Aaron Dominguez to Star in the Indie Action Thriller “Red Dirt”

Aaron Dominguez is hitting pay dirt

The 29-year-old Latino actor, who stars on Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building, will star in Red Dirt, an indie action thriller from director Crash Buist that has been handed an interim agreement from SAG.

Aaron DominguezDominguez is among a cast that includes Melissa FumeroAlejandro Edda, Sebastian Chacon and Carlos Pratts.

Written by Buist, Jonathan Medina and Lauren Senechal, the film is a family-driven revenge tale about two brothers, Miguel (Dominguez) and Dom (Edda) who are thrust back together after years apart when their family is murdered by cartel gangsters in a New Mexico border town. The brothers are the only surviving members of a family that dies crossing the border between Mexico and the United States. Upon doing so, they’re found and cared for by a white couple, Brent and Margaret. The backdrop of their struggle arises with the opposing realities of where they were born and where they are raised. This is reflected in the choices they make as the younger Miguel becomes a cop, and his older brother, Dom, is forced to work in the world of drug trafficking.

Buis and Senechal are producing under their Sthenic Studios banner, alongside Medina. Jamie Ember and Marisa DeFranco handled casting.

In a statement accompanying the project announcement, Buist shared that he’s been “humbled and inspired by the level of talent and innovation in the New Mexico film community, and there is no richer backdrop for the world of Red Dirt.”

Co-writer and producer Senechal praised the film’s “truly…special” cast and the “depth, gravity, and creativity” they’ve brought to their work.

Added Medina: “Beyond excited to bring this latine-led story to life, and support SAG-AFTRA, my fellow writers, crew, teamsters, and everyone involved in our amazing business. The interim agreement works, so we can too!”

Recently appearing in the films Sitting in Bars with Cake and The Inspection from Amazon and A24, respectively, Dominguez is also known for a starring role in the first season of Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building. Among other upcoming projects for the actor is a reimagining of the 1986 horror classic Witchboard from filmmaker Chuck Russell, which sees him starring alongside Madison Iseman and Jamie Campbell Bower.

Known for starring on Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Netflix’s comedy series Blockbuster opposite Randall Park, Fumero has also been seen of late on George Lopez series Lopez vs. Lopez, also getting behind the camera to direct episodes of shows like Primo, Shea Serrano and Mike Schur’s hit comedy for Amazon Freevee.

Edda will next be seen starring in Kevin Costner’s Western epic Horizon: An American Saga, having previously been seen in film and TV projects like American MadeThe Forever PurgeNarcos: Mexico and Snowfall.

Most recently seen starring in Amazon’s hit series Daisy Jones & The Six and comedic thriller Emergency, Chacon will next appear alongside Jay Baruchel, Emily Hampshire, Peter Gallagher and Enrico Colantoni in the thriller Humane.

Ignacio Diaz-Silverio Starring in the Horror-Comedy “Departing Seniors”

Ignacio Diaz-Silverio is departing

The Latino actor will star in the horror-comedy Departing Seniors, which is currently filming in Chicago.

Ignacio Diaz-SilverioIn addition to Diaz-Silverio, the film also stars Yani GellmanLorena Diaz, Ireon Roach  and Cameron Scott Roberts.

Written by Jose Nateras, the film follows witty high school senior Javier (Diaz-Silverio), who after witnessing an act of bullying, begins having psychic visions that reveal the horrifying truth behind a rash of supposed suicides at his school. It’s up to him and his sarcastic best friend to unmask the truth behind the grisly occurrences.

Directing is Clare Cooney, who makes her feature directorial debut and serves as a producer.

“I couldn’t have asked for a more ambitious and exciting first feature,” says Clooney. “Jose’s sharp, funny, moving script is an ode to so many classic genre films, and yet uniquely its own. It has been exhilarating to dive into collaborating on this project with a team as diverse as the characters on the page. I look forward to heading back to my artistic home of Chicago to bring this suspenseful, whip-smart, thrilling script to life.”

“Chicago is fast becoming a key hub in independent filmmaking. We’re thrilled to be working with this extremely talented team. Jose Nateras delivered a powerhouse of a script, Clare Cooney is a director to watch, and the production team being led by Dashawna Wright is doing amazing work,” added Queensbury’s Greg Newman.

Diaz-Silverio was recently named the lead in the Amazon series Primo.

Carlos Santos to Star in Amazon’s Freevee Project From Shea Serrano, Formerly Titled “Primo”

Carlos Santos has landed a primo role…

The 36-year-old Puerto Rican actor and comedian has joined the cast of Amazon’s Freevee project from Shea Serrano, formerly titled Primo.

