Eugenio Derbez to Star in Netflix’s “Lotería,” Inspired by the Mexican Bingo-Like Game

Posted on July 15, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Eugenio Derbez has hit the lotería…

The 59-year-old Mexican actor/comedian will star and produce Netflix‘s Lotería, a family film inspired by the titular card game popular in Latin America and the United States.

Derbez will portray a recently widowed father who discovers an old family deck of Lotería Don Clemente cards that come to life while he’s trying to bond with his kids, and the cards take the family on a global adventure. While uncovering the secrets of the deck, they have to steer clear of a mysterious business magnate with devious plans.

Similar to bingo, Lotería Don Clemente is a popular game of chance that uses a 54-card deck with colorful images instead of numbered balls. Players use a board featuring a grid of 16 images (four images in rows of four) to be marked with a chip—oftentimes pinto beans are used—as the caller announces the name of a card. Whoever claims all the images called making the predetermined pattern first, wins the game.

Lotería will be directed by Emmy nominee James Bobin and written by Roberto Orci and J.R. Orci, based on a story by Roberto Orci and Adele Heather Taylor.

Derbez and producing partner Ben Odell will produce under their 3Pas banner.

Roberto Orci Bringing Galaga Arcade Game to Television

Posted on August 24, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

Roberto Orci is helping bring the popular arcade game Galaga to the small scree…

The 45-year-old Mexican film and television screenwriter and producerand Emmy-winning animation studio ShadowMachine have joined the effort by digital studio The Nuttery Entertainment to bring to life the animated sci-fi saga Galaga Chronicles, a story based on Bandai Namco’s classic arcade game.

The Nuttery announced the project at last year’s San Diego Comic-Con. The animated re-imagining of the iconic game is planned for a 12-episode inaugural season. The series is being shopped for distribution but anticipates a late 2019/early 2020 premiere.

Long before the days of Call of Duty and Mario Kart, Galaga, was the arcade video game to play. In the retro video game similar to Space Invaders, the player controlled a starfighter and the objective was to destroy insect-like alien creatures to rack up as many points as possible.

Orci will work with The Nuttery to shape the vast and sprawling Galaga Chronicles universe and also will serve as an executive producer. Known for the films Transformers, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Star Trek and creator of the television shows Sleepy Hollow and Scorpion, Orci also will serve as an executive producer.

“Galaga is one of the games I played growing up,” Orci said. “I have fond memories of the quarters and hours upon hours I spent playing the game. I look forward to working with The Nuttery and to capture that magic in an exciting new format.”

ShadowMachine, producer of television shows BoJack Horseman, Robot Chicken and Final Space, will be the animation production company. “This is by far one of the best video game adaptations I’ve ever read or been a part of. It is an absolute playground for animation.” ShadowMachine founder and CEO Alexander Bulkley said.

“We couldn’t be more stoked to have this level of creativity and craftsmanship on board our space adventure,” said Magnus Jansson, CEO of The Nuttery. “Roberto’s incredible sense of story and science fiction mastery and ShadowMachine’s excellent animation and design chops have already elevated the project to the next level. I think we are sitting on an amazing origin story for Galaga that will not disappoint.”

Orci Signs with ICM Partners

Posted on February 3, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Roberto Orci has a new Partner in crime…

The 43-year-old Mexican film and television writer, producer and director has signed with talent and literary agency ICM Partners.

Orci’s writing and producing credits include some of Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters, including credits two Transformers and Star Trek films and Mission: Impossible III.

Orci, longtime partner of Alex Kurtzman, is also an Emmy-winning television writer-producer, who co-created Fox’s Fringe and Sleepy Hollow. He has also been a writer-producer on Alias and Hawaii Five-O, among other shows.

Orci had previously been at Creative Artists Agency, and he continues to be lawyered by Michael Gendler.

Gadiot to Star Opposite Alice Braga in USA’s “Queen of the South”

Posted on October 1, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Peter Gadiot’s career is going South…

The 29-year-old half-Mexican actor, who starred on ABC’s Once Upon A Time In Wonderland, has landed a series regular role in USA Network’s upcoming telenovela-based drama Queen of the South.

