Amazon Studios Releases Extended Trailer for Javier Bardem’s Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Film “Being the Ricardos”

Javier Bardem is embracing his moment of being a Ricardo

Amazon Studios has released the first extended look at the 52-year-old Spanish Oscar-winning actor’s Desi Arnaz and Nicole Kidman’s Lucille Ball in the new trailer for Being the Ricardos.

Javier Bardem, Being the Ricardos

The project is writer-director Aaron Sorkin’s peek behind the scenes of television’s pioneering sitcom I Love Lucy.

In the trailer, Ball and Arnaz are depicted at one of the couple’s many pivotal moments: This time, it’s the House Un-American Activities Committee’s investigation into Ball’s early ties to the Communist Party.

“We’ve been through worse than this,” Bardem’s Arnaz assures his wife. “We have?,” replies Kidman’s Ball in a throaty voice and with the perfect comic timing that would make Lucy a legend.

The trailer also unveils J.K. Simmons as William Frawley and Nina Arianda as Vivian Vance, and features a tense scene on the Lucy set as Ball makes her first appearance following news of the FBI investigation.

In addition to Kidman, Bardem, Simmons and Arianda, Being the Ricardos features Jake Lacy, Tony Hale and Alia Shawkat.

Amazon Studio’s Being the Ricardos opens in theaters on December 10, and premieres on Amazon Prime Video on December 21.

Amazon Releases First Trailer for Lucille Ball & Desi Arnaz Biopic “Being the Ricardos,” Starring Javier Bardem

It appears Javier Bardem has some ‘splaining to do…

Amazon has released the first trailer for Being the Ricardos, starring the 52-year-old Spanish Oscar-winning actor as the late Desi Arnaz.

Javier Bardem, Being the Ricardos“I get paid a fortune to do exactly what I love doing,” Nicole Kidman says in the trailer for the film, which will be released on December 21. “I work side by side with my husband who is genuinely impressed by me, and all I have to do to keep it is kill for 36 weeks in a row—and then do it again the next year.”

Writer-director Aaron Sorkin’s follow-up to The Trial of the Chicago 7 is a biopic of I Love Lucy stars and real-life couple Lucille Ball (Kidman) Arnaz (Bardem). It’s set during one production week on the TV comedy—from Monday table read through Friday audience filming—when the pair face a crisis that could end their careers and another that could end their marriage.

“You know, I did this show so that Desi and I could be together,” Kidman’s Ball admits in voiceover. “I had no idea it was going to be a hit.” Of course, in the end, it would prove to be so much more—enduring for generations as a classic, following its six seasons on CBS, which saw it win four Emmys, among numerous other accolades.

Being the Ricardos also stars J.K. Simmons, Jake LacyNina Arianda, Tony Hale, Alia Shawkat, Clark Gregg, Nelson Franklin and more.

Vazquez’s “Rob the Mob” to Premiere at the Miami International Film Festival

Yul Vazquez is preparing to rob the mob in Miami…

The Cuban American actor’s latest film, Rob the Mob, will have its world premiere at the Miami International Film Festival in March.

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Directed by Raymond De Felitta and starring Andy Garcia, the film also stars Michael Pitt, Ray Romano, Burt Young, Griffin Dunne, Frank Whaley, Cathy Moriarty, Aida Turturro and Nina Arianda.

Rob the Mob, which centers on a couple that targets the Mafia for heists and stumbles upon something big at an underground club, is one of nearly 100 films set to be screened at the Miami International Film Festival.

The North American premiere of the Shirley MacLaineChristopher Plummer pairing Elsa & Fred will take place at the 10-day event, which runs March 7-16.

Directed by Michael Radford, the film is a remake of the 2008 Argentine/Spanish film of the same name. Also in the cast are Marcia Gay HardenGeorge Segal, Chris Noth, James Brolin, Wendell Pierce, Jaime Camil and Osvaldo Rios.

In total, 92 feature films and 28 shorts representing 38 countries will premiere at this year’s festival, which marks its 31st edition.

“The programming team believes the selection of films showcased in the festival this year is a reflection of our passion for film, and we hope that it will strengthen our community’s love and appreciation for the art of filmmaking,” MIFF executive director Jaie Laplante said.

The festival will present actor-director John Turturro with its Career Achievement Tribute. Turturro will present his latest film, the Woody Allen starrer Fading Gigolo. The film, which debuted at the Toronto Film Festival, also stars Sharon Stone and Sofia Vergara. 

