E.J. Bonilla to Star in the NBC Drama Pilot “Getaway”

Posted on July 29, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

It’s getaway time for E.J. Bonilla…

The 32-year-old Puerto Rican actor has been cast as a series regular in the NBC drama pilot Getaway, which hails from The Blacklist duo John Davis and John Fox and Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group.

Bonilla will star opposite Matt Long, Marg Helgenberger, Jasmine Mathews and Annie Ilonzeh on the pilot.

Written and executive produced by JJ Bailey and Moira Kirland, Getaway centers on a destination wedding at an isolated luxury resort that quickly descends into chaos after a group of dangerous criminals takes the island hostage. The small group of guests, led by a fearless female Army vet (Ilonzeh), will do everything they can to stay alive.

Bonilla will play Rafi Salinas. Rafi claims to be a fisherman on the run with his friends from a gang of cartel members, but he’s hiding a dark secret that will put everyone at the resort in danger.

Bonilla is a series regular on the upcoming FX on Hulu series The Old Man, whose Season 1 production is currently on hold while star Jeff Bridges undergoes cancer treatment. Bonilla will reportedly be able to fulfill his obligation to the FX series before he segues to Getaway should the pilot go to series.

Bonilla most recently appeared in Nat Geo’s miniseries The Long Road Home and was previously a series regular on the final season of A&E’s Unforgettable.

Antonio Banderas to Star in Limited Series Based on the Novel “The Monster of Florence: A True Story”

Posted on June 28, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Antonio Banderas is reporting for duty…

The 60-year-old Spanish Oscar-nominated actor will portray an Italian crime reporter in his latest television role.

Banderas, who starred as Pablo Picasso in Nat Geo’s Genius, will play Mario Spezi, a reporter who alongside American fiction writer Douglas Preston, investigated one of the most notorious serial murder cases in Europe.

The limited series project, which comes from Nikolaj Arcel and Anders Thomas Jensen, is in development with Studiocanal.

It is based on Preston and Spezi’s book The Monster of Florence: A True Story, the investigation into a serial killer who killed 14 people between 1974 and 1985 in the Italian province. Preston and Spezi uncovered mistakes made by police in their investigations of the crimes, all of which were tied to young couples killed during romantic rendezvous in the Italian countryside.

Preston and Spezi at one point became entangled in the case and accused by police of crimes associated with the murders.

Arcel and Jensen will write and Arcel will direct.

Banderas and Emanuel Nunez will executive produce.

Jorge Diaz to Star in Pilot for HBO Max’s “Head of the Class” Sitcom Reboot

Posted on January 21, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Jorge Diaz is moving to the head of the class…

The 37-year-old Mexican American actor has joined the cast of HBO Max’s multi-camera comedy pilot Head of the Class, a reboot of the popular 1980s ABC sitcom.

Diaz joins a roster of new additions to the cast that includes Dior Goodjohn, Brandon Severs, Adrian Matthew Escalona and Christa Miller.

They join previously announced Isabella Gomez, Gavin Lewis and Jolie Hoang-Rappaport in the reboot which hails from American Vandal writers Amy Pocha and Seth Cohen, Bill Lawrence and his Doozer Productions; and Warner Bros. Television, which produced the original series.

Written by Pocha and Cohen, based on the original series created by Rich Eustis and Michael Elias, the reimagined Head of the Class revolves around a group of overachieving high school students who meet their greatest challenge — a teacher Alicia Adams (Gomez), who wants them to focus less on grades and more on experiencing life.

Diaz plays Elliot Olsen, a goofy English teacher who loves his job and is genuine to a fault. Goodjohn is Robyn Rook. Stem queen turned Twitch streamer, Robyn’s the defacto leader of the class – though she’d never admit it. Severs will portray Terrell Smith, is a year-round athlete, who is uber-positive and all about team mentality. Escalona is Miles Mendelson, the shy, introverted, overthinking coder, who’d rather spend time with computers than people. Miller recurs as Principal Maris, an intimidating, tough love boss that always puts the students first.

Diaz has appeared on a number of hit comedies including the CW’s Jane The Virgin, NBC’s The Good Place and Netflix’s Arrested Development. He also starred as SPC Israel Garza in Nat Geo’s Critics Choice-nominated Iraq war drama, The Long Road Home. On the film side, Diaz portrayed Hector Estrella in Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones, earning a nomination for an Imagen Foundation Award for his performance.

