John Leguizamo to Star in Apple‘s Upcoming Drama Series “Firebug”

John Leguizamo is buggin’…

The 63-year-old Colombian Emmy– & Tony Award-winning actor will star alongside Taron Egerton in Apple‘s upcoming drama series Firebug.

John LeguizamoHailing from Apple Studios and creator Dennis Lehane, the series will be directed and executive-produced by Kari Skogland.

Written by Lehane and loosely inspired by true events, Firebug will follow a troubled detective and an enigmatic arson investigator (Egerton) as they pursue the trails of two serial arsonists.

Leguizamo with play Esposito, a former policeman with a lot of bad habits and a lot of good instincts.

Jurnee Smollett will also star in the series.

In addition to starring, Egerton will serve as executive producer alongside Richard Plepler through Eden Productions, Dan Friedkin and Bradley Thomas through Imperative Entertainment and Kary Antholis.

Leguizamo is host and executive producer of MSNBC’s hit travel show, Leguizamo Does America, which is currently in production on its second season.

He recently starred in Amazon series The Power, alongside Toni Collette, in Showtime’s five-part drama series Waco: The Aftermath, and in Mark Mylod’s horror comedy The Menu.

Leguizamo stars in the independent film Bob Trevino Likes It, which recently premiered at SXSW, winning the SXSW Grand Jury Award and the Audience Award in the Narrative Feature category.

He also stars as federal agent Gordon Rogers in The Green Veil drama series, which he produced alongside director Aram Rappaport.

Upcoming, he hosts the PBS documentary series American Historia: The Untold History of Latinos, a project he co-created with director Ben De Jesus. He’ll also be seen in the upcoming thriller feature Tin Soldier, opposite Robert Di Niro, Jamie Foxx and Rita Ora.

Onix Serrano to Star in Clint Eastwood’s “Juror No. 2”

Onix Serrano has been called for jury duty

The Puerto Rican actor will star in Clint Eastwood’s Juror No. 2 at Warner Bros.

Onix SerranoIn addition to Serrano, new cast additions include Amy AquinoAdrienne C. MooreCedric Yarbrough and Chikako Fukuyama.

The film follows Justin Kemp, played by Nicholas Hoult, who while serving as a juror in a high-profile murder trial, finds himself struggling with a serious moral dilemma — one he could use to sway the jury verdict and potentially convict–or free–the wrong killer.

Eastwood is producing under his Malpaso banner in addition to directing off of Jonathan Abrams’ screenplay.

The film is currently shooting in Georgia.

Also part of the ensemble are Toni Collette (prosecutor), Gabriel Basso (accused), Zoey Deutch (Kemp’s wife), Leslie Bibb (juror), Chris Messina (public defender), and Kiefer Sutherland (Kemp’s AA sponsor).

Serrano’s credits include the series Gordita Chronicles on Max and a recurring role on Fantasy Island on Fox.

Colman Domingo Among Voice Cast of DreamWorks Animation’s Animated Feature “Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken”

Colman Domingo is getting animated…

The 53-year-old Belizean-Guatemalan American actor and social justice activist, an Emmy and Tony Award winner, will form part of the voice cast of DreamWorks Animation’s animated feature, Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken.

Colman DomingoThe film is set for wide release via Universal on June 30th.

Domingo joins a voice cast that includes Lana Condor in the title role, Toni Collette, Jane Fonda, Annie Murphy, Sam Richardson, Blue Chapman and Jaboukie Young-White.

Directed by Kirk De Micco, with Faryn Pearl as co-director, the film is an action-comedy about a shy teenager who discovers that she’s part of a legendary royal lineage of mythical sea krakens and that her destiny, in the depths of the oceans, is bigger than she ever dreamed.

Sweet, awkward 16-year-old Ruby Gillman (Condor) is desperate to fit in at Oceanside High, but she mostly just feels invisible. She’s math-tutoring her skater-boy crush (Young-White), who only seems to admire her for her fractals, and she’s prevented from hanging out with the cool kids at the beach because her over-protective supermom (Collette) has forbade her from ever getting in the water. But when she breaks her mom’s #1 rule, Ruby will discover that she is a direct descendant of the warrior Kraken queens and is destined to inherit the throne from her commanding grandmother (Fonda), the Warrior Queen of the Seven Seas.

