Gravitas Ventures Acquires North American Rights to Adrian Martinez’s Feature Directorial Debut Film “iGilbert”

Posted on November 4, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Adrian Martinez’s latest project will be heading to a theater near you…

Gravitas Ventures has acquired the North American rights to iGilbert, the Latino actor’s feature directorial debut film, in which he also stars.

Martinez appears alongside Dascha Polanco (In the Heights, Orange Is the New Black) and Raùl Castillo (Army of the Dead, We the Animals).

The indie distributor will release the drama in theaters and on demand on December 31.

iGilbert centers on Gilbert Gonzalez (Martinez), who feels isolated from the world. He is 39, a virgin, obese and lives with his sarcastic, overprotective mother, who owns the Manhattan brownstone. Fearful of life and people, yet starving for human connection, Gilbert takes photos of women secretly, wherever and whenever he can. Enter Jana (Polanco), a tenant in the building and the source of innumerable fantasies.

Jana is a contradiction – beautiful but haunted by her own insecurities that inhibit her from standing up to her ex-boyfriend Tony (Castillo), an Iraq war vet with PTSD. Gilbert dreams of rescuing her, but doesn’t believe she could ever love him, especially if she knew about all the secret photos. This love triangle becomes a battle for human connection, which is increasingly difficult in our digital and disconnected world.

Martinez produced the film alongside Cynthia Hargrave, also exec producing alongside Jose Rivera.

Martinez’s previous acting credits include Curb Your Enthusiasm, Stumptown, The Blacklist and Gotham.

Olga Merediz Starring in Dave Franco-Directed Amazon Original Film “Somebody I Used to Know”

Posted on September 29, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Olga Merediz is in the Know…

The 65-year-old Cuban actress/singer, who originated the role of Abuela Claudia in the Broadway musical In the Heights, has been cast in Somebody I Used to Know, the Amazon original film being directed by Dave Franco and starring Alison Brie, Jay Ellis and Kiersey Clemons.

Merediz is among a list of cast newcomers that includes Julie Hagerty, Haley Joel Osment, Amy Sedaris, Danny Pudi, Zoe Chao, Evan Jonigkeit, Ayden Mayeri and Kelvin Yu.

With the cast filled out, production is underway in Oregon on the romantic comedy co-penned by Franco and Brie.

The film hails from Temple Hill Entertainment and Black Bear Pictures and marks a reteam of Franco, Brie and Black Bear after last year’s horror pic The Rental, directed by Franco and starring Brie.

Somebody I Used to Know centers on Ally (Brie), a workaholic who on a trip to her hometown spends a night reminiscing with her ex-boyfriend Sean (Ellis), which makes her start to question everything about the choices she’s made and the person she’s become. And things only get more confusing when she meets Cassidy (Clemons), a younger woman who reminds her of the person she used to be.

The film is expected to debut exclusively on Prime Video worldwide next year.

Merediz’s other credits include appearances on Shades of Blue and Netflix‘s Orange Is the New Black.

Jessica Pimentel to Star in Hulu’s Drama Pilot “Olga Dies Dreaming”

Posted on September 7, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Jessica Pimentel is livin’ the dream(ing)…

The 38-year-old Dominican American actress will star opposite Aubrey Plaza, Ramón Rodríguez and Wanda De Jesús in Olga Dies Dreaming, Hulu’s one-hour drama pilot based on the novel by Xochitl Gonzalez.

The pilot for Olga Dies Dreaming, written by Gonzalez and to be directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, tells the story of a Nuyorican brother (Rodríguez) and sister (Plaza) from a gentrifying Sunset Park in Brooklyn who are reckoning with their absent, politically radical mother (De Jesús) and their glittering careers among New York City’s elite in the wake of Hurricane Maria.

Pimentel will play Mabel Ortiz, who is as street smart as she is book smart. She loves a good time; the first on a dance floor and the last off. She has opinions and isn’t afraid to express them, and she refuses to take the time to wrap them in a nice bow. Her big personality masks a more sensitive interior. She worships her cousin Prieto (Rodríguez) but, despite having been raised like sisters, her relationship with Olga (Plaza) is now more fraught.

Jesse Williams also stars.

Gomez-Rejon, who partnered with Gonzalez after reading her novel in manuscript form, executive produces the pilot; Plaza and Rodríguez are producing. 20th Television is the studio.

