Zoe Saldana to Receive Critics Choice Association‘s Groundbreaker Award

Posted on October 14, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Zoe Saldana is a special Critics Choice honoree…

The 46-year-old 44-year-old Puerto Rican and Dominican American actress is among the honorees from the Critics Choice Association‘s 4th Annual Celebration of Latino Cinema & Television taking place on October 22, 2024 at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood.

Saldaña will receive the Groundbreaker Award for her starring role in Netflix’s Emilia Pérez, which won the Best Actress prize for the ensemble cast at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year.

The Director Award – Film will be awarded to Pablo Larraín for his directorial work on Netflix’s Maria.

The film competed in the Venice Film Festival and was one of the official selections for both the Telluride Film Festival and the New York Film Festival this year.

The Vanguard Award will be given to filmmaker Fede Alvarez for his writing and directorial work in creating 20th Century Studios’ Alien: Romulus.

The film notably earned $45.1 million in its domestic opening weekend at the box office and became the highest grossing horror film in IMAX history.

Emmy-nominated director, writer and producer Issa López will receive The Director Award – Series for her directorial work on the HBO Original Series True Detective: Night Country.

The series received 19 Emmy nominations, the most for any limited or anthology series this year and won star Jodie Foster the award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for a Limited Series, Anthology, or Television Movie.

The Showrunner Award will recognize Emmy-nominated television writer and producer Francesca Sloane for her work on Prime Video’s series Mr. & Mrs. Smith. The series was nominated 16 times at this year’s Emmys and was awarded two wins.

Oscar and Emmy-nominated actress Adriana Barraza will be honored with the Actress Award – Film for her role in Roadside Attractions’ film My Penguin Friend.

Barraza previously earned an Academy Award nomination in 2007 for Best Supporting Actress for her work in Alejandro González Iñárritu’s film Babel and just received a 2024 International Emmy nomination for Best Actress for her work in the award-winning Netflix film El último vagón.

Actress and writer Fernanda Torres will receive the Actress Award – International Film for her role in Sony Pictures Classics’ film I’m Still Here, which notably garnered the Best Screenplay award at this year’s Venice Film Festival and has been selected as Brazil’s 2024 submission for Best International Feature Film at the Oscars.

Emayatzy Corinealdi will accept the Actress Award – Series for her performance on Hulu/Onyx Collective’s Reasonable Doubt.

Corinealdi also recently appeared in the HBO series Ballers and in the Miles Davis biopic Miles Ahead. STARZ will bestow Emayatzy Corinealdi’s award with a special STARZ #TakeTheLead designation as part of its ongoing commitment to amplifying narratives by, about, and for women and underrepresented audiences.

Ramón Rodríguez will be awarded with the Breakthrough Actor Award – Series for his starring role in the ABC series Will Trent.

Rodríguez was also nominated in the Best Actor in a Drama Series category for season one at last year’s Critics Choice Awards.

The Comedy Series Award will be bestowed upon the acclaimed Apple TV+ series Acapulco, starring Emmy-winner Eugenio Derbez, Enrique Arrizon, Fernando Carsa, and Camila Perez.

The International Series Award will recognize the Apple TV+ Spanish-language drama series Familia de Medianoche, which features an entirely Latino cast and crew led by performers Renata Vaca, Joaquín Cosío, and Diego Calva.

The Celebration honors standout performances and work, both onscreen and offscreen from the Latino entertainment community.

Gina Rodriguez to Appear on Season 3 of ABC’s “Will Trent”

Posted on August 21, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Where there’s a will, there’s a way for Gina Rodriguez.

ABC’s Will Trent will have a new assistant district attorney in Season 3 to be played by the 40-year-old Puerto Rican Golden Globe-winning actress.

Based on Karin Slaughter’s New York Times bestselling Will Trent book series, the show follows the titular Special Agent of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (Ramón Rodriguez), who was abandoned at birth and endured a harsh coming-of-age in Atlanta’s overwhelmed foster care system. Now, Will uses his unique point of view in the pursuit of justice and has the highest clearance rate in the GBI.

Rodriguez will portray Marion Alba, a charismatic, confident Assistant District Attorney new to Atlanta. After her first encounter with Will falls flat, the pair is surprised to learn that they must work together to investigate a crime in the world of Atlanta gangs.

Will and Angie (Erika Christensen) were pretty hot and cold in Season 2, could Marion be coming in to mix things up romantically? Please note, this is pure speculation on my behalf but wouldn’t a love triangle storyline be juicy? Maybe it could catalyze bringing Will and Angie closer or permanently end their love connection.

