoming feature Den of Thieves, co-written and directed by Christian Gudegast.

Power returns for its fourth season this summer.

Gonzalez to Star in ABC’s Medical Drama Pilot “The Good Doctor”

Posted on February 27, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Nicholas Gonzalez is scrubbing in…

The 41-year-old Mexican American actor has been cast in The Good Doctor, ABC’s medical drama pilot from House creator David Shore and Hawaii Five-0 co-star Daniel Dae Kim.

Written by Shore based on a South Korean format and directed by Seth Gordon, The Good Doctor centers on Dr. Shaun Murphy (Freddie Highmore), a young surgeon with Savant syndrome who is recruited into the pediatric surgical unit of a prestigious hospital.

Gonzalez, who was introduced in the final minutes of ABC’s How To Get Away With Murder season finale as a key character to the drama’s mystery, will play Dr. Neil Melendez, the boss of the surgical residents at the hospital.

Gonzalez is expected to return to HTGAWM next season as a recurring guest star, reprising his role as Dominick.

He previously recurred on another Shondaland drama series for ABC, Off the Map. Gonzalez will also appear in season 3 of Narcos on Netflix.

Padilha to Direct Film Adaptation of Kevin Boyle’s Book “Arc of Justice”

Posted on February 25, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

José Padilha is forming his own Justice league…

The 49-year-old Brazilian television and film director, producer and screenwriter is at the center of a deal by The Mark Gordon Company to helm the film adaptation of Arc of Justice: A Saga of Race, Civil Rights, and Murder in the Jazz Age, the 2004 nonfiction National Book Award winner by historian Kevin Boyle.

The Mark Gordon Company will finance the Padilha-directed will adaptation, with a script by Max Borenstein and Rodney Barnes.

The book tells the true story of a racial incident in 1925 Detroit that put African American doctor Ossian Sweet on the stand for murder. His defense was funded by the nascent NAACP and was led by legendary lawyer Clarence Darrow.

There’s no start date yet, but the film will happen quickly.

Padilha, who directed Elite Squad and its sequel before taking on the acclaimed Netflix hunt for Pablo Escobar series Narcos, has wrapped Entebbe, which stars Daniel Brühl and Rosamund Pike.

Sigman to Star in CBS’ “S.W.A.T.” Pilot, Based on the 2011 Crime Drama

Posted on February 14, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Stephanie Sigman is about to get tactical…

The Mexican-American actress, who rose to acclaim in the 2011 crime drama film Miss Bala, will star in CBS’ S.W.A.T. reboot.

Sigman is the first cast member to sign onto the reboot, which is based on the movie of the same name.

The pilot follows a locally born and bred S.W.A.T. lieutenant who is torn between loyalty to the streets and duty to his fellow officers when he’s tasked to run a highly-trained unit that’s the last stop for solving crimes in Los Angeles. Sources say CBS is nearing a deal with an actor for the lead lieutenant role.

Sigman will play Jessica, who’s described as ambitious and fastidious, and has earned her high rank at S.W.A.T. headquarters.

The “S.W.A.T.” pilot was written by Aaron Thomas and will be directed by Justin Lin.

Sony Pictures Television and CBS Television Studios are behind the hourlong drama.

The series is based on the 2003 film, which starred Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Farrell, LL Cool J, Michelle Rodriguez, and Jeremy Renner. That movie was based on the 1970s series, produced by Aaron Spelling, which ran for two seasons on ABC.

“S.W.A.T.” is the latest project for Sigman, who’s been in high demand ever since her scene-stealing role in the 2015 Daniel Craig movie Spectre. She also starred in the first season of Netflix’s Narcos, and appeared in a few episodes of ABC’s anthology series American Crime from John Ridley. This is the second consecutive pilot season that Sigman has been cast in a lead role, following Ridley’s ABC detective drama, Presence, which ultimately was not greenlit to series.

Up next for the actress is the sequel to the hit horror movie Annabelle 2.

Gonzalez to Star in Netflix’s Drug Cartel Drama “Narcos”

Posted on November 10, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Nicholas Gonzalez is reporting for duty…

The 40-year-old Mexican American actor has booked a recurring role on the upcoming third season of Netflix’s drug cartel drama Narcos.

Gonzalez will play Lopez, a capable and experienced American DEA agent.

Season 3, slated to premiere in 2017, will pick up following the death of Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar.

Gonzalez currently has a recurring role on the seventh season of Freeform’s Pretty Little Liars as Detective Vic Furey and is reprising his role of Dante Ramon, the older brother of Cisco Ramon, in the CW’s The Flash.

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