The Kraken are sworn to protect the oceans of the world against the vain, power-hungry mermaids who have been battling with the Kraken for eons. But there’s one major, and immediate, problem with that: The school’s beautiful, popular new girl, Chelsea (Murphy) just happens to be a mermaid. Ruby will ultimately need to embrace who she is and go big to protect those she loves most.

Rounding out the cast of Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken are Will Forte and Nicole Byer, Liza Koshy, Ramona Young, Eduardo Franco and Echo Kellum. While it’s not yet clear who wrote the script, Kelly Cooney Cilella served as the film’s producer, with Grammy-winning composer and Universal Composers Initiative alum Stephanie Economou penning the score.

John Leguizamo to Receive Impact Award at This Year’s Miami Film Festival

John Leguizamo is being honored for his impact

The 62-year-old Colombian actor, comedian and film producer will receive the Miami Film Festival‘s Impact Award on March 11.

John LeguizamoLeguizamo’s new MSNBC series Leguizamo Does America will screen ahead of the award presentation. The festival’s upcoming 40th edition runs from March 3-12.

Leguizamo has more than 75 film, theater and television credits, including Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge!, Summer of Sam and as the voice of Bruno on Encanto. Most recently, he co-starred in Mark Mylod’s film The Menu.

The Emmy winner is next set to star alongside Toni Collette in Prime Video’s The Power.

Following his MFF Impact award, Leguizamo will premiere his directorial debut, Critical Thinking, at the 2023 SXSW Film Festival. In addition to his Emmy award, Leguizamo has received a Drama Desk award and a special Tony award for his one-man show, Latin History for Morons.

Leguizamo Does America follows the actor as he travels from San Juan, Puerto Rico to East Los Angeles while making a few surprising stops along the way. In addition to celebrating and honoring Latino history, culture and food, Leguizamo will speak with Latino actors, the Latino immigrants who transformed the city of Chicago, as well as the indigenous people of Puerto Rico. Leguizamo Does America will premiere on MSNBC on April 16 at 10 p.m.

In addition to Leguizamo, the Miami Film Festival will honor Nicolas Cage with the Variety Legend & Groundbreaker Award, Diego Luna with the Variety Virtuoso Award and Nicholas Britell with Art of Light Composer Award, presented by Alacran Group.

The complete Miami Film Festival program is available at miamifilmfestival.com.

Joe Penna to Direct Endeavor Content’s Sci-Fi Thriller “Trespasser”

Joe Penna isn’t (tres)passing on a great opportunity…

The 35-year-old Brazilian musician and filmmaker will direct Endeavor Content’s sci-fi thriller Trespasser.

Joel Penna

The film is based on a Black List screenplay by Gabe Hobson and adapted from Justin M. Ryan’s 2017 Alterna Comics-published graphic novel.

The grounded genre story is set in the Alaskan wilderness, where a father and daughter living in isolation encounter a mysterious otherworldly creature and are thrust into a journey of peril, survival and redemption.

Trespasser was originally published in 2016 as a four-issue digital series available for download through Amazon’s Comixology portal. The following year, Ryan launched a successful Kickstarter campaign to fund a trade paperback version that collected all four of the original digital issues.

Jason FuchsBrad Fuller and Alixandra Fuchs will produce the project, with Alex Ginno serving as executive producer.

Penna broke onto the scene with the survival film Arctic starring Mads Mikkelsen, a 2018 Cannes official selection. He followed that up with Stowaway, which stars Anna Kendrick and Toni Collette, for Netflix.

Jared Leto Wins  AARP Movies for Grownups Awards Trophy for “House of Gucci”

Jared Leto is the Seniors’ choice…

The 20th anniversary AARP Movies for Grownups Awards have been announced, with the 50-year-old part-Spanish American actor and singer among the winners.

Jared Leto

Leto was named Best Supporting Actor for his performance in House of Gucci during the virtual ceremony, which was hosted by Alan Cumming.

Clifton Collins Jr. and his Nightmare Alley cast mates were named Best Ensemble.

The 51-year-old half-Mexican American actor portrays Funhouse Jack in the film from Guillermo del Toro. His costars in the film include Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara and Toni Collette.

“We are thrilled to share this year’s Movies for Grownups Awards honorees during our 20th anniversary special,” said Tim Appelo, AARP film and TV critic. “Even in a pandemic, creators continue to raise the bar, captivating audiences and giving us all a bit of solace during trying times. Twenty years is quite a milestone to celebrate, and we wish all our nominees and honorees a heartfelt congratulations.”

