John Ortiz to Appear on Apple TV+’s Drama Series “Bad Monkey”

Posted on June 16, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

John Ortiz will be monkeying around soon…

The 54-year-old Puerto Rican actor has landed a key recurring role opposite Vince Vaughn in the Apple TV+ drama series Bad Monkey.

Ortiz replaces Arturo Luis Soria, who had been originally cast in the role.

Written and executive produced by Bill Lawrence, the series is based on Carl Hiaasen’s popular 2013 novel.

Bad Monkey tells the story of Andrew Yancy (Vaughn), a one-time detective demoted to restaurant inspector in Southern Florida. A severed arm found by a tourist out fishing pulls Yancy into the world of greed and corruption that decimates the land and environment in both Florida and the Bahamas. And yes, there’s a monkey.

Ortiz will play Rogelio, a good Key West police detective who comes to his best friend and ex-partner, Andrew Yancy, with a life-changing assignment. It further complicates things that Rogelio’s husband is also Yancy’s attorney.

The cast also includes Michelle Monaghan, Jodie Turner-Smith, Meredith Hagner, Rob Delaney, Natalie Martinez, L. Scott Caldwell, Ronald Peet, Charlotte Lawrence and Alex Moffat.

Lawrence executive-produces through his Doozer Productions alongside Matt Tarses and Doozer’s Jeff Ingold. Marcos Siega directs the first episode and serves as executive producer. Doozer’s Liza Katzer serves as co-executive producer. Warner Bros Television is the studio.

Ortiz most recently starred as Joe Sandoval in drama series Promised Land, which aired for one season on ABC.

On the film side, he most recently wrapped filming The Mothership opposite Halle Berry. He also can be seen in the feature film The Fallout, which premiered at SXSW. He also starred on the series Messiah opposite Monaghan and in the feature Horse Girl with Allison Brie.

IFC Films & AMC+ Acquire North American Rights to Aubrey Plaza’s “Spin Me Round”

Posted on April 23, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Aubrey Plaza will be spinning into theaters this summer…

IFC Films and AMC+ have acquired the North American rights to Jeff Baena’s Spin Me Round, starring the 37-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress/comedian.

The film, which made its world premiere at SXSW last month, will open in theaters and VOD and stream exclusively on AMC+ this summer.

Spin Me Round represents filmmaker Baena’s reteam with Alison Brie, Plaza and Molly Shannon, who star in the film.

Brie co-wrote and produced Spin Me Round, in which she plays the manager of an Italian restaurant chain who wins the opportunity to attend the franchise’s educational immersion program in Italy. What she thought would be a romantic getaway devolves into chaos and catastrophe.

Baena and Brie previously teamed on Horse Girl, she starred in and co-wrote with Baena, who also directed. Brie also appeared in Baena’s The Little Hours and Joshy. Plaza has starred in Baena’s The Little Hours, Joshy and Life After Beth. Shannon starred in Baena’s Little Hours, Horse Girl and Life After Beth.

Spin Me Round also marks the third IFC Films feature with Brie, who most recently starred in The Rental, the Dave Franco-directed thriller that was a hit at drive-ins nationwide and on VOD in the summer of 2020, when a majority of theaters were closed down due to COVID-19; that pic grossed $1.6M.

Rounding out the cast is Alessandro Nivola, Zach Woods, Ayden Mayeri, Ben Sinclair, Tim Heidecker, Debby Ryan and Fred Armisen.

Spin Me Round is a Duplass Brothers and Limelight Production. Limelight’s Chris Parker and Dylan Sellers produced and fully funded Spin Me Round.

“We have long admired Jeff Baena’s films and are thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with him and his incredible filmmaking team on this fun and hilarious ride,” said Arianna Bocco, President of IFC Film. “Jeff, Alison and the Duplass Brothers are true creative geniuses and icons of independent cinema, and we can’t wait for audiences to experience this all-star cast over the summer.”

Baena added: “I was really impressed with Arianna and her team’s passion, thoughtfulness and innovation coupled with their track record of ushering in so many incredible independent films. I’m so grateful to have an opportunity to finally partner with IFC Films and share Spin Me Round with the world.”

Courtney Thomasma, General Manager of AMC+, said: “Spin Me Round is the perfect summer fare for our subscribers, who continue to come to AMC+ as a premium destination for compelling new feature films with their favorite stars. We are huge fans of Alison Brie, who our audience knows well from the iconic Mad Men, and we’re excited to be working with her, Jeff Baena and the entire producing team on this delightful new movie.”

Netflix to Premiere Season 3 of David Castañeda’s “The Umbrella Academy” in June

Posted on March 14, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

David Castañeda is heading back to the Academy this summer…

Netflix has set a June premiere date for Season 3 of superhero series The Umbrella Academy, starring the 32-year-old Mexican American actor.