Pimentel is best known for her role as Maria Ruiz on all seven seasons of Netflix’s Orange Is the New Black.

Her other previous television credits include recurring roles on Law & Order: SVU and Person of Interest.

She can currently be seen in Theodore Schaefer’s feature Giving Birth to a Butterfly.

Rosanny Zayas to Star in Netflix’s Psychological Thriller Limited Series “Echoes”

Posted on August 12, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Rosanny Zayas is making (sound) waves…

The Afro-Latina actress will star as a series regular in Echoes, Netflix’s psychological thriller limited series from 13 Reasons Why showrunner Brian Yorkey.

Zayas joins a cast that includes Tony Award winner Ali Stroker, Karen Robinson, Michelle Monaghan, Matt Bomer and Daniel Sunjata.

Created and written by Vanessa Gazy, Echoes is a mystery thriller about identical twins Leni and Gina, both portrayed by Monaghan, who share a dangerous secret. Since they were children, Leni and Gina secretly have swapped lives, culminating in a double life as adults: They share two homes, two husbands and a child, but everything in their perfectly choreographed world is thrown into disarray when one of the sisters goes missing.

Zayas is Deputy Paula Martinez. She has enjoyed her first year working in the sleepy town of Mt. Echo where the crimes are as mild as the weather. But when her new friend Leni disappears, the true character of Mt. Echo reveals itself—and she finds herself caught in the middle.

Zayas currently stars on Season 2 of Showtime’s The L Word: Generation Q. She will next be seen in Sam Esmail’s limited series Angelyne for Peacock and UCP. She previously recurred on Orange Is The New Black, Modern Persuasion, The Code and Instinct.

Dascha Polanco to Star in the NBC pilot “Dangerous Moms,” Based on Spanish Series “Señoras del (h)AMPA”

Posted on June 14, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a dangerous time for Dascha Polanco…

The 38-year-old Dominican actress has been cast as a co-lead opposite Shanola Hampton in the NBC pilot Dangerous Moms, from Warner Bros. Television and Universal Television.

Written by Janine Sherman Barrois and based on the Spanish series Señoras del (h)AMPA, Dangerous Moms is an off-center dark dramedy about four diverse mothers — two of them played by Hampton and Polanco — who accidentally kill the queen bee of their school’s PTA during the demonstration of a new high-end food processor.

The story becomes a female anthem about friendship and family as it tells the story of one completely unprepared group of women who must juggle their everyday lives while their worlds are turned upside down.

Polanco will play Pia, the impeccable nemesis of Monique (Hampton). Pia is the No. 1 salesperson for the state-of-the-art TurboThunder3000 food processor and a popular mommy blogger. She also is the landlord of a few apartment buildings in the community, which she hopes to gentrify.

Barrois executive produces with Rachel Kaplan, Intrigue Entertainment’s Tariq Jalil and Lucas Carter as well as Arantxa Écija from Mediaset España Comunicación and Santi Botello from Producciones Mandarina SL, who produced the original series.

Polanco, currently co-starring in Warner Bros.’ In the Heights, is best known for her work on Orange Is the New Black, for which she shared in three comedy ensemble SAG Awards.

She’s set to star in the upcoming MGM superhero thriller film Samaritan, opposite Sylvester Stallone, and will make her leading film role debut in Adrian Martinez’s indie dark comedy iGilbert.

Tyler Alvarez to Appear on Season Two of Mindy Kaling’s Netflix Series “Never Have I Ever”

Posted on December 12, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a special game of Never Have I Ever for Tyler Alvarez…

The 23-year-old Puerto Rican and Cuban American actor has landed a recurring role for season two of Mindy Kaling’s Netflix series Never Have I Ever.

Alvarez will play Malcom. A “Young Hollywood” type, Malcom went to elementary school with Devi and her friends but left when he was cast in a Disney Channel show. He’s recently returned to Sherman Oaks High while continuing his acting career.

Co-created by Kaling and Lang Fisher, Never Have I Ever stars Maitreyi Ramakrishnan as high school student Devi Vishwakumar, alongside returning cast including Poorna Jagannathan, Richa Moorjani, Jaren Lewison, Darren Barnet, Lee Rodriguez and Ramona Young.