Based on best-selling book La Reina Del Sur by Arturo Pérez-Reverte, Queen Of The South tells the story of Teresa Mendoza (Alice Braga). When her drug-dealing boyfriend unexpectedly is murdered in Mexico, Teresa is forced to go on the run and seek refuge in America, where she teams with an unlikely figure from her past to bring down the leader of the very drug trafficking ring that has her on the run. In the process, she learns the tools of the trade and strategically positions herself to become the leader of the cartel.

Gadiot will play James Valdez, a newly minted capo of Camila’s (Veronica Falcón) crime organization who has an in-depth and realistic understanding of how the narco world works. Despite his brutish ability to ferret out punishment to those who cross him, Valdez surprises Teresa with his humanistic sense of moral justice and becomes one of her closest allies in America.

Known as the swashbuckling hero Cyrus on Once Upon A Time In Wonderland, Gadiot most recently appeared in Spike’s miniseries Tut opposite Ben Kingsley and before that wrapped a season-long arc on the Robert Rodriguez, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci produced series Matador.

El Rey Network Orders Second Season of Luna’s Spy Thriller “The Matador”

Posted on July 11, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

It’s nothin’ but net for Gabriel Luna…

El Rey Network has ordered a 13-episode second season of the soccer-themed spy thriller Matador, starring the 31-year-old Latino actor.

From writer-producer Roberto Orci, the series centers on Antonio “Matador” Bravo, a soccer star who in reality uses his sports career as a cover for his work as a skilled covert operative executing missions for a little-known branch of the CIA.

Alfred Molina, Nicky Whelan, Neil Hopkins, Tanc Sade, Yvette Monreal, Elizabeth Peña, Julio Oscar Mechoso, Louis Ozawa Changchien, Sammi Rotibi, Jonny Cruz, Isabella Gomez and Peter Gadiot co-star.

“It just fit in with what we wanted to do … this is why I created [El Rey],” said filmmaker and the network’s founder Robert Rodriguez, who trumpeted the network’s commitment to diversity by saying that at least 50% of the network’s talent both in front of and behind the camera is diverse. “We are so happy with the season already, we are on episode 11. It fits right in with our network. It’s kickass, the characters are really engaging, it’s your dream kind of show to do.”

The announcement comes in advance of the The Matador’s premiere on July 15.

A sneak peek of the pilot episode becomes available this week on iTunes, Vudu, Xbox 360 and other platforms.

Orci to Take the USS Enterprise Crew ‘Deep in Space’ in “Star Trek 3”

Posted on July 2, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Roberto Orci is ready to go “deep in space.”

The 40-year-old Mexican film and television writer, producer and director, who will direct Star Trek 3, says the crew of the USS Enterprise will explore a new world in the next installment of the film franchise.

Orci said on the Humans from Earth podcast that the next film will take place “deep in space,” unlike J.J. Abrams‘ Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness, which he co-wrote.

“In [Into Darkness] they set out finally where the original series started,” he explained. “The first two films – especially the 2009 [Star Trek] – was an origin story. It was about them coming together. So they weren’t the characters they were in the original series. They were growing into them and that continues on in the second movie. So in this movie they are closer than they are to the original series characters that you have ever seen. They have set off on their five-year mission. So their adventure is going to be in deep space.”

When asked about what alien might be seen in the upcoming third entry, Orci still played it coy as quoted by Badass Digest, “The Horta is actually the villain in the next one – no – they are in deep space now, so let’s see what’s out there.”

Of the possibility of having a gay character, he said, “It can be part of a character and not be the whole shebang…It doesn’t have to be like South Park, like ‘what have we learned today.’ It can be so normalized that it just exists. I agree it can’t be shoe-horned in. And it is not necessary for it to be the whole point of the thing. It is an ensemble and there is lots of people to represent so no one point of view should hog it.”