The series also stars Sonja Sohn as Amanda Wagner, Iantha Richardson as Faith Mitchell and Jake McLaughlin as Michael Ormewood.

The Jane the Virgin star’s casting expands her relationship with ABC/Disney following her co-hosting duties alongside Shaquille O’Neal in the game show Lucky 13, which is currently airing on the network.

Before, she was the star and executive producer of ABC’s Not Dead Yet and Disney+’s Diary of a Future President.

ABC Renews Ramón Rodríguez’s Drama Series “Will Trent” for Third Season

Posted on April 3, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Ramón Rodríguez’s latest project Will continue…

ABC has renewed drama series Will Trent, starring the 44-year-old Puerto Rican actor, for a third season.

Based on Karin Slaughter’s New York Times bestselling Will Trent books, the series follows the titular special agent of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation who was abandoned at birth and endured a harsh coming-of-age in Atlanta’s overwhelmed foster care system. Now, Will uses his unique point of view to pursue justice and has the highest clearance rate in the GBI.

Will Trent also stars Erika Christensen as Angie Polaski, Iantha Richardson as Faith Mitchell, Jake McLaughlin as Michael Ormewood and Sonja Sohn as Amanda Wagner.

Liz Heldens, Dan Thomsen, Slaughter, Oly Obst and Howard Deutch executive produce. Rodriguez serves as co-executive producer on Season 2.

The pilot episode was written by Heldens and Thomsen, and directed and executive produced by Paul McGuigan. The series is produced by 20th Television, a part of Disney Television Studios.

The show’s renewal isn’t surprising, given the series’ ratings success.

Season-to-date, Will Trent is a top performer across both linear and streaming, and is gaining ratings momentum among adults across all platforms, up each week since its second-season premiere on February 20.

The sophomore drama recently reached its highest rated episode ever on March 5, delivering 9.02 million total viewers in seven-day metrics. Since Season 1, the show has reached nearly 70 million total viewers across platforms.

Will Trent received an early Season 2 renewal last year on the heels of Season 1’s promising performance. The series led the ABC freshman pack as the No. 1 new drama in total viewers (9.9 million) and adults 18-49 (1.65 rating) after 35 days of viewing across linear and digital platforms.

Will Trent airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on ABC.

Ramón Rodríguez to Star in Amazon MGM Studios & MRC’s Action Thriller “G20”

Posted on January 22, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Ramón Rodríguez is ready for action…

The 44-year-old Puerto Rican actor has joined the star-studded cast Amazon MGM Studios and MRC’s action thriller G20, produced by and starring Viola Davis.

The project has resumed production.

In addition to Rodriguez, who stars in Will Trent, new cast additions include Anthony Anderson, Marsai Martin, Antony Starr, Douglas Hodge, Elizabeth Marvel, Sabrina Impacciatore, Clark Gregg, Christopher Farrar, John Hoogenakker and MeeWha Alana Lee.

Others joining the cast include Theo Bongani Ndyalvane, Conrad Kemp, Joseph Steven Yang, Emmanuel Castis, David James and Noxolo Dlamini.

Directed by Patricia Riggen, G20 sees terrorists overtake the G20 Summit, with American President Taylor Sutton (Davis) then bringing all her statecraft and military experience to defend her family, her fellow leaders and the world.

Noah and Logan Miller wrote the script, with revisions by Caitlin Parrish, Erica Weiss, and Jason Hall. Mad Chance’s Andrew Lazar is producing alongside JuVee Productions’ Davis and Julius Tennon.

Ramón Rodríguez to Receive Spotlight Award at National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts’s Visibility Awards

Posted on September 18, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Ramón Rodríguez is officially in the Spotlight…

The National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts is honoring three artists at its annual Visibility Awards in D.C. on Wednesday, including the 43-year-old Puerto Rican actor, at an event designed to advance Latino representation in film and television.

Rodríguez will receive the organization’s Spotlight Award for producing and starring in the adaptation of the Karin Slaughter crime novel Will Trent.

“Ramón has been a leading voice in continued efforts to open doors for Latino talent in the industry,” the foundation said.

Ángel Manuel Soto, director-producer of the Latino superhero movie Blue Beetle, is being recognized with the organization’s Raul Julia Award for Excellence.