Series creator/showrunner Steve Blackman announced the news Sunday at SXSW that the third season will debut globally on Wednesday, June 22. The streamer also released two first-look photos and a teaser.

Based on the comic book series by Gerard Way, The Umbrella Academy revolves around a dysfunctional family of adopted sibling superheroes who reunite to solve the mystery of their father’s death and the threat of an imminent apocalypse.

In Season 3, after putting a stop to 1963’s doomsday, the Umbrella Academy return home to the present, convinced they prevented the initial apocalypse and fixed this godforsaken timeline once and for all. But after a brief moment of celebration, they realize things aren’t exactly (okay, not at all) how they left them. Enter the Sparrow Academy. Smart, stylish, and about as warm as a sea of icebergs, the Sparrows immediately clash with the Umbrellas in a violent face-off that turns out to be the least of everyone’s concerns. Navigating challenges, losses, and surprises of their own – and dealing with an unidentified destructive entity wreaking havoc in the Universe (something they may have caused) — now all they need to do is convince Dad’s new and possibly better family to help them put right what their arrival made wrong. Will they find a way back to their pre-apocalyptic lives? Or is this new world about to reveal more than just a hiccup in the timeline?

In addition to Castañeda, who portrays Diego Hargreeves (The Kraken/Number 2), the cast also includes Elliot Page, Tom Hopper, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Robert Sheehan, Aidan Gallagher, Justin H. Min, Colm Feore, Ritu Arya, Justin Cornwell, Britne Oldford, Jake Epstein, Genesis Rodriguez, Cazzie David and Javon ‘Wanna’ Walton.

The Umbrella Academy is produced by UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group, for Netflix.

Season 3 is executive produced by Blackman, Jeff F. King, who also directs, Keith Goldberg, Mike Richardson and Jeremy Webb. Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá co-executive produce. Steve Wakefield serves as producer.

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Rosario Dawson to Executive Produce the Border Crisis Documentary “Split At The Root”

Posted on February 10, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Rosario Dawson is laying down roots on an important new project…

The 42-year-old Puerto Rican and Cuban American actress and activist has joined the upcoming SXSW documentary Split At The Root as an executive producer alongside Lana Parrilla.

The Linda Goldstein Knowlton-directed film is scheduled to play in the Austin festival’s Documentary Spotlight section.

Split at the Root follows the emotional journey of mothers separated from their children at the U.S. border and the grassroots initiative that, against all odds, reunites those families. When a Guatemalan mother seeking asylum was separated from her kids under the Zero Tolerance Policy, a Facebook post by a mom in Queens coalesced into a movement as thousands of like-minded women across the U.S. refused to stand by quietly. Immigrant Families Together was born – a rapid response group committed to doing what the government couldn’t – or wouldn’t do: reunite parents with their children separated by the Zero Tolerance Policy.

Producers for Split at the Root include Emmy-nominated writer/producer Marti Noxon of Tiny Pyro Productions, Noxon’s President of Production Maria Grasso, Miranda Bailey of Cold Iron Pictures.

Dawson has produced fiction and nonfiction projects ranging from This Is Not A War Story, nominated for The John Cassavetes Spirit Award, the award-winning documentary The Need To Grow which she also has narrated, and produced two projects for Free Speech Television, The Assembly as well as Telethon for America 2020, both of which she co-hosted.

Behind the cameras, Dawson is highly active in political, social and environmental causes and has been involved with many social justice organizations including Amnesty International, Voto Latino, Save The Children, Doctors Without Borders and RESPECT!

“When it comes to immigration policy in this country, it is more than just a political crisis—we’re suffering a crisis of our very humanity. And one way to change the debate in Washington is by changing the language we use and the stories we produce such as Split the Root, opening the lens wider so people get the full picture. By having those who have come to the US to seek asylum front-and-center in this film and showing how every person can make a true difference to create change is why I wanted to join the producing team of this film” said Dawson.

Noxon added, “From the moment I heard the story of mothers on this side of the border helping mothers and children on the other side, I was compelled to know more. I couldn’t imagine any parent who knows the wrenching pain of being separated from their children who wouldn’t relate. And I had total confidence that Linda Goldstein Knowlton and the whole team would capture the beauty, despair, and hope of these women’s journey. I’m proud to be part of it and am so pleased to have Rosario join the team in amplifying these women’s voices and helping to shine a light on the compassionate Americans who supported them along the way.”

“My intention with this film was to tell an intimate, personal story of families separated by the Zero Tolerance policy, told by powerful women from both sides of the border. I couldn’t be more grateful to Marti and Rosario for helping to make this film a reality and bring the spotlight back onto the ongoing experiences of these families” said Goldstein Knowlton.

