Zoe Saldana’s latest project is headed to Netflix…
Netflix has won a hotly contested auction for The Bluff, a pitch that will be written as a star vehicle for the 42-year-old Puerto Rican and Dominican American actress and Guardians of the Galaxy star.
Frank E. Flowers is directing the film, while Joe Ballarini will write the script with Flowers. Several streamers were trying to acquire the film, and the upfront commitment for those scribes is seven figures.
The project is about pirates in the Caribbean. The drama is set in the Cayman Islands in the 1800s and Saldana plays Ercell, a Caribbean woman whose secret past is revealed when her island is invaded by vicious buccaneers. The intention is to blend visceral action and historical fiction to create a real action vehicle as the heroine fights against the atrocities committed by the pirates. There are strong roles for a second woman who is part of the vigilante campaign, and the nasty lead pirate.
Saldana and Flowers previously teamed in the 2004 drama Haven.
Saldana has the four Avatarsequels and is filming the untitled David O Russell-directed film alongside a cast that includes Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, Anya-Taylor Joy, Rami Malek, John David Washington and Robert De Niro.
Rita Moreno isn’t masking her feelings about the importance of voting this year…
With the November election right around the corner, the 88-year-old Puerto Rican Oscar-winning actress and Latina icon is encouraging people to do their civic duty without uttering a single word.
Moreno is taking part in When We All Vote’s new campaign.
Director and producer Allen Hughes has brought together a wide range of artists, athletes, industry leaders, and notable community members wearing a “VOTE” face covering to inspire maximum voter participation.
Those taking part in this year’s mask campaign include Tony Bennett, Dr. Dre, Robert De Niro, Larry David, Megan Rapinoe, Sean Penn, David Crosby, Snoop Dogg, Diane von Furstenberg, Padma Lakshmi, Sterling K Brown, Tyler Oakley, Kevin Love, Ron Howard, Judd Apatow, Lindsey Vonn, Michael Keaton, Bryan Cranston, Sandra Oh, Steve Buscemi, Pamela Adlon, Christopher Poindexter, Rita Moreno, Iliza Shlesinger, and Deepak Chopra, along with healthcare worker Cady Chaplin.
“This is clearly an existential election year, and it’s critical that every eligible voter in every community engage in this election,” Hughes says. “The very soul of our nation is on the ballot November 3rd, 2020.”
Launched in 2018 by co-chairs Michelle Obama, Tom Hanks, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Janelle Monae, Chris Paul, Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, When We All Vote uses a data-driven approach to increase participation in elections. The group focuseson increasing participation in every election while closing the race and age voting gap. The goal is to change the culture around voting, harnessing grassroots energy, and through strategic partnerships to reach every American.
In addition, Michelle Obama has added Selena Gomez, Liza Koshy, Megan Rapinoe, Shonda Rhimes, Tracee Ellis Ross, Kerry Washington, and Rita Wilson to this year’s co-chair list.
For more information on the organization and its new campaign, visit whenweallvote.org.
It looks like Jared Leto could be landing a fashionable new role…
Ridley Scott is reportedly in talks with the 48-year-old part-Spanish American Oscar-winning actor/singer to star in his next project, MGM’s Gucci.
Leto forms part of Scott’s all-star cast wish list that includes Adam Driver, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Jack Huston and Reeve Carney.
Lady Gaga is already attached to star as Patrizia Reggiani, the ex-wife of Maurizio Gucci, who was tried and convicted of orchestrating his assassination on the steps of his office in 1995. She served 18 years in jail before being let out in 2016.
Maurizio had two daughters with Reggiani, but he left her for another woman. She’d had a brain tumor removed, and her children blamed it for her actions; the media took a darker view of her during a sensationalized affair, depicting her as a hot-blooded woman scorned and dubbing her “Black Widow.” She was originally handed a sentence of 29 years.
It’s Gaga’s first starring role since her Best Actress Oscar nomination in 2018’s A Star Is Born. She won an Academy Award for writing the song “Shallow.”
MGM landed the rights to the film back in April with plans to go into production after Scott finishes shooting his current project The Last Duel.
Scott’s partner Giannina Scott long has been passionate about the cinematic prospects for a film about the tumultuous Gucci family’s fashion dynasty and the murder of the grandson of founder Guccio Gucci.
The Gucci murder tale is scripted by Roberto Bentivegna, based on Sara Gay Forden’s book The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed.
The project includes the participation of famed photographer Estevan Oriol and iconic Los Angeles-based artist Mister Cartoon aka Mark Machado.
Michael Connolly, under his Mad Hatter Entertainment banner, brought the elements together.
Lopez is in final talks to star and executive produce the project through his Travieso Productions, with Javier Rodriguez writing the pilot. Oriol and Cartoon will executive-produce.
