Tag Archives: UnbeliEVAble

Salma Hayek Executive Producing the TV Adaptation of Elizabeth Wetmore’s Novel “Valentine” for HBO

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Salma Hayek has found a new Valentine…

HBO is developing an adaptation of Elizabeth Wetmore’s novel Valentine, with the 54-year-old Mexican American actress/producer and Jennifer Schuur executive producing the project.

Salma Hayek

HBO reportedly won the rights to the book, which is set in 1976 in a West Texas oilfield town, in a competitive situation after it was published in March and debuted at number two on the New York Times’ Bestsellers list at the start of the global pandemic. It’s being developed as a limited series.

Schuur, who was a writer and producer on Netflix’s Unbelievable and is co-showrunner of HBO’s upcoming version of In Treatment, will write the pilot and will exec produce with Hayek and Jose Tamez, who runs Hayek’s Ventanarosa Productions, and author Wetmore.

It’s Ventanarosa Productions’ latest partnership with WarnerMedia after the company, which produced Frida and Ugly Betty, struck a first-look deal with HBO Max in June.

The book begins on Valentine’s Day, 1976 in the West Texas oilfield town of Odessa. It’s told through a network of women whose lives all change when a 14-year-old Mexican girl is beaten and raped by a white oil-worker. It is Wetmore’s first book.

Jennifer Schuur said, “Crimes against women and certainly against women of color are nothing new, but Elizabeth Wetmore has given us a story that explores this truth in a way that is profoundly intimate while also being an undeniable social and cultural critique. To be able to walk that entire landscape alongside partners in HBO and Salma Hayek who so deeply connect to the material as well is more than I could’ve hoped for when I first fell in love with Valentine.”

Salma Hayek added, “What a thrill to be working with HBO and Jennifer Schuur, whose powerful voicing of the female spirit has captivated me in all her previous work. Valentine is set in the 70’s but it couldn’t be more relevant today, as it centers around finding the courage to stand up for the truth, even when it means facing the outrage of your own kind.”

Longoria to Star in NBC Comedy “Telenovela”

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Eva Longoria is heading back to the spotlight on the small screen…

NBC has given a 13-episode order to the 39-year-old Mexican American actress’ single-camera comedy Telenovela. 

Eva Longoria

It will mark Longoria’s first series starring role since Desperate Housewives.

Telenovela, set behind the scenes of a Spanish language telenovela, was guaranteed a 13-episode order if Longoria committed to star in the project and a pilot order if she didn’t.

Additionally, since Telenovela is set behind the scenes of a telenovela, NBC has had discussions with sister network Telemundo about doing 4-5-minute segments in Spanish that would be used to promote the NBC series to Spanish-speaking audiences.

Despite the straight-to-series 13-episode order, Telenovela will do a pilot.

NBC was one of two networks pursuing Longoria in a big way this development season. At ABC, there was a comedy from ABC Studios. It was fast-tracked as a script that will go to pilot with a 13-episode penalty for Longoria attached if she commits to star.

Longoria had been developing Telenovela through her Universal Television-based UnbeliEVAble at NBC for some time.

Written/executive produced by Cougar Town co-executive producers Chrissy Pietrosh and Jessica Goldstein, based on an idea by Longoria, it stars Longoria as the willful but popular diva Ana Maria, star of Latin America’s most beloved telenovela who strives to stay on top in a world where the drama on-camera is nothing compared to the drama off-camera.

Since the end of Desperate Housewives, Longoria had been focused on producing through her UnbeliEVAble banner.  She executive produces Lifetime’s Devious Maids and her company has sold nine projects this development season, including medical drama Critical at NBC and Texas political/family drama Pair of Aces at ABC.