Parrilla’s television credits include Once Upon a Time, Spin City, Swingtown, Boomtown, Windfall and 24. For her turn as The Evil Queen/Regina Mills in Once Upon a Time, she won a Teen Choice Award for Choice Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actress, an ALMA Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series and a nomination for Best Supporting Actress on Television from the 38th Saturn Awards.

Gravitas Ventures Releases Trailer for Narrative Drama “Ayar,” Starring Ariana Ron Pedrique

Posted on November 3, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Ariana Ron Pedrique’s is embracing the nostalgia…

Gravitas Ventures has released the trailer for the narrative drama Ayar, starring the Venezuelan actress in her American debut feature.

In the film, which will hit theaters on November 26, Pedrique portrays a Latina who is struggling professionally and personally during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Floyd Russ-directed and produced project, set in present-day Los Angeles, tells the story of Ayar (Pedrique), a first-generation American Latina who returns home from her showbiz career in Vegas amid shutdowns to reunite with her five-year-old daughter. But when her mother Renata (Vilma Vega) refuses to let her see her due to the raging pandemic, Ayar is haunted by the many roles she’s been forced to play, as an immigrant, a dreamer, a mother, and an actress in this very film.

The story is partially based on Vega’s life experiences as a Peruvian immigrant who came to the United States as a teenager and became pregnant shortly thereafter.

Costars include Henry Foster Brown, Simon Haycock, and Calliah Sophie Estrada. Erich Joiner, Robina Riccitiello, and Stephen Gelb executive produced.

Ayar had its world premiere earlier this year at SXSW and has also presented at various festivals all over the world including the Sao Paulo International Film Festival, the North Bend Film Festival, and the Nashville International Film Festival.

HBO Max Acquires North American Rights to Lorenza Izzo’s Latest Film “Women Is Losers”

Posted on September 14, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Lorenza Izzo is winning at Los(er)ing…

HBO Max has acquired the North American rights to Women Is Losers, the 1960s-set indie drama starring the 31-year-old Chilean actress and model.

Hailing from writer-director Lissette Feliciano, her debut feature, Women Is Losers has its world premiere at this year’s SXSW.

In addition to Izzo, the film also stars Chrissie Fit, Bryan Craig and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings star Simu Liu. The streamer will now debut the film exclusively on the platform on October 18.

Set in 1960s San Francisco, the plot centers on a once-promising Catholic schoolgirl (Izzo) who sets out to rise above the oppression of poverty and invest in a future for herself that sets new precedents for the time. The filmn is inspired by real women and the Janis Joplin song of the same title. Steven Bauer, Liza Weil, Cranston Johnson, Alessandra Torresani, Shalim Ortiz and Lincoln Bonilla also star.

Feliciano and David Ortiz are producers.

“We set out to make a film that was as bold, funny, and honest as the women that inspired it,” said Feliciano, who also discussed the film at Deadline’s SXSW Studio earlier this year. “We could think of no better time in our nation’s history for this film to reach the women of America. This is one you’re going to want to watch with your family. We’ve found the perfect partner in HBO Max who are known for their provocative and entertaining content. This film is an inter-generational story and at its core is about always having hope no matter how big the obstacles. Lorenza Izzo, Chrissie Fit, Simu Liu, and Bryan Craig give their hearts in these performances. I can’t wait for you all to see them.”

Peacock Releases Trailer for Demi Lovato’s Docuseries “Unidentified With Demi Lovato”

Posted on September 12, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Demi Lovato is on a mission to find extraterrestrial life…

Following the 29-year-old half-Mexican American singer, songwriter and actor’s surreal Joshua Tree trip when they saw something strange in the sky, Lovato is embarking on an extra-journey journey to find out more.

“I had this crazy experience that happened to me in Joshua Tree,” the singer recalls in the official trailer for their new Peacock series Unidentified With Demi Lovato, which was released on Thursday (September 9). “It was this bright light, kind of moved in, like, these weird ways that a plane wouldn’t move. My goal is to find out what really happened.”

The self-proclaimed “UFO experiencer” will be joined by their best friend Matthew Scott Montgomery and sister Dallas Lovato, both of whom appeared in the four-part YouTube Originals docuseries Demi Lovato: Dancing With the Devil, which opened SXSW this year, to “investigate the unexplained and the unidentified,” Lovato said in the video. The gasp-worthy, shocking trailer even features an unidentified voice saying “hello” to the singer when prompted by experts.

Lovato’s new four-part limited unscripted series will begin streaming on Peacock on September 30.

Unidentified With Demi Lovato is executive produced by Lovato, their manager Scooter Braun, Scott Manson, Allison Kaye, JD Roth, Adam Greener, Sara Hansemann and Andrew Nick.

Lovato’s most recent album, Dancing With the Devil… The Art of Starting Over, was released via Island Records. It peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and topped the Top Album Sales chart.

