Ángel Manuel Soto Teaming Up with Dave Bautista & Jason Momoa for Buddy Action Comedy “The Wrecking Crew”

Posted on August 21, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Ángel Manuel Soto is wrecking things…

The 40-year-old Puerto Rican film director, producer, screenwriter and Blue Beetle director is teaming up with Dave Bautista and Jason Momoa on The Wrecking Crew, the buddy action comedy that they’ve set up at MGM.

Bautista and Momoa were both in talks for the film, scripted by Warrior creator Jonathan Tropper, long before the SAG-AFTRA strike. Tropper’s deal was negotiated and closed, and his script submitted, prior to the WGA strike began in early May.

Plot details are being kept under wraps for now, but Bautista and Momoa sold the pitch to MGM following a four-bidder battle in the fall 2021. Jeffrey Fierson, Momoa’s collaborator on the Netflix/Discovery Canada series Frontier, will produce.

Soto most recently helmed Blue Beetle — the first DC film fronted by a Latino superhero, which opened this past weekend.

Other notable recent projects from the filmmaker include two for Max: the docuseries Menudo: Forever Young and drama Charm City Kings.

Guillermo del Toro’s “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” Wins Humanitas Prize

Posted on August 17, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Guillermo del Toro is a Humanitas prize winner…

The 58-year-old Mexican filmmaker and author’s Oscar-winning project Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio has won the Family Feature Film prize from Humanitas, the organization that annually honors film and television writers whose work best explores the human condition.

Following a win at the Golden Globes, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio won Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards on Sunday, March 12 in Los Angeles.

Humanitas will not hold its usual awards show this year in solidarity with the WGA and SAG-AFTRA, opting for a party to celebrate winners on November 2 at the Avalon Hollywood.

Here’s the list of year’s winners and nominees:

DRAMA TELEPLAY

Winner
Craig Mazin: The Last of Us, “Long, Long Time”

Nominees
Peter Gould: Better Call Saul, “Saul Gone”
D.J. Nash & James Roday Rodriguez: A Million Little Things, “One Big Thing”
Ben Vanstone: All Creatures Great and Small, “Surviving Siegfried”

COMEDY TELEPLAY

Winner
Amy Sherman-Palladino: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, “Four Minutes”

Nominees
Francesca Sloane & Karen Joseph Adcock: Atlanta, “The Goof Who Sat by the Door”
Sterlin Harjo & Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs: Reservation Dogs, “Mabel”
Garrett Werner: Abbott Elementary, “Read-A-Thon”

CHILDREN’S TELEPLAY (Live Action or Animation)

Winner
Hernán Barangan: Life By Ella, “Prison or Palace”

Nominees
Gigi D.G.: Pinecone & Pony, “A Life of Adventure”
Kwame Alexander & Damani Johnson: The Crossover, “X’s and 0’s”
Lisa Muse Bryant: Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, “Hair Today Gone Tomorrow”

DRAMA FEATURE FILM

Winner
Tyler Perry: A Jazzman’s Blues

Nominees
Rebecca Lenkiewicz: She Said
Michael Reilly & Keith Beauchamp and Chinonye Chukwu: Till

COMEDY FEATURE FILM

Winner
Cooper Raiff: Cha Cha Real Smooth

Nominees
Peter Farrelly & Brian Currie & Pete Jones: The Greatest Beer Run Ever
Mark Rizzo: Champions
Tom Huang: Dealing with Dad

FAMILY FEATURE FILM

Winner
Guillermo del Toro, Patrick McHale: Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio

Nominees
Paul Fisher and Tommy Swerdlow: Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
David Hudgins: Gigi & Nate

LIMITED SERIES, TV MOVIE OR SPECIAL

Winner
Tony Phelan & Joan Rater: A Small Light, “Pilot”

Nominees
Brian Savelson: Little America, “Paper Piano”
Lee Eisenberg & Idil Ibrahim: Little America, “Camel on a Stick”
Michael Nankin and Barbara Nance: An Amish Sin

DOCUMENTARY

Winner
Ondi Timoner: Last Flight Home

Nominees
Lisa Hepner: The Human Trial
Razelle Benally and Matthew Galkin: Murder In Big Horn, “Episode 1”
Stefan Forbes: Hold Your Fire