The show follows the complicated life of a modern-day first-generation Indian American teenage girl, dealing with issues of family, sexuality and high school. Ramakrishnan’s Vishwakumar is a 15-year-old from Sherman Oaks, CA, who wants to change her social status after a horrible year that included losing her father and being confined to a wheelchair for three months.

Alvarez is best known for his starring role as Peter Maldonado in Netflix’s American Vandal. His other notable credits include Netflix’s Orange is the New Black and the Hulu revival of Veronica Mars.

Robby Ramos to Appear on Starz’s Wrestling Drama Series “Heels”

Posted on November 20, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Robby Ramos is being brought to heels…

The Latino actor has landed a recurring role opposite Stephen Amell, Alexander Ludwig and Mary McCormack in Heels, Starz’s eight-episode hour-long drama set in the outrageous world of independent professional wrestling.

Written by Michael Waldron, with Mike O’Malley as showrunner, Heels is a story about the men and women who chase their dreams in the world of small-town pro wrestling. Set in a close-knit Georgia community, it follows a family-owned wrestling promotion as two brothers and rivals, Jack Spade (Amell) and Ace Spade (Ludwig), war over their late father’s legacy. In the ring, somebody must play the good guy (Ludwig) and somebody must play their nemesis, the heel (Amell). But in the real world, those characters can be hard to live up to — or hard to leave behind.

Ramos will portray Diego, a wrestler at the DWL. In the ring, Diego wrestles as a Heel, but in the locker room, he’s a wisecracking and always encouraging colleague and friend.

Heels is produced by Lionsgate Television in association with Paramount Television Studios.

Ramos most recently appeared in Snowfall, Orange Is the New Black and The Blacklist.

Diane Guerrero to Star in Crypt TV’s Animated Horror Series “Woman In The Book”

Posted on September 25, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Diane Guerrero is getting animated…

The 34-year-old Colombian America actress will star in Crypt TV’s first animated horror series Woman In The Book.

The Latinx series is multilingual, using both Spanish and English, and follows the lives of three estranged siblings who reunite at an aging Mexican hacienda to wrestle for their inheritance, but inadvertently unleash a book-bound horror upon them that has plagued their family for generations.

Joining Guerrero in the series are Alfonso Herrera, Jose Ruiz-Gonzales and Bryan Greenberg.

Crypt TV is the company behind Facebook Watch’s The Birch.

Guerrero starred in DC’s Doom Patrol and Netflix’s Orange Is The New Black.

The show was developed by Crypt TV’s Daniel Persitz and is written by Eva Gonzalez Szigriszt and Pamela Garcia Rooney. Jeanette Moreno King will serve as director and will work with Jeanette Jeanenne.

Production will begin later this month and the project is set to air in early summer 2021. It is based on a 2016 Crypt TV digital series produced by Allison Vanore and written and directed by Justin Martinez, who will both serve as co-producers.

Oscar Nuñez to Star in Netflix’s Quarantine Anthology Series “Social Distance”

Posted on August 27, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Oscar Nuñez is keeping his distance…

The 61-year-old Cuban actor and comedian has been cast in Netflix’s upcoming quarantine anthology series Social Distance.

Hailing from Orange is the New Black creator Jenji Kohan, the series will also star Scandal’s Guillermo Diaz, Love Victor’s Isabella Ferreira, Katy Keene & In The Heights star Daphne Rubin-Vega, Danielle Brooks, Mike Colter Asante Blackk, Peter Scanavino, Lachlan Watson, Max Jenkins and Marsha Stephanie Blake.

Set in the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic, Social Distance is an eight-part anthology series that showcases the power of the human spirit in the face of uncertainty and isolation. Each standalone episode is told through a virtual lens and captures the unique emotional experience of being forced apart by circumstance and having no choice but to communicate remotely and rely on technology to maintain any sense of connection. Through these varied and deeply human stories, Social Distance aims to provide some much-needed catharsis during a tumultuous time while also capturing a snapshot of this singular moment in history.

The project was conceived, cast and executed entirely remotely during quarantine. The writers never met during the writing process, Diego Velasco directs talent remotely, Hilary Weisman Graham runs production from her living room and the cast acts and films themselves from home. Some of the actors’ real-life relatives also guest star in the series.