“I’m thrilled to be teaming up with Cartoon, Estevan, Jada and Michael for this series and developing a show with STXtv,” Lopez said. “Cartoon and Estevan are the DaVincis of our community; they have been the street chroniclers of our uniquely Chicano story … our American story. I’m looking forward to working with them and the rest of the team to expand their canvas to capture the diverse stories and people that make our culture and community so amazing, colorful and vibrant.”
This authentic L.A.-based series examines a family coming to terms with the falsehoods of the American Dream and their ability to defy expectations.
“I want to create a vision of Los Angeles inspired by my tattoos and murals that enriches and showcases the culture, opening it up to new audiences,” Cartoon said. “Putting together the dream team of Latino street culture and a collection of creative minds headed up by George Lopez, who is born and raised in L.A. and is an icon of our community. George’s experience and sense of humor acts as a foundation for this team.”
The pilot will be directed by Ricardo de Montreuil, who helmed Eva Longoria and Demián Bichir in the Blumhouse/Imagine East L.A.-set drama, Lowriders.During that production, he worked closely with Oriol and Cartoon, who were also involved in the production.
Oriol and Cartoon’s longtime collaborators Mark Suroff and Marco Valadez, who produced LA Originals, also will serve as executive producers with Connolly.
“I’m looking forward to developing this with Cartoon, George, Jada and Michael,” said Oriol. “STXtv truly gets what it takes to develop a real show that can only be made in LA. This is the dream team. Period. It doesn’t get more authentic than this and I’m proud and privileged to be invited on this ride.”
He previously starred in Lopez for TV Land and Saint George for FX. And he had a talk show that ran from 2009-11. While his hit comedy George Lopez, whichended in 2007, ran on ABC, STXtv will zero in on buyers in the cable and streaming markets.
Cartoon is L.A.’s legendary tattoo artist, designer and cultural icon whose stylish and influential global work has been featured on countless celebrities including Kobe Bryant, Eminem, Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, Beyoncé, Lewis Hamilton, Snoop Dogg and many others. Cartoon also designed the logos for Cypress Hill and Eminem’s Shady Records, and his résumé includes cutting-edge designs for Nike, the LA Clippers and T-Mobile and others.
Oriol is an internationally celebrated photographer, director and urban lifestyle entrepreneur. Beginning as a tour manager for Cypress Hill and House of Pain, he developed a passion for photography as he documented life on the road to become hip-hop’s best-known chronicler; his work has been showcased in bestselling books, select galleries, and institutions, including the Smithsonian Center for Latino Initiatives,Mesa Contemporary Art Center, Petersen Automotive Museum, and The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles’ and New York’s Art in the Streets exhibit. He has photographed Eminem, Kim Kardashian, Cypress Hill, Dennis Hopper, Blink-182, Forest Whitaker, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Kendrick Lamar, 50 Cent, and Danny Trejo, among many others. He most recently executive produced the film Lowridersand directed the hit Netflix documentary L.A. Originals.
L.A. Originalswas critically acclaimed and extremely successful, introducing new fans to the world to Oriol and Cartoon.
HBO has given a green light to Scenes From a Marriage, a limited series adaptation of Ingmar Bergman’s classic miniseries, starring the 41-year-old Guatemalan & Cuban actorand Michelle Williams.
The project hails from Hagai Levi, Michael Ellenberg’s Media Res and Endeavor Content.
Written and directed by Levi, the series adaptation re-examines the show’s iconic depiction of love, hatred, desire, monogamy, marriage and divorce through the lens of a contemporary American couple, played by Isaac and Williams.
Ingmar Bergman wrote and directed the original 1973 Swedish miniseries Scenes From A Marriage, which starred Liv Ullmann and Erland Josephson. Bergman’s teleplay, the story of a disintegration of a marriage, drew on his own experiences, including his relationship with Ullmann.
Isaac, star of the HBO miniseries Show Me A Hero, will next be seen starring in the Dune reboot, an adaption of the bestselling novel of the same name by Frank Herbert. He’s also set to star in James Gray’s period drama Armageddon Time, alongside Robert De Niro, Donald Sutherland, Anne Hathaway and Cate Blanchett and Paul Schrader’sThe Card Counter, with Martin Scorsese executive producing.
Isaac is set to produce Lionsgate’s upcoming filmLondon,under his Mad Gene Media Banner, with Ben Stiller set to direct. He’s also set to star in and produce the adaptation of Brian K. Vaughn’s Ex Machina comic retitled The Great Machine.
The 41-year-old Guatemalan & Cuban actor will star alongside Cate Blanchett in Armageddon Time, the period drama to be directed by James Gray for RT Features.
Isaac joins a list of new cast members that includes Robert De Niro, Donald Sutherland and Anne Hathaway.
Gray wrote and will direct, and re-teams with RT Features following their recent collaboration on Ad Astra, the Brad Pitt space thriller that co-starred Sutherland. RT Features’ Rodrigo Teixeira will produce, with Lourenço Sant’Anna and Rodrigo Gutierrez executive producing.