SHORT FILM

Winner
Sabina Vajrača: Sevap/Mitzvah

Nominees
Joseph Lee: Other Homes
Felicia Pride: Look Back At It
Chris Bowman and Hubbel Palmer: Ninety-five Senses

VOICE FOR CHANGE

WGA

NEW VOICES FELLOWSHIP

2023 Fellows
Jordan Guingao, Max Asayesh-Brown, Julia Weisberg Cortés, Terron Jones, and Luis Antonio Aldana & Miguel Angel Caballero

Finalists
Feyza Safoglu, Luke Hart-Moynihan, Adrien Callahan, Callie Waligora, and Lane Stanley

Semifinalists
Marina Kato, Emma Demorest, Kaelan Dickinson, Natasha Trotter, Jon Lazar, April Wright, AP Hello, Dennis Gonzalez, Nadine Pequeneza, Gina Young, Nia Ashley, Chaseedaw Giles, Ziyao Liu, Yeon Jin Lee, and Julia Bergeron

CAROL MENDELSOHN COLLEGE DRAMA AWARD

Awardee
Lara Palmqvist, “The Garden”

Finalists
Feyza Safoglu, AJ Currie, and Liz Beall

Semifinalists
Victor Adame, Carrie Finn, Anthony Poon, Aaron Lopez, Sophia Lin, Ahmed Uthman, Jacqueline Olivé, Tracy Kowalski, Marcus Crawford Guy, Alex Marsha Sylvia, Noah Arjomand, Charmaine Colina, María Cristina Marrero-Morales, Christopher Lukens, Cynda Wang, Renee Cunningham

DAVID AND LYNN ANGELL COLLEGE COMEDY AWARD

Awardee
Emma Fiske-Dobell, “Shakespeare Sister”

Finalists
Jules Crosby, Reid Pope, and Kevin Walsh

Semifinalists
Gabrielle Ruiz, Juwairiya Syed, Aadrise Johnson, Kareem El Arab, Hayley Zablotsky, Alexia Valentina Ureña, Isabela Aquino, Straton Rushing, Catherine Loerke, Ari Shapiro, Adrien Callahan, Callie Waligora, Chandler Moore, Tia Phillip, Cara-Lynn Branch, and Melina Maraki

HBO Orders Half-Hour Comedy “The Franchise,” Featuring Daniel Brühl, to Series

Posted on August 9, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Daniel Brühl is a franchisee…

HBO has ordered to series the half-hour comedy The Franchise, featuring the 45-year-old Spanish-German actor.

From Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes, Armando Iannucci and writer Jon Brown, the series takes a wry look at superhero movie-making.

Work on the pilot was completed before the SAG-AFTRA strike began, and production on the series won’t begin until the strikes have concluded.

Himesh Patel and Aya Cash have joined as series regulars on the comedy, which revolves around the crew of an unloved franchise movie who fight for their place in a savage and unruly cinematic universe.

The Franchise shines a light on the secret chaos inside the world of superhero moviemaking to ask the question: How exactly does the cinematic sausage get made? Because every f*ckup has an origin story.

Patel and Cash are featured in the pilot, but their roles never were announced.

In addition to Brühl in a recurring role, the previously announced cast includes series regulars Jessica Hynes, Billy Magnussen, Lolly Adefope, Darren Goldstein, and Isaac Powell.

“With a deft touch only he can bring, Sam has brilliantly captured the romance and the reality of filmmaking today, said Amy Gravitt, EVP, HBO Programming, Head of HBO & Max Comedy. “Jon is superb at sending up worlds we think we already know. Together, with Armando, they have delivered a truly hilarious comedy ensemble. I can’t wait to see more.”

The series comes from the mind of Mendes and marks his first U.S. TV directorial project. He won a Best Director Oscar for American Beauty and earned three Academy Award nominations for 1917, for Best Picture, Director and Original Screenplay.

Patel stars as Daniel, Cash as Anita, Hynes as Steph, Magnussen as Adam, Adefope as Dag, Goldstein as Pat and Powell as Bryson. Brühl recurs as Eric.

The pilot was directed by Mendes and written by Jon Brown, who serves as showrunner.

Jennifer Lopez Among Hollywood A-Listers Donating Seven-Figure Checks to SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s Emergency Financial Assistance Program

Posted on August 2, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Jennifer Lopez is helping provide financial support to striking SAG-AFTRA performers.