Escalona was first discovered in 2018, when a video of him singing “She Used To Be Mine” from the Broadway musical Waitress went viral with almost 4 million views and counting. He went on to be invited by Waitress writer and composer Sara Bareilles to make a guest appearance during her tour stop in Pittsburgh, near his home town. Head of the Class is Escalona’s first major TV role.

Nat Geo Releasing Docuseries Episode About the Late Gustavo Cerati

Posted on September 3, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

Gustavo Cerati is getting an emotional special…

National Geographic Latin America‘s TV network has released a poignant teaser for its upcoming docuseries episode about the Argentine singer-songwriter, composer and producer, considered one of the most important and influential figures of Ibero-American rock.

In the 30-second clip, the late Soda Stereo frontman sings “Happy Birthday” to his then baby son Benito in an archival home video shot by the Argentine musician himself.

The Cerati episode from Nat Geo’s BIOS series is due out in late fall for viewing in Latin America, according to a press release from the channel.

In the series, which is also set to include an episode about Argentine rock pioneer Charly Garcia, a participatory narrator follows the path of the subject’s life and career.

In this case, Chilean pop artist Javiera Mena will reveal the details about Cerati, through interviews with his children, Benito and Lisa; his former wife, Cecilia Amenábar, and others. The episode will show previously unseen footage.

September 4 will mark four years since Cerati died after having an aneurysm and going into a coma following a concert in 2010. As part of the now legendary Soda Stereo and with his subsequent solo career, he transcended his enormous popularity in Argentina to become one of the most influential artists that the Spanish-speaking world has known.

The two-hour documentary episode was directed by Sebastián Ortega, who is well-known in Argentina for his extensive work in television. “Gustavo Cerati is one of the greatest poets of our contemporary music,” Ortega said in the announcement from Nat Geo. “An artist with great sensitivity and unique inspiration who gave us some of the most original songs of Ibero-America of all time.”

Esai Morales Lands Recurring Role on CBS’ “NCIS: Los Angeles”

Posted on August 21, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

Esai Morales is getting deputized…

The 55-year-old Puerto Rican actor has landed a recurring role on the upcoming tenth season of CBS’NCIS: Los Angeles.

Morales will play Deputy Director Gaines. Smart, authoritative, polished and trustworthy, Gaines accompanies a special prosecutor from the Department of Defense who is investigating the NCIS office and its employees. He is there to protect his people and advise them on how to navigate the prosecutor’s interviews. The character will be introduced in a late October episode.

“Following the rescue mission in Mexico from last season’s finale and this season’s premiere, our NCIS: Los Angelesteam will face challenging repercussions but they will have a new ally in the Deputy Director,” said executive producer R. Scott Gemmill. “We are thrilled that the talented Esai Morales has signed on to this recurring role.”

Starring Chris O’Donnell, LL Cool J, Linda Hunt, Daniela Ruah, Eric Christian Olsen, Barrett Foa, Renée Felice Smith and Nia Long, NCIS: Los Angelesis produced by CBS Television Studios and executive produced by Gemmill, John P. Kousakis and Frank Military.

Morales, who rose to acclaim in the 1987 biopic La Bamba,was most recently seen in a major arc on Netflix’s Ozark and as a recurring on Nat Geo’s Mars. On the big screen, Morales’ credits include Sony Pictures’ Superfly.

Season 10 of NCIS: Los Angelespremieres Sunday, September 30 at 9 PM on CBS.

Raoul Trujillo to Star in FX’s “Sons of Anarchy” Spinoff Pilot “Mayans MC”

Posted on October 21, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Raoul Trujillo is revving up for a new role…

The 62-year-old part-Latino actor has landed a series regular role opposite Edward James Olmos and Michael Irby in Mayans MC, Kurt Sutter’s retooled Sons of Anarchy spinoff pilot for FX.

Set in the aftermath of Jax Teller’s death at the end of SoA’s seven-season run in 2014, Mayans MC will focus on the struggles of EZ Reyes (JD Pardo), a prospect in the Mayan MC charter on the California/Mexico border.

Trujillo will play Che “Taza” Romero, Vicepresidente of Mayans MC, Santo Padre Charter. As a longtime friend of Alvarez, he helped set up the Santo Padre chapter on the border. He’s hardened by the deterioration of his hometown, but an infinite source of wisdom to the club.

Trujillo, who starred in Sicario, can next be seen opposite Liam Neeson in Hard Powder, and in Hochelaga, Land of Souls directed by François Girard, Canada’s pick for the foreign-language Oscar race.

On the television side, he received a best supporting actor Critics’ Choice nomination for Nat Geo miniseries Saints & Strangers.

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