“Many of these stories required casting actors who were quarantined with other actors. That hurdle seriously hindered our options and so casting non-actors was sometimes essential,” said Weisman Graham on the decision to cast actors’ family members. “It was definitely a roll of the dice, but thankfully, we were thrilled to discover that talent really does breed talent. These family members may not have had aspirations to be in front of the camera when we first started, but they should all quit their day jobs immediately.”

Weisman Graham, who also serves as showrunner, executive produces with Tara Herrmann, Blake McCormick and Kohan. Velasco, who directed an episode of Orange Is the New Black and is working with Kohan on her upcoming series Teenage Bounty Hunters is directing and will co-executive produce.

Social Distance cast members include (in no particular episodic order):

Danielle Brooks with real-life mother LaRita Brooks and brother DJ Brooks; Marsha Stephanie Blake with real-life daughter Rocco Luna; Misha Brooks; Isabella Ferreira; Oscar Nunez; Daphne Rubin-Vega with real-life husband Tom Costanzo and son Luca Costanzo; Guillermo Diaz; Miguel Sandoval; Camila Perez; Olli Haaskivi; Giana Aragon; Mike Colter; Okieriete Onaodowan; real-life spouses Heather Burns and Ajay; Shakira Barrera; Steven Weber with real-life son Jack Hohnen-Weber; Helena Howard; Asante Blackk with real-life father Ayize Ma’at; Lovie Simone;

Max Jenkins; Brian Jordan Alvarez; Peter Vack; Rana Roy; Peter Scanavino with real-life son Leo Bai-Scanavino; Ali Ahn; Tami Sagher; Barbara Rosenblat; Michael Mulheren; real-life spouses Becky Ann Baker and Dylan Baker; Sunita Mani; real-life spouses Raymond Anthony Thomas and Marcia Debonis; Kylie Liya Page; Lachlan Watson; David Iacono; Will Meyers; Niles Fitch; and Ava Demary.

Nuñez is best known for starring on NBC’s The Office.

Fox Renews Josh Segarra’s Comedy Series “The Moodys” for Second Season

Posted on July 14, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Josh Segarra is still moody…

Fox as picked up a second season of its comedy series The Moodys, featuring the 34-year-old Puerto Rican actor.

Starring Denis Leary and Elizabeth Perkins, the show is based on Australian series A Moody Christmas. It started as a holiday event comedy series with the first installment airing during the holiday season last year.

The second season, targeted for the 2020-21 season will not be holiday-themed, with a bigger order size than the six-episode original limited run. It’s believed to be a 6 to 13-episode season.

“With The Moodys, we set out to brand the holidays in the only way Fox can – bold and unconventional. What we ended up with was a special show – and a family – everyone at the network fell in love with,” said Michael Thorn, president, Entertainment, Fox Entertainment.

Written by Bob Fisher, Rob Greenberg and Tad Quill,The Moodys follows the tight-knit, but slightly dysfunctional, Moody family through their misadventures.

“Bob Fisher, Rob Greenberg and Tad Quill perfectly captured the hysterics of Christmas, with sharp banter and real moments of family togetherness brought to life by Denis Leary, Elizabeth Perkins and the rest of the incredible cast,” Thorn added. “Eric and Kim Tannenbaum and CBS Television Studios have been great partners on this series; and, simply put, we’re looking forward to The Moodys’ future adventures.”

The Moodys is co-produced by CBS Television Studios and Fox Entertainment.

The first installment of The Moodysfollowed Dan Moody as he returns home to spend Christmas with his dysfunctional family. When he arrives, he’s met with the inevitable madness of a family whose members are all hiding things from each other.

The Moodys family includes Sean Sr. (Leary), his wife, Ann (Perkins), and their three grown children – Dan (Francois Arnaud, the youngest of the siblings and the “creative one”; Bridget (Chelsea Frei), the middle sister and the “overachiever”; and Sean Jr. (Jay Baruchel), the oldest sibling and “screw-up,” still living at home with his parents. The Moodys also features María Gabriela de Faría, Segarra, Kevin Bigley and Gerry Dee.

Segarra’s previous credits include Orange is the New Black, Sirens, AJ and the Queen and Katy Keene.

Hispanically Yours

Celebrating the Latino Influence

Tag Archives: Orange is the New Black