As the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes continue, the 54-year-old Puerto Rican superstar is among a list of some of the most influential names in the entertainment industry who are giving hefty donations to the SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s Emergency Financial Assistance Program.

On Wednesday (Aug. 2), SAG-AFTRA Foundation president Courtney B. Vance announced that the Emergency Financial Assistance Program has raised more than $15 million in the past three weeks. The SAG-AFTRA foundation has served as an independent charity since 1985, and provides relief aid to eligible SAG-AFTRA performers in unexpected financial crises.

Lopez and hisband-actor Ben Affleck are among the top donors who’ve given $1 million or more. Others include are Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman and Deborra-lee Furness, Oprah Winfrey, Meryl Streep, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Julia Roberts, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively and Luciana and Matt Damon.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was the first to donate a seven-figure sum, Vance previously announced in late July.

According to Vance, “The entertainment industry is in crisis and the SAG-AFTRA Foundation is currently processing more than 30 times our usual number of applications for emergency aid. We received 400 applications in the last week alone.”

While top-earning actors such as Lopez — who has had a successful career in music and film — and husband Affleck have ample economic security, this is not the case for the majority of working actors, hence their decision to strike. Vance continued, “Our Emergency Financial Assistance Program is here to ensure that performers in need don’t lose their homes, have the ability to pay for utilities, buy food for their families, purchase life-saving prescriptions, cover medical bills and more … For more than 38 years, the Foundation has been a safety net for our community during its most challenging times, and much like the COVID pandemic, this work stoppage magnifies the precarious living conditions and financial distress of many actors living paycheck to paycheck.”

Members of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA are demanding a larger share of streaming residuals, increased job security for writers, larger writers’ rooms and a limit on the use of AI in screenwriting and background acting among other negotiating points.

Bella Thorne to Star in the Fantastical Indie Drama “The Tower”

Posted on July 28, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Bella Thorne is towering ahead…

The 25-year-old half-Cuban American actress/singer will star opposite Jack Kilmer in The Tower, one of 102 projects to have been granted a SAG-AFTRA Interim Agreement following the launch of the actors strike.

The fantastical drama, from filmmaker Adam Sigal , will also feature Cam Gigandet and Chris Mullinax.

The film currently in production is billed as a dark tale about a mysterious mermaid trapped and forgotten for years in the water tower of a small Southern town.

Sigal described it as his “attempt to interpret the isolation and wanderlust I felt growing up in a small Southern town.”

The Tower is among the projects that began shooting shortly before the SAG-AFTRA strike launched and went on pause in the wake of the walkout until the securement of a SAG waiver.

Of his project’s ability to move forward amidst the dual SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, Sigal said, “It breaks my heart that there are so many actors, writers and crews unable to work at the moment, and I realize how fortunate we are to have the opportunity to finish this film. I am incredibly grateful to SAG for continuing to support independent film, and as soon as we wrap, the cast of The Tower and I will be out there on the picket lines beside our fellow actors and writers, fighting for what they deserve.”

Rising to fame with her starring role on Disney Channel’s Shake It Up, Thorne has since appeared in numerous films including Blended, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip, Netflix’s The Babysitter and its sequel, Amityville: The Awakening and Infamous.

Michael Mando Starring in Crime Drama “King Ivory”

Posted on July 25, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Michael Mando is back on the set of King Ivory…

After being forced to halt production with the launch of the SAG-AFTRA strike, the crime drama King Ivory, starring the 42-year-old Latino-Canadian actor, has returned to filming in and around Tulsa, Oklahoma.

From writer-director John Swab, the film has been named just recently as one of 39 productions that will benefit from a SAG Interim Agreement.

Previously unannounced actors who have been able to return to set, pursuant to the agreement, include James Badge Dale, Ben Foster, Mando (Better Call Saul), Rory Cochrane, Ritchie Coster, George Carroll, Sam Quartin, Graham Greene and Melissa Leo.

While production on the majority of studio projects has been shuttered, amidst a dual strike by SAG-AFTRA and the WGA, the actors guild is offering interim agreements to the projects of “truly independent producers,” with no affiliation to the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, the understanding being that these producers will be bound retroactively to contract terms secured once the SAG-AFTRA strike resolves.

