Tag Archives: Scott Derrickson

Freddy Rodriguez to Star in the Indie Horror/Thriller “You Lose You Die”

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It’s lose and die for Freddy Rodriguez.

The 49-year-old Puerto Rican actor and Emmy-nominee will star in Averted Vision Pictures indie horror/thriller You Lose You Die, written by Carlos “Spiff TV” Suarez, who will also be making his feature directorial debut.

Freddy RodriguezRodriguez will star opposite Ashley Elizabeth Fliehr in the film

Pre-production is currently underway.

You Lose You Die follows sociopathic tech expert, Mr. Fantastik (Rodriguez), who runs a popular show on the dark web with two other sociopathic tech experts, Ms. Perfect (Fliehr) and Mr. Creep (Anthony Alvarez). On the show, thousands of viewers vote on games and challenges for prisoners to participate in. If the prisoners lose, viewers vote on the weapons the sociopaths use to kill them.

In addition to Rodriguez, Fliehr and Alvarez, the cast includes Josh Bredl as Mr. Large; Sophia Zimba as Kara; Ashley Hernandez as Julie; Alejandro Duran as Alfonso; Noah Crider as Chase; Marcella Acuña as Christie; Mercy Grant as Darling; and Lydia Faith Gomez as Jamie.

Rodriguez, Josue “Sway” Mendez and Ulysses Terrero serve as executive producers of You Lose You Die with Mendez also producing.

“I’m excited to embark on this new journey as Executive Producer and star of You Lose You Die and help bring such a talented artist like Carlos ‘Spiff TV’ Suarez’s vision to life,” Rodriguez shared in a statement to Deadline. “I was humbled by the outpouring of love and support after working with Robert Rodriguez on Planet Terror and Scott Derrickson on VHS 85, so the decision to dive back into the elevated horror genre comes with a deep level of respect for its rabid and loyal fan base.”

Rodriguez most recently starred as Detective Wayne Johnson in V/H/S/85 and Detective Greco in the Hulu series Wu-Tang: An American Saga. He’s best known for his portrayal of Federico Diaz in the hit HBO series Six Feet Under, which earned him an Emmy nomination in 2002 for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. Rodriguez was part of the main ensemble cast alongside Michael C. Hall, Peter Krause, Frances Conroy and Lauren Ambrose across the show’s 5 seasons.

Across his nearly three decades in the industry, his big screen credits also include roles in A Walk In The Clouds (1995), M. Night Shyamalan’s Lady in the Water (2006), Grindhouse (2007) for Robert Rodriguez and David Ayers’ directorial debut, Harsh Times (2005).

Suarez most recently produced The Tax Collector, a gritty urban crime drama directed by David Ayer. He also contributed to the soundtrack production for Marvel’s acclaimed 2018 animated film, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse—written by Phil Lord and Rodney Rothman—alongside reggaeton star Anuel. As a director, Suarez has helmed numerous music videos, showcasing artists such as Drake, Rick Ross and French Montana. In 2020, he founded Averted Vision Pictures LLC with a clear mission: to develop a dynamic hub for film and television production.

Miguel Cazarez Mora to Star in “The Black Phone” Sequel

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Miguel CazaMora has answered the call…

The Mexican American actor will star in the Black Phone 2, the sequel to the hit 2022 Blumhouse–Crooked Highway Production–Universal horror film. A theatrical release is set for June 27, 2025.

Miguel Cazarez MoraIn addition to Mora, who in his Hollywood debut starred as Robin in The Black Phone, will be joined by Ethan Hawke, Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw and Jeremy Davies are set to return.

The first film, directed by Scott Derrickson and co-written by Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill racked up over $161M worldwide, becoming a sleeper hit in a rebounding summer last year from the Covid-19 pandemic. The film also made Deadline’s list of most profitable movies last year with an estimated net of $68M.

The duo are back penning Black Phone 2 and are producing with Blumhouse’s Jason Blum.

In the first movie, a 13-year old boy, who is abducted by a child killer in a suburban neighborhood and locked in a soundproof basement, begins to receive calls on a disconnected phone from the killer’s previous victims. Derrickson and frequent collaborator Cargill adapted from Joe Hill’s short story. Hill is an executive producer on the sequel.

Black Phone received high marks on Rotten Tomatoes with an 81% certified fresh critics score and 88% with audiences.

Freddy Rodriguez Starring in the Shudder Horror Film “V/H/S/85”

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Freddy Rodriguez is going on the hunt…

The 48-year-old Latino actor and Emmy-nominee leads the cast of the Shudder horror film V/H/S/85, which is set to premiere at Fantastic Fest next month.

Freddy RodriguezHe portrays Detective Wayne Johnson, a seasoned detective investigating a variety of gruesome murders while on the trail of an elusive serial killer.

The cast is rounded out by Jordan Belfi, James Ransone, Dani Deetté, Rolando Davila-Beltran, Justen Jones, Marcio Moreno, Ari Gallegos, Forrest Hartl, Duffy McManus, Eric Pierson, Felipe de Lara, Tom Reed and Vivian Morse.

V/H/S/85 takes viewers on a journey into the grim underbelly of the forgotten 1980s. Unveiled through a made-for-TV documentary, five chilling tales emerge: scientists observe an unusual boy fixated on his TV, kids embark on a lake skiing adventure, a TV crew fights to survive a natural disaster, the early days of VR awaken something terrifying, and a deadly dream is captured on tape. Sinister secrets of the 1980s come to life in a way you’ve never seen before.