Carlos SantosSantos is among a list of new series regulars that includes Ignacio Diaz-Silverio, Martin Martinez, Johnny Rey Diaz, Henri Esteve, Jonathan Medina, Nigel Siwabessy, Christina Vidal, Efrain Villa and Stakiah Washington. 

The single-camera series hails from Serrano and The Good Place creator Mike Schur.

Inspired by Serrano’s life growing up in San Antonio, the project follows a teenager balancing college aspirations, societal expectations, and a hectic home life, anchored by his single mom and five uncles.

Diaz-Silverio will portray Rafa, a 16-year-old high school junior who must balance his mom and five uncles’ opinions after finding out that he has the chance to be the first person in his family to ever attend college.

Rey Diaz will portray Rollie, one of Rafa’s uncles and the middle child of his brothers. He’s the wildman of the family. He is regularly in minor trouble with the law. Though he’s feared as a brawler in the neighborhood, he’s also the most sentimental of the group.

Esteve will portray Mike, the second youngest of Rafa’s uncles. He is a fit, disciplined, military man who acts extremely alpha male-y all the time, though nobody in the family buys it.

Martinez will portray Miguel, one of Rafa’s closest friends who is a bit of a smart aleck.

Medina will portray Jay, the eldest of Rafa’s uncles. He has worked at a full-time, labor-intensive job since he was 17. He moves through life in the most straightforward way possible. He is the ultimate pragmatist.

Santos will portray Ryan, the youngest of all Rafa’s uncles. He works as a mid-level bank teller, but he tells everyone he works in finance.

Siwabessy will portray Harris, another one of Rafa’s closest friends, who has plenty of swagger and no use for college, as he intends to inherit his parents’ corner store.

Vidal will portray Drea, Rafa’s mom and the third eldest among her and her brothers. She’s the beating heart of the family. She’s insightful, clever, and resourceful.

Villa will portray Mondo, the second oldest of Rafa’s uncles and a cosmic wanderer. His advice usually has a bizarrely comforting philosophical hue to it that rarely translates to practical application.

Washington will portray Mya, Rafa’s friend who also happens to be his secret crush. She comes from a well-educated family for whom attending college is not an accomplishment but an expectation.

Production for the series will begin later this month in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Peter Murrieta serves as an executive producer. The series is produced by Amazon Studios and Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group.

IMDb TV Orders Shea Serrano’s Coming-of-Age Comedy “Primo” to Series

It’s a primo opportunity for Shea Serrano

The 40-year-old Mexican American author/writer, journalist and former teacher’s coming-of-age comedy Primo with Mike Schur has been ordered to series at IMDb TV.

Shea Serrano

It’s the first greenlit project from a tranche of developments, including projects from All American showrunner Nkechi Okoro Carroll and CSI: New York star Melina Kanakaredes, that the Amazon-owned AVOD service unveiled at its NewFronts in May.

Primo (w/t) will air on IMDb TV in the U.S. and UK.

Based on the life of Basketball (and Other Things) author Serrano, the series follows a Mexican-American teenager balancing cultural norms, college aspirations, societal expectations and the hectic home life of being raised by his single mom and five uncles.

Serrano will write and executive-produce the single-camera comedy with Schur, The Good Place EP Morgan Sackett and David MinerPrimo is a Fremulon and 3 Arts production in association with Universal Television.

“Do you remember when the (San Antonio) Spurs won the 2014 title after having their hearts broken in the 2013 (NBA) Finals? That’s what I feel like right now. I couldn’t be happier, I couldn’t be prouder, I couldn’t be more thankful. Honestly, I still kind of can’t even believe that this is happening,” said Serrano.

“When I first met Shea Serrano, I personally guaranteed him that someday I would make him feel like the 2014 Spurs did after winning the NBA championship. I’m thrilled to have achieved my goal. And I’m doubly thrilled to work with him and IMDb TV on this hilarious and heartwarming show,” added Schur.

“It is a dream to be in business with these two incredible writers. Their individual talents have combined to make an insightful, relevant, and genuinely funny show. More than just making us laugh, these scripts simultaneously reminded us of the angst of adolescence, the dizzying magic of first love, how friends become family, and how family imprints us for life,” said Lauren Anderson and Ryan Pirozzi, co-heads of content and programming at IMDb TV. “IMDb TV’s commitment to telling broad, timely, and highly entertaining stories is perfectly illustrated in Primo, and we know the series will deeply resonate with our viewers.”

“We’re thrilled that our partners at IMDb TV have picked up Primo. This project has been a long time in the making, and we’re incredibly proud to see Shea’s memorable and funny experiences come to life on the small screen,” said Jim Donnelly, EVP, comedy development, Universal Television. “From his best-selling books to this new show, Shea’s storytelling will captivate audiences not unlike power forward Tim Duncan captivated Spurs fans from 1997-2016.”