Roselyn Sanchez Starring Opposite Wanda Sykes in Boxing Drama “Undercard”

Roselyn Sanchez is hitting the ring in her native Puerto Rico.

The 51-year-old Puerto Rican actress and singer-songwriter is starring in the boxing mother-and-son drama Undercard, which has begun principal photography in Puerto Rico for Catalyst Studios.

Roselyn SanchezIn her first big dramatic film role, the film stars Wanda Sykes as Cheryl “No Mercy” Stewart, a two-time former boxing champion and recovering alcoholic.

The film follows her attempts to reconnect with 20-year-old son Keith, a talented but troubled young man, played by rising star Bentley Green, who has followed his mother’s footsteps into the boxing ring.

When Keith finds himself alone in his corner, because of his gambling-addicted trainer, he is forced to turn to his mother. Determined to right past wrongs, she embarks on a mission to train her son for glory in a World Championship title fight.

In addition to Sanchez, Sykes and Green, the film also stars William Stanford Davis, Xavier Mills, Estella Kahiha and Berto Colon.

Undercard is directed by Tamika Miller and co-written by Miller and Anita M. Cal.

The film is billed as following in the tradition of Raging Bull, Million Dollar Baby and Creed, but with the story told  through the eyes of the trainer.

“It is about the struggle and survival of the human spirit. Getting up when life does its best to knock you down. This powerful, moving story is a metaphor for our own challenges. And it shows Wanda like we have never seen her before,” said Catalyst Studios Chairperson Holly Anderson Levow.

Guillermo del Toro Teaming Up with Bradley Cooper for Special “Storytellers” Talk at Tribeca Festival

Guillermo del Toro is ready to talk shop…

This year’s lineup of talks and reunion screenings at the Tribeca Festival’, which will blend in-person and virtual events, will include 56-year-old Mexican Oscar-winning filmmaker.

Guillermo del Toro

Tribeca’s 20th edition is set for June 9 to June 20 and will be the first major film festival to host in-person events since the coronavirus pandemic took hold in early 2020.

The “storytellers” section will include Bradley Cooper in conversation with del Toro, as well as Amy Schumer in conversation with Emily Ratajkowski.

Other tandems will include Mike Jackson and John Legend of Get Lifted Film Company; screenwriter Scott Z. Burns and actor Matthew RhysUnorthodox star Shira Haas and actress/comedian Ali Wentworth; and Debbie Harry, Clem Burke and Chris Stein from the band Blondie.

“Each year the Tribeca Festival gathers the most esteemed names in film and entertainment for conversations that shine a light on the creative process,” said Jane Rosenthal, co-founder and CEO of Tribeca Enterprises and the Tribeca Festival. “This year we are particularly proud that we can once again convene these talented names for in-person conversations as we discuss new ways our world and business is being reshaped and reimagined.”

Reunion screenings, an increasingly popular draw at the fest in recent years, will celebrate FargoRaging BullThe Royal TenenbaumsThe Five Heartbeats and Charlie Chaplin’s The Kid.

Another section focused on directors will feature Doug Liman, M. Night Shyamalan and Gina Prince-Bythewood.

Additional Tribeca Talks events include Scott Rechler, CEO and Chairman of RXR Realty, recording two new episodes of his podcast, Recalibrate Reality: The Future of NY, and conversations with Jason Hirschhorn, CEO of REDEF, about the business of entertainment and the future of podcasting.

A restored version of Raging Bull will screen, along with a pre-recorded conversation with star Robert De Niro and director Martin Scorsese. The Kid, which is marking its 100th anniversary, will be celebrated in a special screening.

The Weinstein Company Acquires U.S. Distribution Rights to Ramirez’s “Hands of Stone”

Edgar Ramirez’s latest film will get the Weinstein treatment…

The Weinstein Company has closed a deal for the U.S. distribution rights to Hands of Stone, the Jonathan Jakubowicz-directed drama that stars the 38-year-old Venezuelan actor as iconic fighter Robert Duran.

Edgar Ramirez

Robert De Niro portrays Duran’s mentor and trainer Ray Arcel, and Usher appears as his ring nemesis Sugar Ray Leonard. Ellen Barkin, Ruben Blades and Ana de Armas also star.

The deal includes a theatrical commitment of around 2000 screens that will make this a precedent-setting release for a Latino film, with a strong P&A commitment and backend deals.

The deal makes sense, as The Weinstein Company bought the foreign rights for Hands of Stone a few months ago and now the company will release it globally.

The film tells the rags-to-riches story of Duran, who is best remembered for his two ring matches with Leonard. The first, in 1980, featured two proud all-time greats fighting toe to toe, with Duran emerging victorious to win the WBC welterweight title. And then came the rematch that November, where Duran shocked the world. He was being outclassed and pummeled by Leonard when he said “no mas,” and turned his back on Leonard and quit in the ring.

Jakubowicz wrote the script, and the core of the story is the relationship between Duran and Arcel and how each man changed the other in boxing’s Golden Era, when Duran and Leonard battled among a group of brawlers that included Thomas Hearns, Marvin Hagler, Hector Camacho and Vinny Pazienza.

The title Hands Of Stone came from Duran’s nickname, because the Panamanian hit so hard, with those heavy fists powering him to 103 victories in 119 fights. The “no mas” incident was a terrible ending to a rivalry that was everything depicted by De Niro and Martin Scorsese in Raging Bull, when Jake LaMotta had those classic brawls with Sugar Ray Robinson.

The film will most likely open sometime next winter.