“Ángel’s work advances the presence of Latinos in film and highlights studies demonstrating that Latino directors are more likely to bring Latino talent to their projects,” the foundation said.

Camila Morrone, honored with the Horizon Award, is starring with Willem Dafoe in Patricia Arquette’s, Gonzo Girl, based on Cheryl Della Pietra’s semi-autobiographical novel, based on her time as Hunter S. Thompson’s personal assistant.

The event and Noche Musical, to be held at the Mayflower Hotel, will follow the foundation’s 2023 Visioning Summit, Advancing Representation in Media, Arts, & Beyond. Felix Sanchez, the foundation’s chair and co-founder, said in a statement that the summit’s intent is to “rethink the landscape with images of the American Latino.”

Among those leading panel discussions at the event, to be held Wednesday morning at the National Press Club, will be CBS News’s Ed O’Keefe, CNN’s Jim Acosta, NBC News’ Monica Alba, and NPR’s Claudia Grisales.

Also scheduled to participate are Soto, Carla Dirlikov, senior advisor and envoy for cultural exchange at the National Endowment for the Arts; Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX), actor and comedian Eugenio Derbez and producer Flavio Morales. The summit is free and open to the public.

Organizers said that the event will adhere to any modifications per SAG-AFTRA guidelines.

ABC Renews Ramón Rodríguez’s Drama Series “Will Trent” for Second Season

Posted on April 19, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Ramón Rodríguez’s latest project will (trent) see another season…

ABC has renewed its drama series Will Trent, starring the 43-year-old Puerto Rican actor, for a second season.

This marks the first ABC freshman show to get a renewal decision this season and comes ahead of the show’s Season 1 finale on May 2.

The early pickup doesn’t come as a surprise.

Will Trent has been leading the ABC freshman pack and was considered a shoo-in for renewal.

The series, from 20th Television, is ABC’s No. 1 new drama this season in total viewers (9.9 million) and adults 18-49 (1.65 rating) after 35 days of viewing across linear and digital platforms. It’s the strongest series in the Tuesday 10 pm hour in total viewers — a longtime weak spot for ABC — since Big Sky during the 2020-2021 season.

The series is improving its time slot over comparable weeks last season by 143% in total viewers and by 25% among adults 18-49 this season. It also gains a massive 6.8 million total viewers over its initial Live+Same Day average after 35 days of multi-platform viewing, according to Nielsen and the network.

Based on Karin Slaughter’s bestselling Will Trent series, the series stars Rodríguez as Special Agent Will Trent of the Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI), who was abandoned at birth and endured a harsh coming-of-age in Atlanta’s overwhelmed foster care system. But now, determined to use his unique point of view to make sure no one is abandoned like he was, Will Trent has the highest clearance rate in the GBI.

“We’re so thankful to our ABC and Hulu fans for joining us on this wild ride and watching Will Trent, said Rodríguez. “When we set out to bring the series to television screens, we wanted to do justice to the gritty, thrilling world that Karin Slaughter created with her bestselling book series. Liz Heldens, Dan Thomsen and the creative team have developed complex and nuanced characters that people are relating to on a human level — and it hasn’t hurt having our little star, Betty, on the call sheet. We’re so excited for the opportunity to dive deeper into these stories with season two.”

Will Trent also stars Erika Christensen as Angie Polaski, Iantha Richardson as Faith Mitchell, Jake McLaughlin as Michael Ormewood and Sonja Sohn as Amanda Wagner.

The series is produced by 20th Television, a part of Disney Television Studios.

Valentina Herrera to Star in the Disney Original Movie “The Slumber Party”

Posted on September 27, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Valentina Herrera is ready to slumber…

The Latina actress will star in Disney Branded Television’s The Slumber Party, a Disney Original Movie based on Jen Malone’s popular teen novel The Sleepover.

The project hails from Imagine Kids+Family, a division of Brian Grazer and Ron Howard’s Imagine Entertainment.

Production is officially underway in Atlanta.

In addition to Herrera, the cast also includes Darby Camp, Emmy Liu-Wang, Dallas Liu and newcomers Alex Cooper Cohen and Ramon Rodriguez.

The coming-of-age comedy, written by Eydie Faye, will be directed by Veronica Rodriguez.

The Slumber Party depicts the hilarious aftermath of a sleepover birthday party hypnotism gone wrong as best friends Megan (Camp) and Paige (Liu-Wang), along with soon-to-be step-sister Veronica (Cooper Cohen), wake up with absolutely no memory of the night before. Now they must retrace their steps to find missing birthday girl Anna Maria (Herrera) … and explain why there’s a flock of baby ducks in the bathtub, what happened to Megan’s left eyebrow, and why she’s wearing unattainable hottie Jake Ramirez’s (Rodriguez) signature black hoodie.

