Sony Pictures Classics to Release Jacob Elordi’s Drama “On Swift Horses” in Theaters This April

Posted on February 7, 2025 by Tom Castaneda

Jacob Elordi’s latest project will be hitting theaters swiftly this spring.

Sony Pictures Classics has scheduled an April 25 theatrical release date for the The 27-year-old half-Spanish Australian actor’s drama On Swift Horses.

The announcement comes in the wake of news that the film, which co-stars Daisy Edgar-Jones, will close out this year’s South by Southwest Film & TV Festival (SXSW).

Based on the novel by Shannon Pufahl, the film is directed by Daniel Minahan and follows Muriel and her husband Lee as they are beginning a bright new life in California upon Lee’s return from the Korean War. But their newfound stability is upended by the arrival of Lee’s charismatic brother, Julius, a wayward gambler with a secret past. A dangerous love triangle quickly forms. When Julius takes off in search of the young card cheat he’s fallen for, Muriel’s longing for something more propels her into a secret life of her own, gambling on racehorses and exploring a love she never dreamed possible.

Will Poulter, Sasha Calle and Diego Calva also star.

The film is presented by Ley Line Entertainment, FirstGen Content, Cor Cordium, The Dan Corp, Wavelength and Killer Films.

The film is executive produced by Nate Kamiya, David Darby, Claude Amadeo, Randal Sandler, Chris Triana, Jenifer Westphal, Joe Plummer, Christine Vachon, Mason Plotts, Alvaro R. Valente, Bryce Kass, Lauren Shelton, Jeffrey Penman, Elordi, Edgar-Jones, Teddy Schwarzman and John Friedberg.

Elordi’s previous credits include The Kissing Booth film series, Euphoria, Priscilla and Saltburn.

Sony Pictures Classics to Premiere Pedro Almodóvar’s “The Room Next Door” in New York & Los Angeles This December

Posted on October 23, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Pedro Almodóvar’s highly acclaimed English debut film will opening in the U.S. in December.

Sony Pictures Classics has announced the release date for the 75-year-old Spanish Oscar-winning filmmaker’s acclaimed festival title, The Room Next Door, which premiered in Venice.

Written and directed by Almodóvar, who has long been in business with the studio, The Room Next Door will be released in New York and Los Angeles theaters on December 20 and expand to select cities on January 10 before opening nationwide on January 17.

Taking home the top prize of the Golden Lion at this year’s Venice Film Festival, The Room Next Door, starring Julianne Moore, Tilda Swinton and John Turturro, marks Almodóvar’s first English-language feature.

The film follows Ingrid (Moore) and Martha (Swinton), who were close friends in their youth, when they worked together at the same magazine. Ingrid went on to become an autofiction novelist while Martha became a war reporter, and they were separated by the circumstances of life. After years of being out of touch, they meet again in an extreme but strangely sweet situation.

Sony Pictures Classics to Release Pedro Almodóvar’s “Strange Way of Life” Short Film in U.S. Theaters

Posted on August 3, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Pedro Almodóvar’s latest short film will be hitting theaters in the United States this fall.

The 73-year-old Spanish Oscar-winning filmmaker’s Strange Way of Life, which had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in the spring, will arrive in theaters in New York City and Los Angeles on October 4 thanks to Sony Pictures Classics.

There will be an expansion nationwide on Oct. 6.

The short film, starring Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal, will play in theaters alongside Almodóvar’s 2020 short film, The Human Voice, starring Tilda Swinton, which was also distributed by Sony Pictures Classics. Together, the two shorts represent Almodóvar’s only English-language projects to date.

Strange Way of Life follows two gunmen who reunite after many years. In the film, a man rides a horse across the desert that separates him from Bitter Creek. He comes to visit Sheriff Jake. Twenty-five years earlier, both the sheriff and Silva, the rancher who rides out to meet him, worked together as hired gunmen. Silva visits him with the excuse of reuniting with his friend from his youth, and they do indeed celebrate their meeting, but the next morning Sheriff Jake tells him that the reason for his trip is not to go down the memory lane of their old friendship…

Produced by Almodóvar’s El Deseo and presented by Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello, Strange Way of Life, stars Pedro Casablanc, Manu Ríos, George Steane, José Condessa, Jason Fernández and Sara Sálamo. It is produced by Agustín Almodóvar, with Esther García as EP and Bárbara Peiró, Diego Pajuelo, and Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello as associate producers.

The score is composed by four-time Oscar nominee Alberto Iglesias, a regular Almodóvar collaborator who received his most recent Oscar nomination in 2022 for Almodóvar’s Paralell Mothers. All characters are costumed by Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello.