Warner Bros. Acquires Global Rights to Jenna Ortega’s “The Fallout”

Posted on July 30, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Jenna Ortega’s fallout will be felt globally…

Warner Bros. has picked up global rights to Megan Park’s SXSW multi-award-winning feature The Fallout, starring the 18-year-old Puerto Rican and Mexican American actress.

The film will be released exclusively on HBO Max where the service is available globally, and be distributed by Warner Bros. in the balance of international markets.

The Fallout follows high schooler Vada (Ortega) as she navigates the emotional fallout she experiences in the wake of a school tragedy. Relationships with her family and friends, as well as her view of the world, are forever altered.

The cast also includes Maddie Ziegler, Niles Fitch, Will Ropp, Lumi Pollack, John Ortiz, Julie Bowen and Shailene Woodley.

Park, an actress who starred in ABC Family’s The Secret Life of the American Teenager and made the music video “Watch” for Billie Eilish, made her feature directorial debut with Fallout, which won the Grand Jury and Audience Awards for Narrative Feature at SXSW, as well as the Brightcove Illumination Award (which lauds a filmmaker on the rise at the Austin, TX festival). Park also wrote the movie.

“Making The Fallout was a journey I never expected to take and one that has changed me forever,” stated Park. “If by seeing this film just one teen feels less alone, less afraid, or somehow understood, that will make the journey worth every step.”

“What Megan Park has created with The Fallout is a sensitive and moving story, marking a stunning debut behind the camera, with an exceptional young cast led by a revelatory and powerful performance by Jenna Ortega and an emotionally impactful turn from Maddie Ziegler,” said Carolyn Blackwood, Chief Operating Officer, Warner Bros. Pictures Group.

Janicza Bravo to Direct FX Pilot “Kindred,” Based on Octavia E. Butler’s Influential Novel

Posted on July 15, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Janicza Bravo has found her kindred spirit…

The 39-year-old Latina writer/director and Zola helmer has been tapped to direct and executive produce FX pilot Kindred, an adaptation of Octavia E. Butler’s influential novel.

Newcomer Mallori Johnson set to star.

The project hails from writer Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Courtney Lee-Mitchell, Darren Aronofsky and his Protozoa Pictures, Joe Weisberg and Joel Fields. FX Productions is the studio. Production is scheduled to begin in September.

Johnson will play the central character Dana, a young Black woman and aspiring writer who has uprooted her life of familial obligation and relocated to Los Angeles, ready to claim a future that, for once, feels all her own. But, before she can get settled into her new home, she finds herself being violently pulled back and forth in time to a nineteenth-century plantation with which she and her family are most surprisingly and intimately linked. An interracial romance threads through her past and present, and the clock is ticking as she struggles to confront the secrets she never knew ran through her blood, in this genre-breaking exploration of the ties that bind.

The novel, which sold over a million copies, has been hailed as a visionary work of science fiction since it was first published more than four decades ago in 1979.

“I first read Kindred 20 years ago,” said Bravo. “I was in college. I hadn’t ever seen myself in a world like that. And certainly not at its center. What might seem like only a portrait of an invisible woman is also a potent embrace of our relationship to history and how it can bring us closer to our future. After what felt like losing over a year of the life I had come to know so well, an opportunity to direct an adaptation of this specific text was a win. On top of that getting to partner with Branden is something I’d been wanting for quite some time.”

Jacobs-Jenkins wrote the pilot.

Most recently, Bravo directed and co-wrote the critically acclaimed film Zola. A24 released the film in theatres on June 30. Starring Taylour Paige, Riley Keough, Nicholas Braun and Colman Domingo, Zola premiered in competition at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and is being released in the UK on August 6.

Bravo’s previous film work has screened at AFI, Carnegie Hall, SXSW, Sundance, and Tribeca. Her feature film debut Lemon premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. On the television side, she directed the “Juneteenth” episode of Atlanta, the “Houston” episode of Mrs. America, as well as episodes of HBO’s Divorce, Here and Now, In Treatment, Netflix’s Love and Dear White People and Amazon’s Forever.

John Ortiz to Star in Sci-Fi Adventure Feature “The Mothership”

Posted on May 26, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

John Ortiz is boarding the mothership…

The 53-year-old Puerto Rican actor will star opposite Omari Hardwick and Molly Parker in The Mothership, a sci-fi adventure feature from MRC Film, Automatik and Netflix. Halle Berry previously was announced to star in and executive produce the film.

Oscar-nominated Bridge of Spies screenwriter Matt Charman is directing the film, which will mark his feature debut.

Charman also penned the screenplay, which follows Sara Morse (Berry) one year after her husband mysteriously vanished from their rural farm. When she discovers a strange, extraterrestrial object underneath their home, Sara and her kids embark on a race to find their husband, father and, most important, the truth.

Ortiz’s recent credits include Horse Girl, SXSW drama The Fallout and the Netflix series Messiah.

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