AARP’s Movies for Grownups program advocates for the 50-plus audience by fighting industry ageism and encouraging films that resonate with mature viewers.  Here are the winners of the 2021 Movies for Grownups Awards:

FILM

Best Picture
Belfast

Best Actor
Will Smith (King Richard)

Best Actress
Nicole Kidman (Being the Ricardos)

Best Supporting Actress
Aunjanue Ellis (King Richard)

Best Supporting Actor
Jared Leto (House of Gucci)

Best Director
Jane Campion (The Power of the Dog)

Best Screenwriter
Tony Kushner (West Side Story)

Best Intergenerational Film
CODA

Best Ensemble
Nightmare Alley

Best Time Capsule
Spencer

Best Grownup Love Story
Cyrano

Best Documentary
Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)

Best Buddy Picture
Finch

Best Foreign Film
Sheep Without a Shepherd (China)

TELEVISION

Best Actress
Jean Smart (Hacks)

Best Actor
Michael Keaton (Dopesick)

Best Limited Series/TV Movie
Mare of Easttown

Best TV Series
Ted Lasso

Career Achievement Award
Lily Tomlin

First Trailer Released for Guillermo del Toro’s Remake of the 1947 Film Noir Classic “Nightmare Alley”

Guillermo del Toro is sharing his nightmare

The first teaser trailer has been released for Nightmare Alleydirected and co-written by the 56-year-old Mexican Oscar-winning filmmaker.

Guillermo del Toro

del Toro’s latest project is a star-packed remake of the 1947 film noir classic, which is based on the 1946 novel by William Lindsay Gresham.

“I am prepared to offer you folks one last chance to witness this supreme oddity…. Is it a beast — or is it a man?”

So says Willem Dafoe’s carnival barker in the trailer, which also stars Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper and two-time Oscar winner Cate Blanchett, who take over the roles originally played by Tyrone Power and Helen Walker.

Cooper plays Stan Carlisle, an ambitious young carny who has a talent for manipulating people with a few well-chosen words. He hooks up with a psychiatrist (Blanchett) who is even more dangerous than he is.

The big-name supporting cast includes Academy Award nominees Toni Collette, Richard Jenkins, Rooney Mara and David Straithairn, along with two-time Emmy nominee Ron Perlman.

The film co-written by Kim Morgan marks Del Toro’s first time behind the camera since 2018’s The Shape of Water, for which he won Best Picture and Best Director Oscars.

 He also produced Nightmare Alley along with his Shape of Water collaborator J. Miles Dale.

The film will open in theaters on December 17 via Searchlight.

Lionsgate & MRC to Release Ana de Armas’ Murder Mystery “Knives Out” in November 2019

Ana de Armas has her knives out…

Lionsgate will partner with MRC to distribute worldwide Knives Out, the contemporary murder mystery starring the 30-year-old Cuban actress.

Ana de Armas

Looper and Star Wars: The Last Jedi helmer Rian Johnson wrote and is directing the film, which stars Daniel Craig as a detective trying to solve a murder.

In addition to de Armas and Craig, the killer ensemble cast includes Chris EvansMichael ShannonLakeith StanfieldJamie Lee CurtisToni ColletteChristopher PlummerKatherine Langford and Don Johnson.

Lionsgate has scheduled the film for nationwide release on November 27, 2019 for the Thanksgiving holiday corridor.

The film became possible when director Danny Boyleexited James Bond 25. While that film regrouped — Cary Fukunagais directing it — Craig suddenly had an open slot, and Johnson and his producing partner Ram Bergman took full advantage with an Agatha Christie-style murder mystery that Johnson wrote and was able to squeeze in before he and Bergman drill down on a new trilogy in the Star Wars universe.

de Armas previous film credits include Blade Runner 2049, War Dogs and Hands of Stone.

Raúl Castillo to Star in the Detective Film “Knives Out”

The knives are out for Raúl Castillo

The 41-year-old Mexican American has joined the cast of Rian Johnson’s starry detective movie Knives Out.

Raul Castillo

Riki LindhomeEdi Patteron,Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Lakeith Stanfield, Jamie Lee Curtis, Christopher Plummer, Ana de Armas, Michael Shannon, Toni Collette, Don Johnsonand Jaeden Lieberheralso star in the film, which is now in production in Boston.

Plot details are still under wraps, but the film is said to be a modern day murder mystery in the classic whodunit style.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi director Johnson has scripted and will direct.

Castillo has recently appeared in the Netflix series Seven Seconds and Atypical.