SPC has long-teamed with Almodóvar on a majority of his films, including most recently Parallel Mothers in 2021 and Pain and Glory in 2019. Sony Pictures Classics, which received two Oscar nominations each.

Rudy Valdez Agrees to Overall Unscripted Deal with Imagine Documentaries

Posted on June 17, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Rudy Valdez has a new unscripted partner…

The Latino documentary filmmaker has agreed to an overall unscripted deal with Imagine Documentaries.

As part of the agreement, Valdez will develop, direct and executive produce new nonfiction projects for the studio through his Bluff Road Films banner.

The two-time Emmy Award-winning filmmaker started his career as a camera operator on the Peabody Award-winning, Sundance series Brick City and went on to direct his passion project on HBO’s The Sentence.

Shot and directed by Valdez over the course of a decade, this feature documentary tells the very personal story of his sister’s plight in the criminal justice system, while tackling subjects like mandatory minimums and sentencing reform.

“It has been wonderful to work with Sara Bernstein, Justin Wilkes, and the entire Imagine Documentaries team through the years,” said Valdez. “They have entrusted me with telling a variety of stories and have always supported my vision and approach. This new partnership will allow us to continue to create inspiring projects together and for me to expand, not only in the stories that I am able to tell, but also in my efforts to create a platform that fosters new voices. Along with this new deal, I’m excited to announce the launch of my production company, Bluff Road Films. Steered by an intimate storytelling approach, my team and I will aim to amplify unheard voices. Having the support of Imagine as we ramp up our efforts and take on new projects is invaluable.”

His most recent projects include Sony Pictures Classic’s Carlos and Choir on Disney+.

Both projects are produced by Imagine Entertainment and will premiere at the 2023 Tribeca Festival.

Carlos, the definitive feature documentary of Carlos Santana, follows the artist’s lifelong journey from 14-year-old street musician to 10-time Grammy winning global sensation.

Choir is a six-part docuseries, following the Detroit Youth Choir after their star turn on America’s Got Talent.

“As longtime collaborators of the extraordinary Rudy Valdez, Imagine is thrilled to formalize our unique creative partnership with Rudy and further bolster his prolific documentary impact,” said Bernstein, president of Imagine Documentaries.

Pedro Pascal in Final Negotiations to Star in Paramount’s Untitled “Gladiator” Sequel

Posted on May 1, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Pedro Pascal is ready to Rome…

The 48-year-old Chilean actor is thisclose to joining the cast of the untitled Gladiator sequel for Paramount.

Pascal would join Paul Mescal, who will star as Lucius, as well as Barry Keoghan, Joseph Quinn, Connie Nielsen and Denzel Washington.

Ridley Scott is returning to direct.

Pascal’s role is unknown.

The new film follows the 2000 blockbuster Gladiator, which earned more than $460 million in worldwide box office and was nominated for 12 Oscars, winning five including Best Picture.

The role of Maximus, the Roman general-turned-gladiator, was a career-changer for Russell Crowe, not only delivering him the Best Actor Oscar but also launching him to the top of every leading-man list. Once it was made clear last year that the sequel would be Scott’s next movie, every male actor in town that fit the profile began chasing the part.

David Scarpa penned the script.

Also returning from the original film are John Mathieson (director of photography), Arthur Max (production designer) and Janty Yates (costume designer).

Paramount Pictures has dated the film for November 22, 2024.

The first film was co-production between Universal and DreamWorks, and while DreamWorks will not be involved in the sequel, Universal has the right to partner again when the project is packaged.

Pascal has been a major player following his scene-stealing role in his one season on Game of Thrones, but his star has blasted off following The Last of Us, which has become one of the most popular shows in HBO’s history. While HBO is looking to get the show up and going next year, Pascal had been weighing a number of options to shoot before jumping back in to that and the opportunity on this film was too hard to pass up.

Besides The Last of Us, which will certainly have him in award season chatter this Emmy season, he also reprised his role on the Disney+ series The Mandalorian, which just had its Season 3 finale last week.

Pascal can next be seen starring alongside Ethan Hawke in Pedro Almodovar’s short film Strange Way of Life, which will premiere at the Cannes Film Festival and will be distributed by Sony Pictures Classics this fall.

Additionally, Pascal is in Ethan Coen’s film Drive-Away Dolls, distributed by Focus Features and releasing in September. Pascal also stars in Anna Boden’s Freaky Tales, which is likely to come out later this year.

