Tag Archives: Natalie Chaidez

Ana Ortiz In Final Talks to Star in the HBO Max Drama Pilot “More”

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Ana Ortiz is thisclose to one more project…

The 51-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress is finalizing a deal to lead the cast of the HBO Max drama pilot More, from Amy Chozick, Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. Television.

Ana OrtizOrtiz, who will star alongside Christian Serratos, replaces Veronica Falcón, who originally was tapped for the role.

The recasting decision was made after the table read, according to Deadline.com

Written by journalist Chozick and inspired by her reporting, More follows the Lorenz family, a tight-knit clan of seemingly flawless Latinas led by mom/mastermind Leona (Ortiz). The Lorenzes are the Vanderbilts or the Astors of the Instagram era. Drawing some parallels to the Kardashians and their “momager” Kris Jenner, the Lorenzes pulled their way up from debt and obscurity to reality TV stardom and forged a billion-dollar mega-conglomerate not from oil or steel but from something more elusive and modern: influence.

Ortiz’s Leona Lorenz is the matriarch of the Lorenz family media dynasty. A former single mom, Leona used her formidable, self-taught business skills to scrap her way to the 1 percent, parlaying her four glistening daughters (Serratos, Ceci Fernandez, Yvette Monreal, Georgie Flores) into a billion-dollar media empire, with a top-rated reality TV show and lucrative brand partnerships. But can this stage mom for the Instagram era acquire more fame and power than even she could imagine, without losing her grip on her daughters?

Chozick and Natalie Chaidez serve as executive producers and co-showrunners.

Best known for her role as Hilda Suarez on Ugly Betty, Ortiz recently starred as Isabel, Victor’s mother, on Hulu/Disney+’s Love, Victor. She also co-starred on Whiskey Cavalier, which aired for one season on ABC, and recurred on the second season of Netflix’s Special.

Natalie Chaidez Signs Exclusive, Multi-Year Deal with Warner Bros. Television

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Natalie Chaidez has been warn(er)ed.

The Latina television writer and producer has signed an exclusive, multi-year deal with Warner Bros. Television.

Natalie ChaidezAs part of the deal, she’ll develop and create original programming via WBTV for all platforms.

The news comes ahead of HBO Max’s Season 2 premiere of The Flight Attendant on April 21, marking Chaidez’s debut as series executive producer and co-showrunner alongside Steve Yockey.

Chaidez is a veteran creator, executive producer and showrunner who works in both television and features. Prior to joining The Flight Attendant, she served as executive producer and writer on USA Network’s crime drama Queen of the South.

She previously created and executive produced the Syfy drama series Hunters. Her additional TV writing and producing credits include 12 Monkeys, In Plain Sight, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Heroes, Judging Amy and New York Undercover among many others.

She was nominated for an Emmy and WGA Award for her work on Heroes.

Most recently, Chaidez received a pilot order from Freeform for the coming-of-age story AZNBBGRL, a collaboration with Dinh Thai.

Natalie Chaidez Developing Television Series Based on the Late Oscar “Zeta” Acosta’s Novels

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The late Oscar “Zeta” Acosta’s life story will be getting the Hollywood treatment…

Half-Mexican American television writer/producer Natalie Chaidez has acquired the film and television rights to the late Chicano attorney, politician, novelist and activist’s novels Autobiography of a Brown Buffalo and The Revolt of the Cockroach People.

Oscar “Zeta” Acosta

She will executive produce and supervise writing for an upcoming television series.

Chaidez is developing the project with Joe Loya and Phillip Rodriguez.

Acosta was a Mexican American activist in the Chicano Civil Rights Movement who disappeared in Mexico in 1974, a year after his second novel The Revolt of the Cockroach People was released and is presumed dead. He is also famously known for his friendship with Hunter S. Thomson, who characterized Acosta as Samoan attorney Dr. Gonzo in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

“Oscar Zeta Acosta has been a passion of mine since I first encountered his books in an East LA library. Acosta’s story is one of the deepest and cinematic stories in the Latinx canon. I’m thrilled to bring his story to life,” Chaidez told Deadline in an exclusive statement.

The televison series will feature elements from both of his published novels, the first is loosely based on his early years, and the second tells real stories from his later years during the Chicano movement while changing the identities of those involved. It’s currently being shopped around to networks and streamers.

Chaidez is currently co-showrunner on the second season of HBO Max’s The Flight Attendant alongside Steve Yockey currently in production. She was previously an executive producer and writer on USA Network’s Queen of the South and served as creator and executive producer of the Syfy drama Hunters.

Eva Longoria Developing Latinx Family Drama “Chicano,” Based on Richard Vasquez’s Novel, for ABC

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Eva Longoria’s hoping to bring the Chicano story and struggle to the small screen.

The 45-year-old Mexican American actress and former Desperate Housewives star has joined forces with Natalie Chaidez and Forest Whitaker to develop the family drama Chicano, inspired by Richard Vasquez’s novel of the same name, for ABC.

Eva Longoria

Written by Chaidez, known for her work on 12 Monkeys, Hunters and The Sarah Connor Chronicles, the drama is a multi-generational saga about the Sandovals, a Mexican-American family that immigrates to Los Angeles in pursuit of the American Dream.  

It will follow the struggles and triumphs of the Sandoval family from 1920 through present and explores the question of what it means to be American.

Chicano by Richard Vasquez

20th Century Fox Television is the studio on the project, which is being produced in association with Longoria and Ben Spector’s UnbeliEVAble Entertainment and Whitaker and Nina Yang Bongiovi’s Significant Productions. 

ABC has handed the project a script and additional development material plus penalty commitment. Chaidez, Longoria, Spector, Whitaker, Yang Bongiovi serve as executive producers.

It’s the latest ABC project for UnbeliEVAble Entertainment, which is currently under a deal at 20th Century Fox Studios Television. The company previously produced Grand Hotel. 

Development of the project began with one of the executive producers, Doug Pray, working with Sylvia Vasquez, daughter of Chicano author Richard Vasquez, while Chaidez is a third generation Mexican-American whose own family’s immigration journey closely parallels the story told in Chicano.

“Chicano is just the first of many projects that we expect from Eva and Ben as we look to ramp up our slate of Latinx programming. As part of our studio family, they are valuable partners in helping us expand our commitment to compelling stories for underrepresented communities,” said Karey Burke, president, ABC Entertainment. “With Forest, Nina, Natalie and Doug also at the helm of this project, we know we have the perfect powerhouse team to bring this Mexican-American family’s story to life and cultivate the next generation of Latinx storytelling.”