Based on extensive research involving Oklahoma law enforcement and active gang members, King Ivory offers a never-before-seen, authentic look inside the underworld of fentanyl trafficking from gangs inside the Oklahoma State Penitentiary at McAlester a.k.a. “Big Mac.” With potency 100 times that of heroin and nearly undetectable at the border, the drug nicknamed King Ivory has flooded the market, triggering a tidal wave of overdoses, crime and addiction. The film chronicles the efforts of a joint local, state and federal task force, led by Layne West (Dale), Ty (Carroll) and Beatty (Cochrane), to prevent the trafficking of the Irish Mob’s George “Smiley” Greene (Foster), his mother Ginger (Leo) and uncle Mickey (Coster), in partnership with the Indian Brotherhood’s Holt (Greene) and the New Generation Mexican cartel’s Ramón (Mando).

Newly minted PGA member Jeremy M. Rosen is producing the film under his Roxwell Films banner, alongside Nicole Flores.

“John and I feel strongly that King Ivory is our best and most timely script and cast to date,” said Rosen in a statement to Deadline. “Fentanyl has proven to be perhaps the most fatal pandemic in modern history, claiming countless lives, including our late friend and Body Brokers lead actor, Michael Kenneth Williams. King Ivory is a proudly independent production. We are grateful to SAG-AFTRA for making the Interim Agreement available to us amidst this climate of important change.”

Best known for his role as Nacho Varga on Better Call Saul, Mando has also been seen in films like The Hummingbird Project and Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Aubrey Plaza Earns First-Ever SAG Awards “Actor” Trophy with Cast Mates for “The White Lotus”

Posted on February 27, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Life’s a SAG for Aubrey Plaza…

The Screen Actors Guild handed out SAG Awards trophies this Sunday, with the 38-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress/comedian earning her first-ever honor from the acting organization.

Plaza, a first-time SAG Award nominee this year, and her fellow The White Lotus cast mates won the Drama Series Ensemble award.

Plaza, appearing in the show’s second season, portrayed Harper Spiller on the acclaimed series. She’s previous earned her first Golden Globes nod for Best Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Television Film for her role on the second season.

Streaming live for the first time on Netflix‘s YouTube channel, the 2023 SAG Awards doled out trophies (known as the Actor) to the performers who most impressed in movies and television series over the last year.

The SAG Awards are voted on by the 120,000-plus members of SAG-AFTRA. The ceremony also paid special tribute to Sally Field, who was given the SAG Life Achievement Award.

Here’s a complete list of SAG Awards winners:

FILM NOMINEES

Motion Picture Cast: Everything Everywhere All at Once
Male Actor in a Leading Role — Motion Picture: Brendan Fraser, The Whale
Female Actor in a Leading Role — Motion Picture: Michelle Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Male Actor in a Supporting Role — Motion Picture: Ke Huy Quan, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Female Actor in a Supporting Role — Motion Picture: Jamie Lee Curtis, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture: Top Gun: Maverick

TELEVISION NOMINEES

Drama Series Ensemble: The White Lotus
Comedy Series Ensemble: Abbott Elementary
Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series: Sam Elliott, 1883
Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series: Jessica Chastain, George & Tammy
Male Actor in a Drama Series: Jason Bateman, Ozark
Female Actor in a Drama Series: Jennifer Coolidge, The White Lotus
Male Actor in a Comedy Series: Jeremy Allen White, The Bear
Female Actor in a Comedy Series: Jean Smart, Hacks
Stunt Ensemble in a TV Series: Stranger Things

Jenna Ortega to Serve as Presenter at This Weekend’s SAG Awards Ceremony

Posted on February 25, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Win or lose, Jenna Ortega will take the SAG Awards stage…

The Screen Actors Guild has announced the latest group of presenters for Sunday’s SAG Awards ceremony, with the 20-year-old Puerto Rican and Mexican American actress set to participate.

Ortega is nominated in the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series category for her starring role in Netflix’s acclaimed series Wednesday, which has been renewed for a second season.

In addition to Ortega, the list of recently added presenters includes Jason Bateman, Jeff Bridges, Aubrey Plaza, Adam Scott, Zendaya, SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher, Matt Bomer, Ariana DeBose, Eugene Levy and Amy Poehler.

Previously announced presenters for the 29th annual ceremony include Stephanie Hsu, Ke Huy Quan, Michelle Yeoh, Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Paul Dano, Gabriel LaBelle, Michelle Williams, Jessie Buckley, Claire Foy, Rooney Mara, Jovan Adepo, Diego Calva and Li Jun Li.