He also hosted Saturday Night Live earlier this year, earning rave reviews, and is also in contention for some Emmy love this awards season.

Sony Pictures Classics Acquires Worldwide Rights to Pedro Almodovar’s “Strange Way of Life,” Starring Pedro Pascal

Posted on April 27, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Pedro Pascal’s strange way of life will be on full display globally…

Sony Pictures Classics has acquired the worldwide rights (outside of the UK, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Spain, Italy and Latin America) to Strange Way of Life, the buzzy short film starring the Chilean actor.

The film, from Pedro Almodóvar, also stars Ethan Hawke.

The short will premiere as an official selection of the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.

The film, acquired at the pre-production phase, is slated for release this fall and will almost certainly be positioned for awards consideration, given the caliber of talent behind it.

Following two gunmen who reunite after 25 years, Strange Way of Life marks the latest in a long line of collaborations between Almodóvar and SPC, coming on the heels of the filmmaker’s first English-language project The Human Voice — a short also distributed by SPC, which starred Tilda Swinton.

Almodóvar describes the plot as follows: “A man rides a horse across the desert that separates him from Bitter Creek. He comes to visit Sheriff Jake. Twenty-five years earlier, both the sheriff and Silva, the rancher who rides out to meet him, worked together as hired gunmen. Silva visits him with the excuse of reuniting with his friend from his youth, and they do indeed celebrate their meeting, but the next morning Sheriff Jake tells him that the reason for his trip is not to go down the memory lane of their old friendship…”

Produced by Almodóvar’s El Deseo and presented by Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello, Strange Way of Life also stars Pedro Casablanc, Manu Ríos, George Steane, José Condessa, Jason Fernández and Sara Sálamo.

Agustín Almodóvar produced, with Esther García as executive producer, and Bárbara Peiró, Diego Pajuelo and Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello as associate producers.

Four-time Oscar nom and regular Almodóvar collaborator Alberto Iglesias penned the score, with Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello handling the costumes.

Sony Pictures Classics Acquires Worldwide Rights to Carlos Santana Documentary “Carlos”

Posted on April 26, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Carlos Santana’s life story will be heading to a theater near you…

Sony Pictures Classics has acquired the worldwide rights to Carlos, a new documentary about the 75-year-old Mexican guitarist, considered the father of Latin American jazz fusion.

A release date for the film directed by Emmy winner Rudy Valdez has not been disclosed.

Featuring never-before-seen or heard archival footage and music, Carlos offers an intimate and exhilarating look inside the mind of an elemental force of contemporary music and tells the story of Santana’s life – from a 14-year-old street musician to a 10-time Grammy-winning and three-time Latin Grammy-winning global sensation.

Imagine Documentaries and Sony Music Entertainment jointly financed the film, with Sara Bernstein and Justin Wilkes producing along with Lizz Morhaim, Leopoldo Gout, Ashley Kahn and Sam Pollard.

Brian Grazer and Ron Howard executive produced for Imagine Documentaries alongside Michael Vrionis and Tom Mackay & Richard Story for Sony Music Entertainment, with Meredith Kaulfers co-exec producing for Imagine Documentaries.

“Imagine is thrilled to bring the band back together and reunite with our partners at SPC on this magical journey with the legendary Carlos Santana and our director Rudy Valdez,” said Imagine Documentaries president Bernstein. “There isn’t a better team to inspire the world with Carlos’ extraordinary life.”

Commented Sony Music Entertainment’s EVP Premium Content Development, Sales, Krista Wegener: “We are beyond excited to be joining forces with Sony Pictures Classics to bring Carlos to the big screen. Our incredible partners, Rudy Valdez and Imagine, have created a stunningly beautiful portrait of Carlos Santana that captures his singular artistry and spirit. We can’t wait to share his story with audiences around the world.”

“I am honored and humbled to tell Carlos Santana’s story as a director. Carlos is a true trailblazer who has meant so much to so many people. My hope is that this film is a celebration of a life defined by humanity,” shared Valdez. “It was incredibly impactful to see someone who looks like me blow up the boundaries and expectations the world had placed on him as a Mexican immigrant and person of color, and I’m thrilled to be putting this story out into the world. I am also immensely grateful for the amazing team at Imagine Documentaries and Sony, who surrounded me through the entire process and helped me see this vision through.”

He continued: “The film could not have found a better distribution partner than Sony Pictures Classics. In their hands the film will have the opportunity to reach the masses and ensure as many people as possible get a chance to experience Carlos’ magic.”