Gray crafted a drama based on his childhood memories, a big-hearted coming-of-age story that explores friendship and loyalty against the backdrop of an America poised to elect Ronald Reagan as president. It’s very different from his recent pictures, and he hopes to shoot in New York as soon as post-pandemic opportunities make it possible.
“Every film you make is different, but I’m trying to do something that is the opposite of the vast, lonely and dark void of the movie I just directed,” Gray said. “I’m anxious to make something that is very much about people, about human emotions and interactions between people, and I want it to be filled with warmth and tenderness. In some sense, yes it’s about my childhood, but an illustration of familial love really on every level. I’m of the belief that most people do their best and that they try their best under difficult circumstances and in some sense that’s a beautiful thing and very moving to me.”
The 53-year-old Colombian actor and stand-up comedian will serve as a presenter at this Sunday’s Tony Awards ceremony.
Leguizamo, who previously earned two Tony Award nods, is nominated this year for Best Play for his one-man show Latin History for Morons.
Leguizamo joins a list of presenters that includes Christine Baranski, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Jeff Daniels, Robert De Niro, Brandon Victor Dixon, Tina Fey, Billy Joel, Patti LuPone and Kerry Washington.
Tony Award Lifetime Achievement Award recipients Andrew Lloyd Webber and Chita Rivera will also take the stage.
The 72nd Annual Tony Awards, hosted by Sara Bareilles and Josh Groban, will air live from Radio City Music Hall on CBS on Sunday at 8:00-11:00 pm ET/delayed PT.
The 29-year-old Cuban actress has landed a role in Andrea Di Stefano’s Three Seconds, based on the best-selling Swedish novel by Anders Roslund and Börge Hellström.
She joins a cast that includes Joel Kinnaman, Rosamund Pike, Common and Clive Owen.
The action-thriller was written by Matt Cook, with revisions by Rowan Joffé and current revisions by DiStefano.
The story follows reformed criminal and former Special Ops soldier Pete Hoffman who, in order to free himself from jail and return to his wife and daughter, has been working undercover for crooked FBI handlers to infiltrate the Polish mob’s drug trade in New York. In a final step toward freedom, Hoffman must return to the one place he’s fought so hard to leave: Bale Hill Prison, where his mission becomes a race against time when a drug deal goes wrong and threatens his identity as a mole.
De Armas will play Hoffman’s wife, Sofia, a small-businesswoman who owns a grocery store. She most recently was seen in Hands of Stone with Edgar Ramirez and Robert De Niro, and War Dogs with Jonah Hill and Miles Teller.
She’ll next appear in Blade Runner 2049with Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford, which will bow in the U.S. on October 6 via Warner Bros.
The Weinstein Company has released its latest trailer for Hands of Stone, the Roberto Duran boxing biopic starring the 39-year-old Venezuelan actor and Robert De Niro.
Duran became a hero in his native Panama as he rose through the ranks behind trainer Ray Arcel (De Niro), winning titles in four different weight classes. But it was his three epic bouts with Leonard that mattered most, the first when Duran beat Leonard to steal his welterweight belt in June 1980, and of course the second only five months later, when Duran famously told the referee “No mas” in the eighth round as Leonard was running circles around him. He also lost a close decision in a third fight in 1989. Duran certainly went on to redeem himself, though, and ended his career with 103 wins and securing his place on experts’ lists of the best fighters of all time.
Usher co-stars as Duran’s rival Sugar Ray Leonard, and Ellen Barkin, Ruben Blades and Ana de Armas co-star.
Edgar Ramirez will be throwing punches at this year’s Cannes Film Festival…
The 39-year-old Venezuelan actor’s latest film, Hands of Stone, will have a special screening at the film festival on Monday, May 16 in homage to fellow star Robert De Niro who will be in attendance.
“I’m excited to be coming back to Cannes especially with this movie, Hands Of Stone, that I’m so proud of,” said De Niro. “This movie is uplifting, triumphant and a good time for audiences, so I’m looking forward to seeing my friends from across the world of cinema in joining us for this fun event.”
The rags-to-riches boxing drama by Venezuelan director Jonathan Jakubowicz tells the story of iconinc Panamanian brawler Roberto Duràn (Ramirez) and manager and trainer Ray Arcel (De Niro).
Duran made his professional debut in 1968 as a 16-year‐old and retired in 2002 at the age of 50. He defeated nemesis Sugar Ray Leonard in June 1980, capturing the WBC welterweight title. However, in the rematch that November, Duran shocked the world. He was being outclassed and pummeled by Leonard when he said “No mas,” turned his back on his opponent and quit in the ring. During the course of his career he saw 103 victories in 119 fights.
The film’s title comes from Duran’s nickname, Los Manos a Piedra. Usher plays Leonard. Ellen Barkin, Ruben Blades and Ana de Armas also star.
The Weinstein Company acquired Hands of Stone at Cannes last year after an all-nighter and will release the film domestically on August 26.