The SAG Awards are set for Sunday, February 28, at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles. The ceremony, featuring the winners in the guild’s 15 acting categories, will stream live on Netflix’s YouTube channel.

Jeirmarie Osorio to Take Part in The Casting Society’s “Mi Gente! For Latine Actors” Town Hall

Posted on November 29, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Jeirmarie Osorio is helping shine a spotlight on the shortage of Latinx actors in Hollywood.

The 33-year-old Puerto Rican actress and singer will take part in The Casting Society of America’s town hall for Latino actors.

The event is part of the organization’s ongoing Commitment to Equity in Entertainment in Casting Initiative, which is designed “to effect concrete change in how actors in historically underrepresented communities are afforded access to job opportunities.”

The town hall, titled ¡Mi Gente! For Latine Actors and with sponsorship from SAG-AFTRA, will be held virtually on Wednesday, December 7 at noon PT. For complete details, click here.

In recent years, the group has held similar town halls for African Americans, Asian Pacific Islanders, Native Americans and military veterans.

Spearheaded by board member Candido Cornejo, panelists will include casting directors Carla Hool, Victor Vasquez and Erika Sable Flores; director Luis Valdez; agent Natalie Moran; producers Greta Talia Fuentes and Jolene Rodriguez; Osorio; manager Ivan De Paz; and casting executive Cesar Rocha. Univision correspondent Daniela Ganoza will serve as co-moderator.

“The CSA Latinx initiative sheds light on the immense need to address the lack of Latinx representation in Hollywood,” Hool said in a statement. “Not only that, it needs to play a very needed role in educating our industry in the fact that we, the Latine community, are a very diverse group of people. It is time we are let out of the box we have been put into and most importantly, I hope we can get to a point where we drop labels and can all become truly equal.”

“As someone working on the front lines with underserved communities and underrepresented youth, it feels very important to me to bring attention to the full meaning of the word ‘inclusion,’” said Flores, who is also executive director of the Youth Cinema Project. “We have to do better. There are entire communities still being left out of careers in entertainment in front and behind the camera. I’m grateful that CSA is willing to have this conversation.”

“I’m beyond grateful to the extraordinary people that are coming together for this important conversation,” Cornejo said. “It’s amazing to have some of these veterans I’ve looked up to join together with some of my peers and colleagues that are true guerreros (warriors) for our community. We must come together as one unified strong voice so that our colleagues can listen in order to understand what is still going on today. It’s a lived experience that we share as a Latine community that is often misrepresented, and it’s important to me for us to rectify that as much as we can.”

Rosario Dawson to Help Reveal This Year’s SAG Awards Nominations

Posted on January 6, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Rosario Dawson is helping with a big reveal…

The 42-year-old Puerto Rican and Cuban American actress and activist will team up with Vanessa Hudgens to announce this year’s SAG Awards nominations on Wednesday, January 12, at 10:00 am ET/7 am PT via Instagram Live.

This marks the second consecutive year the SAG nominations will be announced via Instagram Live as part of the @sagawards’ Instagram Stories.

With the Golden Globes mired in a diversity scandal, resulting in a non-telecast of the awards show on NBC, the SAG Awards this year reps the first big awards show to honor the best of actors and actresses in television and film for 2021.

SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher will give an introduction before the SAG nominations are revealed.

Nominations for the Outstanding Action Performances by Television and Film ensembles will follow, with announcements made by SAG Awards Committee members Jason George and Elizabeth McLaughlin.

The 28th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards will be simulcast live on TNT and TBS on Sunday, February 27, 2022 at 8:00 pm ET / 5:00 pm PT from The Barker Hangar in Santa Monica.

Dawson recently starred in the Hulu series Dopesick, and stars next in the Disney+/Lucasfilm series Ahsoka as Ahsoka Tano and the HBO Max/DC series DMZ.

She’s filming Disney’s new Haunted Mansion movie with Owen Wilson, Tiffany Haddish, LaKeith Stanfield and Danny DeVito.

Her feature credits include Harmony Korine’s Kids, Spike Lee’s He Got Game and The 25th Hour, as well as Alexander, Rent, Clerks II, Top Five, Trance, Unstoppable and Men in Black II, as well as the Sin City franchise.

For her performance in Seven Pounds, she won Best Actress in a Motion Picture Award at the 2009 NAACP Image Awards.

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