Here’s the complete list of competition films:

Festival Competition Categories:

The Knight Competition, open to dramatic works from Latin America, Spain and Portugal as well as Latino-themed works produced in the United States:

All About The Feathers (Por las plumas) (Costa Rica, directed by Neto Villalobos) U.S. Premiere
Asteroid (Asteroide) (Mexico, directed by Marcelo Tobar) World premiere
Club Sandwich (Mexico, directed by Fernando Eimbcke)
The Man of the Crowd (O homem das multidões) (Brazil, directed by Marcelo Gomes and Cao Guimarães) North American premiere
Memories of the Desert (Romance policial) (Brazil/Chile, directed by Jorge Durán) World premiere
Natural Sciences (Ciencias naturales) (Argentina, directed by Matias Lucchesi) North American premiere
Séptimo (Spain/Argentina, directed by Patxi Amexcua) North American premiere
To Kill A Man (Matar un hombre) (Chile/France, directed by Alejandro Fernández Almendras)
We All Want What’s Best For Her (Tots volem el millor per a ella) (Spain, directed by Mar Coll) North American premiere
A Wolf at the Door (O lobo atrás da porta) (Brazil, directed by Fernando Coimbra)

Knight Documentary Competition, open to engaging and thought-provoking feature-length documentaries created by international filmmakers that examine social issues, diverse cultures, icons and inspiring people:

The Art Rush (France, directed by Marianne Lamour) North American premiere
The Dog (U.S.A., directed by Allison Berg and Frank Keraudren)
Europe in 8 Bits (Spain, directed by Javier Polo)
Finding Vivian Maier (U.S.A., directed by Charlie Siskel and John Maloof)
Ivory Tower (USA, directed by Andrew Rossi)
Locations: Looking For Rusty James (Locaciones: buscando a Rusty James) (Chile, directed by Alberto Fuguet)
The Notorious Mr. Bout (U.S.A./Russia, directed by Tony Gerber and Maxim Pozdorovkin)
The Overnighters (U.S.A., directed by Jesse Moss)
Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon (U.S.A., directed by Mike Myers)
Whitey: United States of America v. James J. Bulger (U.S.A., directed by Joe Berlinger)

The Lexus Ibero-American Opera Prima Competition for first-time feature filmmakers emerging from Spain, Portugal and Latin America:

Here’s the Deal (Somos gente honrada) (Spain, directed by Alejandro Marzoa) U.S. premiere
Mateo (Colombia/France, directed by Maria Gamboa) World premiere
Stockholm (Estocolmo) (Spain, directed by Rodrigo Sorogoyen) U.S. premiere
We Are Mari Pepa (Somos Mari Pepa) (Mexico, directed by Samuel Kishi Leopo)

Papi Shorts Competition:

A Big Deal (China, directed by Yoyo Yao) U.S. premiere
Blue (U.S.A., directed by Justin Malone) World premiere
Chub (U.S.A., directed by Samuel Albis) World premiere
Flamingo (Venezuela, directed by Carl Zitelmann)
Grace (Graça) (Brazil, directed by Anna Clara Peltier) North American premiere
The Phone Call (United Kingdom, directed by Mat Kirkby)
Skin (France, directed by Cédric Prévost) North American premiere
Shirt Out, Game Over! (Switzerland, directed by Eric Paternot) World premiere
Unicorn (Unicornio) (Bolivia, directed by Rodrigo Bellott)
Xenos (United Kingdom/Greece/Denmark, directed by Mahdi Fleifel) North American premiere

A list of noncompetition films and seminars can be found at MiamiFilmFestival.com.

García to Star in “Rob the Mob”

Andy García is returning to his “mob” ties…

The 57-year-old Cuban American actor, who starred in The Godfather Part III, has joined the cast of the crime drama Rob the Mob.

Andy Garcia

Based on a true story, the Raymond De Felitta-directed film stars Michael Pitt and Nina Arianda as a couple who brazenly steal from mob-run social clubs in New York City until they stumble upon a coveted list of every mafioso in town and become the prey of the feds, the mob and their own families.

In addition to García, Pitt and Arianda, the film will also star Everybody Loves Raymond star Ray Romano.

García previously starred in De Felitta’s City Island.

Moura to Star in “Fellini Black And White”

Wagner Moura is preparing to portray one of the most influential filmmakers of the 20th century…

The 36-year-old Brazilian actor, a well-established and acclaimed actor in his native country, has signed on to play Federico Fellini in Fellini Black And White.

Wagner Moura

Directed by Henry Bromell, the film centers on Betty, the beautiful veterinarian that Fellini falls in love with when he comes to Los Angeles in 1957 to attend the Academy Awards and picks up the Best Picture for Nights Of Cabiria.

Abbie Cornish has been cast as Betty. The film also stars William H. Macy, Terrence Howard, Peter Dinklage and Nina Arianda, who will play Italian film star Giulietta Masina, Fellini’s wife.

Moura achieved widespread international fame for his portrayal of Captain (later Colonel) Roberto Nascimento, protagonist of the highly successful 2007 motion picture The Elite Squad and the film’s sequel, The Elite Squad 2.

Besides his acting career, Moura is also a lyricist and the vocalist of the band Sua Mãe.