The project is written by Zoe Cooper, Evan Dickson, Scott Derrickson, C. Robert Cargill, Mike P. Nelson, Gigi Saul Guerrero.

Directors include David Bruckner, Derrickson, Nelson, Guerrero and Natasha Kermani.

Rodriguez most recently portrayed Detective Greco in the Hulu series Wu-Tang: An American Saga for the show’s final season on the small screen, and Cal in the as-yet-unreleased indie film Days When The Rains Came opposite True Blood‘s Sam Trammell and Beau Bridges.

He is best known for his portrayal of Federico Diaz on the hit HBO series Six Feet Under, which earned him an Emmy nomination in 2002 for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. Rodriguez was part of the main ensemble cast alongside Michael C. Hall, Peter Krause, Frances Conroy and Lauren Ambrose across the show’s 5 seasons.

Justina Machado played his wife Vanessa Diaz. Together, Rodriguez and Machado broke ground for Latinos by playing non-stereotypical characters in the early 2000s when such roles were basically non-existent.

Across his nearly three decades in the industry, his big screen credits also include roles in A Walk In The Clouds (1995), M. Night Shyamalan’s Lady in the Water (2006), Grindhouse (2007) for Robert Rodriguez and David Ayers’ directorial debut, Harsh Times (2005). On the small screen, Ugly Betty, ER, The Night Shift, Bull, Scrubs and Party of Five.

Anya Taylor-Joy to Star in Skydance’s “The Gorge”

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Anya Taylor-Joy is preparing for a Gorge-ous role…

The 26-year-old Argentine American actress will star opposite Miles Teller in Skydance’s The Gorge.

Anya Taylor-JoyIn addition, Apple Original Films has boarded the genre-bending love story.

Scott Derrickson will direct with Zach Dean penning the script, which he sold on spec to Skydance last year.

In addition to starring, Teller will serve as executive producer on the film.

Plot details are being kept under wraps other then it being described as a high-action, genre-bending love story.

The project gained some serious momentum this summer when Teller began eyeing it as his next film following the global success of his summer tentpole Top Gun: Maverick. Derrickson had been previously attached but was also weighing other projects following the success of one of the years biggest horror films The Black Phone but once Teller committed to the film, Derrickson was quick to name it his next directing job and the project was fast-tracked by Skydance.

Given Apple and Skydance’s first-look partnership, the studio looked to be in pole position to land the film and once Taylor-Joy signed on, Apple was quick to make it official.

Taylor-Joy, a SAG Award and Golden Globe winner, currently appears in David O. Russell’s Amsterdam. 

The Queen’s Gambit star will next appear in the dark comedy The Menu, which also stars Ralph Fiennes and Nicholas Hoult.

She recently wrapped production on the highly-anticipated Furiosa, a spin-off film from George Miller, which is based on the character from Mad Max: Fury Road. She is also set to voice Princess Peach in Universal and Illumination’s Super Mario Bros. movie.

Ramirez Hints at Possibly Starring in Marvel’s “Doctor Strange”

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Things could be become a little strange for Edgar Ramirez…

The 37-year-old Venezuelan actor has hinted that he may be starring in Marvel’s film adaptation of the Doctor Strange comics.

Edgar Ramirez

While speaking with IGN about his upcoming supernatural thrillerDeliver Us from Evil, Ramirez revealed that he’d been “talking” with director Scott Derrickson about joining the film.

“We’re talking. We’ve been talking,” he said cryptically.

Marvel is currently still looking for a perfect actor to play Stephen Strange a.k.a. Dr. Strange. Jared Leto has been mentioned as a possible frontrunner for the title role, especially after new reports emerged saying that he wouldn’t be replacing Will Smith in Brilliance.Tom Hardy and Benedict Cumberbatch are also rumored to be in contention for the role.

Casting is expected to start in a month or two, while production is scheduled to begin in spring 2015. No specific release date has been set for the film at this time.

After Deliver Us from Evil hits U.S. theaters on July 2, Ramirez will next be seen in The Liberator and Hands of Stone.

Leto to Portray Doctor Strange in Marvel’s Film Adaptation?

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Jared Leto may be taking on his strangest role yet in the near future…

The 42-year-old part-Spanish actor/singer is reportedly being eyed by Marvel to star in Scott Derrickson-directed film adaptation of the comic book Doctor Strange.

Jared Leto

Leto is on the list of possible candidates to play Stephen Strange, according to Badass Digest.

Unlike many other superheroes who gained their powers from super serum, gamma radiations or their alien roots, Strange got his from mystical origins. The arrogant and selfish surgeon seeks a conventional healing in Tibet after his hands were damaged in a car accident. He becomes a Sorcerer Supreme a.k.a. Marvel Universe’s greatest protector against magical peril.

The character recently got a shout-out in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Johnny Depp was previously linked to portray the former surgeon in the comic book adaptation.

Leto earned an Academy Award forhis critically acclaimed portrayal of a transgender woman in Dallas Buyers Club.

Leto recently said, “I’m looking at scripts and reading scripts,” when discussing his first post-Oscar project.

“[It’s] interesting because I didn’t read scripts for years before Dallas Buyers Club,” he told the Associated Press. “But now you have opportunities to work with people that you really respect or admire, people whose work has been inspiring and influential.”

The lead singer of 30 Seconds to Mars also talked about his interest to follow the likes of Ben Affleck who moved from acting to directing, “I think that would be really great. And when I have the right story to tell I’ll certainly do that.”