Star Trek 3 is slated for 2016.

El Rey Network Releases Trailer for Luna’s New Drama Series “Matador”

Posted on May 21, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Gabriel Luna’s ready to take the soccer field…

El Rey Network has released the trailer for its upcoming action drama series Matador, which stars the 31-year-old Latino American actor.

From Dan Dworkin, Jay Beattie, Roberto Orci and Andrew Orci, the series stars Luna as Antonio “Matador” Bravo, a popular soccer star who in reality uses his sports career as a cover for his skilled covert operative executing missions for a little-known branch of the CIA.

The international cast also includes Alfred Molina, Nicky Whelan, Neil Hopkins, Tanc Sade, Yvette Monreal, Elizabeth Peña, Julio Oscar Mechoso, Louis Ozawa Changchien, Sammi Rotibi, Jonny Cruz, Isabella Gomez and Peter Gadiot.

Matador premieres on July 15, two days after the World Cup final, on Robert Rodriguez’s network.

Orci Reportedly In Talks to Helm the Next “Star Trek” Film

Posted on May 11, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Roberto Orci may boldly go where J.J. Abrams has gone before…

The 40-year-old Mexican American film and television writer and producer is reportedly the clear frontrunner to replace J.J. Abrams as the director of the third installment of Paramount’s Star Trek series.

Following what it calls “an aggressive lobbying campaign,” Deadline.com reports that Orci and Paramount Pictures are in talks.

Orci was a co-writer and producer on 2009’s Star Trek and it’s 2013 sequel Star Trek Into Darkness.

The news comes after Orci parted company with longtime partner Alex Kurtzman on film projects; they still continue to work on television projects together, including Sleepy Hollow and El Rey Network’s upcoming series El Matador.

It would Orci’s first time in the director’s chair, although he has plenty of experience on massive projects beyond Star Trek, including The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Ender’s Game and Cowboys & Aliens.

Abrams had helmed the first two Star Trek films, but surprised Paramount officlas by agreeing to relaunch the Star Wars franchise and direct the first film at Disney.

Rodriguez to Direct the Pilot Episode of El Rey’s Original Series “Matador”

Posted on March 1, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Robert Rodriguez has a date with a Matador…

The 45-year-old Mexican-American filmmaker, and the owner of the cable television channel El Rey Network, will direct the first episode of the scripted action series Matador, which was created by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman.

Production on Matador, which is described as a spy drama, is scheduled to get underway this month, with the series premiering in July, after the World Cup draws to a close.

Starring Nicky Whelan as the female lead, Matador centers on a famous soccer player who leads a double life as a CIA agent. It’s El Rey’s second original series to launch.

Previously, it was announced \that the network’s first scripted project, From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series, will premiere on March 11.

El Rey also announced that the first of 10 primetime installments of El Rey Network Presents: The Director’s Chair will premiere in April.

The new hourlong series provides a forum for two directors to go one-on-one.

Orci’s Latest Project “Scorpion” Gets Pilot Order at CBS

Posted on February 5, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Roberto Orci latest television could have (eight) legs at CBS…

The network has given a pilot order to Scorpion, a drama from the 40-year-old Mexican American film and television writer and producer, Nick Santora, Justin Lin and Alex Kurtzman.

The project, which had a put pilot commitment, was written by Breakout Kings co-creator Santora and will be directed by Fast & Furious’ Lin, with CBS Television Studios producing.

It centers on an eccentric genius and his international network of super-geniuses who form the last line of defense against the complex threats of the modern age.

Scorpion was inspired by the true story of Walter O’Brien (hacker name “Scorpion”), CEO of global think tank Scorpion Computer Services. A man with one of the world’s highest documented IQs (1 in 1.5B people), O’Brien became a real-life Professor X and recruited and trained other geniuses from around the world to work together to save lives and solve problems from casino security to Military Drone warfare.

This is a second pilot order this season from Orci and Kurtzman’s K/O, along with the terrorism drama Identity at the CW.

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