“The Slumber Party is a hilarious ride that looks at female friendship and self-discovery through a sophisticated, cinematic lens,” said Lauren Kisilevsky, senior vice president of Original Movies, Disney Branded Television. “We aim to deliver humor, surprise and delight to our viewers with a movie that will be relatable to audiences of all ages.”

Stephanie Sperber, President of Imagine Kids+Family, said “We are so excited to partner with Lauren Kisilevsky, Jen Dubin and the team at Disney Branded Television on The Slumber Party. Eydie Faye captured the voice and coming-of-age comedy so beautifully in her script, and Veronica Rodriquez is bringing a fresh vision and creative style to the screen. With this film marking IKF’s first feature production, we couldn’t have found a better home than with Disney Branded Television and their proven ability to reach YA and family audiences with timeless and entertaining content.”

Herrera previously starred in Black Widow and Odd Squad.

ABC Picks Up Ramón Rodríguez’s Drama “Will Trent” to Series

Posted on August 8, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Where there’s a Will (Trent), there’s a way for Ramón Rodríguez.

ABC has picked up the drama pilot Will Trent (working title), starring the 42-year-old Puerto Rican actor, to series for a midseason launch.

Will Trent is one of four 2022 ABC drama pilots whose production was targeted for off-cycle and the first of the bunch to land a series order.

Will Trent emerged as an early front-runner in what ABC calls “second cycle” as part of its year-round development strategy. There was a small hiccup in the final stretch, which was reportedly over the nature of storytelling, but the pilot remained on track for a pickup.

In anticipation of a series order, writers have been working on scripts for the past three weeks.

Based on Karin Slaughter’s bestselling “Will Trent” series, the series stars Rodriguez as Special Agent Will Trent of the Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI), who was abandoned at birth and endured a harsh coming-of-age in Atlanta’s overwhelmed foster care system. But now, determined to use his unique point of view to make sure no one is abandoned like he was, Will Trent has the highest clearance rate in the GBI.

The series is expected to be a procedural.

In addition to Rodriguez, Will Trent also stars Erika Christensen as Angie Polaski, Iantha Richardson as Faith Mitchell, Jake McLaughlin as Michael Ormewood and Sonja Sohn as Amanda Wagner. Liz Heldens, Dan Thomsen, Karin Slaughter and Oly Obst executive produce.

The pilot episode is written by Liz Heldens and Dan Thomsen, and directed and executive produced by Paul McGuigan.

Ramón Rodríguez to Star in ABC’s Drama Pilot “Will Trent”

Posted on April 18, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Ramón Rodríguez has found a new will to thrive…

The 42-year-old Puerto Rican actor has been cast in the lead role of ABC’s drama pilot Will Trent, which now has been officially cleared for production.

Rodriguez will also be a producer on the project, which hails from 20th Television.

Rodríguez was approached just a couple of weeks after the series had received a cast-contingent pilot order in early February. Trent’s casting, which comes after lengthy negotiations, removes that contingency.

Rodríguez most recently starred opposite Aubrey Plaza and served as producer on the Hulu pilot Olga Dies Dreaming, which isn’t moving forward.

In Will Trent, written by Liz Heldens and Dan Thomsen based on Karin Slaughter’s bestselling book series, Special Agent Will Trent (Rodríguez) of the Georgia Bureau of Investigations was abandoned at birth and endured a harsh coming-of-age in Atlanta’s overwhelmed foster care system. But now, determined to use his unique point of view to make sure no one is abandoned like he was, Trent has the highest clearance rate in the GBI.

Rodríguez’s Will Trent is a gifted GBI agent and a loner within the law-enforcement community who hides the severe dyslexia that went untreated during his traumatic childhood in foster care. But with the Bureau’s best clearance rate, he couldn’t care less if people don’t like him.

Heldens and Thomsen executive produce along with Slaughter and 3 Arts’ Oly Obst.

Rodríguez’s television series credits include Showtime’s The Affair and Netflix/Marvel’s Iron Fist and The Defenders. In features, he next will be seen starring in the horror film Lullaby from Annabelle director John R. Leonetti. He recently starred in Disney’s The One and Only Ivan alongside Bryan Cranston.

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.

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