Added Universal Tone Management’s President, Vrionis: “It is an honor to share the story of one of the world’s most iconic cusicians, Carlos Santana. His triumphant journey is the must-see event of the year. Partnering with Imagine Documentaries, Sony Music and Sony Pictures Classics was the perfect fit to tell this unbelievable story of victory and high consciousness.”

Melissa Barrera to Star in Radio Silence’s Untitled Monster Thriller

Posted on April 15, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Melissa Barrera has reportedly landed a monster role…

The 32-year-old Mexican actress has been cast in Radio Silence’s Untitled Monster Thriller at Universal.

Radio Silence’s Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett, who directed the recent Scream films that Barrera has starred in, will helm the project with Scream producer Chad Villella serving as producer alongside William Sherak, Paul Neinstein and James Vanderbilt at Project X Entertainment.

The script was written by Stephen Shields, with revisions by Guy Busick.

Universal Monster films are rooted in the horror genre, with no restrictions on budget, rating or genre. They are not part of a shared interconnected universe, which allows each film to stand on its own. This new direction is filmmaker-driven, inviting innovative filmmakers with original, bold ideas for these characters to develop the stories and pitch them.

Radio Silence has been loosely developing the project since last year following the success of their first Scream pic, but given the success of that film, Paramount moved fast to get Scream VI up and running. While they began meeting with other talent, it became evident pretty quickly that Barrera was the perfect fit for the role following two successful shoots with the rising star and offered her the part.

Barrera is in theaters as the lead of Scream VI, which is the highest-grossing film of the franchise. She next will be seen this spring in the modern musical reimagining of Carmen, opposite Paul Mescal for Sony Pictures Classics.

Also upcoming for Barrera is God’s Country, directed by Egor Abramenko as his American directorial debut; Your Monster from Merman Productions; and The Collaboration written by four-time Oscar nominee Anthony McCarten (Bohemian Rhapsody), based off the acclaimed play.

She most recently was seen in the independent film All the World Is Sleeping as well as Netflix’s global hit Keep Breathing and STX’s supernatural thriller Bed Rest, which was also Barrera’s producorial debut.

Melissa Barrera Starring in New Genre Film “God’s Country”

Posted on February 6, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Melissa Barrera is heading to God’s country…

Matt Reeves’ 6th & Idaho is teaming up with ZQ Entertainment to produce God’s Country, a new genre film starring the 32-year-old Mexican actress and Scream reboot star.

The film will mark the American directorial debut of Egor Abramenko.

The film, which will head into production this summer, will see Barrera playing a young Salvadoran woman who travels to Kentucky to meet her fiancé. What she uncovers is something sinister beyond comprehension, as her American dream curdles into a nightmare of biblical proportions.

Will Soodik wrote the script. Reeves and Rafi Crohn will produce for 6th & Idaho, alongside ZQ Entertainment’s Ara Keshishian and Petr Jákl (who financed the development), Adam Kassan (End of Watch), and Barrera.

“Egor is an exciting emerging talent,” Reeves told Deadline, “and I’m thrilled to be making a monster movie together.”

Barrera is best known for her turns in Paramount/Spyglass’ Scream reboot, Jon M. Chu’s adaptation of the Lin-Manuel Miranda musical In the Heights for Warner Bros. and HBO Max and the acclaimed Starz series Vida.

She’ll next be seen in Scream VI, which is out March 10; Sony Pictures Classics’ Carmen with Paul Mescal; and the Anthony McCarten-scripted feature The Collaboration, based on the acclaimed play.

Melissa Barrera to Star in the Netflix Survival Drama Series “Breathe”

Posted on June 1, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Will Melissa Barrera make it through the wilderness?

The 30-year-old Mexican actress and singer has been cast as the lead in Breathe, Netflix’s one-hour drama series from Blindspot creator Martin Gero and writer-executive producer Brendan Gall, and Warner Bros. Television.

Barrera, who rose to acclaim in Starz’s Latinx series Vida, will portray a lone woman who must battle the elements and odds to survive after her plane crashes in the middle of the Canadian wilderness.

Barrera’s Eve is a razor-sharp Manhattan attorney who finds herself profoundly out of her comfort zone when her plane crashes and she must battle for survival.

Gero executive produces via his Quinn’s House production company, along with Gall. Warner Bros. Television is the studio.

Barrera most recently starred as co-lead Lyn in Tanya Saracho’s Vida, which aired for three seasons on Starz.

She next stars in In the Heights, the feature adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony-winning musical, and also will be seen in a key role in the upcoming Scream 5.

She recently wrapped Sony Pictures Classics’ Carmen, the modern-day reimagining of the classic opera.

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