Jennifer Lopez to Star in Netflix’s Sci-Fi Thriller “Atlas”

Posted on June 15, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Jennifer Lopez will be fighting to save the world…

The 51-year-old Puerto Rican superstar will star in and produce the Netflix sci-fi thriller Atlas.

The film will be directed by Brad Peyton, with Aron Eli Coleite is writing the most recent draft of the script based off Leo Sardarian’s original script.

Joby Harold and Tory Tunnell will produce for Safehouse Pictures along with Peyton and Jeff Fierson for ASAP Entertainment, as well as Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas and Benny Medina joining Lopez to produce through Nuyorican Productions.

The film follows Atlas, a woman fighting for humanity in a future where an AI soldier has determined the only way to end war is to end humanity. To outthink this rogue AI, Atlas must work with the one thing she fears most — another AI.

“I’m so honored to be working with Jennifer, Elaine and the rest of the team at Nuyorican Productions along with our partners Joby and Tory at Safehouse,” Peyton said. “Having the chance to direct Jennifer in the title role of this movie is a dream come true, as I know she’ll bring the incredible strength, depth and authenticity we’ve all come to admire from her work. Furthermore, Jeff and I are so excited to be back working with Scott, Ori and the entire team at Netflix. They have been nothing short of amazing to work with and we are blessed to have the opportunity to make another movie on the service.”

The film falls under the newly announced creative partnership between Lopez’s Nuyorican Productions and Netflix where Lopez, producing partner Goldsmith-Thomas and longtime manager Medina will produce a slate of films, television series, scripted and unscripted content, with an emphasis on projects that support diverse female actors, writers and filmmakers.

The first two announced projects both starring Lopez include The Mother, which is directed by Niki Carpo, and The Cipher, based on the novel by Isabella Maldonado.

Lopez can be seen next in the Universal rom com Marry Me opposite Owen Wilson and also has the Lionsgate action comedy Shotgun Wedding. Both films come out in 2022.

Marco Antonio Solís Signs Three-Year Worldwide Deal with Warner Chappell Music (WCM)

Posted on June 1, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Marco Antonio Solís is going to the Chappell…

The 61-year-old Mexican musician, singer, composer and record producer, one of the most respected, prolific and successful singer/songwriters in Latin music, has signed a three-year worldwide deal with Warner Chappell Music (WCM), according to Billboard.

The deal covers future works as well as most of Solís’ vast catalog, which includes global hits like “Si No Te Hubieras Ido,” “Más Que Tu Amigo,” “O Me Voy O Te Vas,” and “A Donde Vamos a Parar.”

Solís, who writes alone, holds the record for most No. 1 albums (12) on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart. He has also placed 50 songs on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart, including 11 No. 1s.

“For decades [Marco’s] music has transcended time, touching the lives of music fans across generations,” says Gustavo Menendez, president U.S. Latin & Latin America, WCM. “As both a songwriter and recording artist he’s made a massive impact, laying the foundation for many who have followed him in both the regional Mexican and Mexican pop space. It’s an honor to represent one of the most important and hugely influential Latin music catalogs of all time.”

Solís, who began his storied career as the lead singer and composer of regional Mexican group Los Bukis, eventually launched a solo career, standing out as one of only a handful of regional Mexican acts who have successfully crossed over into pop music. Beyond his success as a recording artist, with five Latin Grammys to his name, Solís was also a prolific songwriter who’s been covered by a veritable who’s who of Latin stars, including Maná, Paulina Rubio and Enrique Iglesias.

Long signed to indie label Fonovisa, which was eventually acquired by Univision and later, by Universal, Solís decided to go independent a few years ago and has been releasing music under his own label, Marbella.

Likewise, his songs have long fallen under his own Crisma publishing.

Universal to Release Penelope Cruz’s Highly Anticipated Femme Action Feature “The 355”

Posted on May 5, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Penelope Cruz is heading to the 355 a week earlier…

Simon Kinberg’s femme action feature The 355, starring the 47-year-old Spanish Oscar-winning actress, will be released a week earlier, on January 7, 2022.

The film was original scheduled to be released over MLK Weekend.

In the film, five women band together to stop a global organization from acquiring a weapon that could thrust the teetering world into total chaos.

The film was bought by Universal for domestic distribution at the Cannes Film Festival back in 2018 for a reported $20M.

The foreign partners, arranged through FilmNation, are hoping for a global launch for what they hope will be another Bourne Identity–like franchise, this one led by an all female lead cast including Jessica Chastain, Diane Kruger, Lupita Nyong’o, Cruz and Fan Bingbing, with Édgar Ramirez and Sebastian Stan also appearing.

The 355 is directed by Kinberg. He co-wrote the screenplay with Theresa Rebeck.

Aimee Garcia to Co-Write Untitled “47 Ronin” Sequel with AJ Mendez

Posted on April 21, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Aimee Garcia has the write stuff…

The 42-year-old Puerto Rican and Mexican American actress and Lucifer star has been brought in to co-pen the upcoming untitled 47 Ronin sequel alongside New York Times bestselling author AJ Mendez for Universal 1440 Entertainment.

The action-fantasy film, which is being directed by Mulan‘s Ron Yuan, is the follow up to the 2013 Universal Keanu Reeves movie which grossed over $151M WW.

The original film was directed by Carl Rinsch and written by Chris Morgan and Hossein Amini from a story conceived by Morgan and Walter Hamada. Also starring in that film were Hiroyuki Sanada, Tadanobu Asano, Rinko Kikuchi and Ko Shibasaki.

Based on Chūshingura, 47 Ronin tells a fictionalized account of the titular 47 rōnin, a real-life group of samurai in the 18th century who set out to avenge the death of their master who was killed by a merciless shogun.

“AJ and I are excited to write a diverse and inclusive action film,” said Garcia. “Director Ron Yuan’s vision to blend martial arts, horror, cyber-punk and action was inspiring and we’d like to thank the team at 1440 for being so supportive.”

“As creators of color, we’re honored to be part of a modern, multicultural story with powerful female leads,” said Mendez.

Garcia currently stars on Netflix’s Lucifer, new episodes of which are dropping on May 28, and she’ll also star in Marvel’s MODOK, premiering on Hulu on May 21.

Mendez’s pilot script Home landed on The Black List’s inaugural Latinx TV List in 2020. She’s a former championship wrestler with the WWE.

Garcia and Mendez are the co-authors of the comic book series Glow, based on the Netflix property, and Dungeons and Dragons for IDW Publishing, as well as Wonder Woman for DC Comics coming out in July.

The duo recently launched Scrappy Heart Productions to create diverse stories with universal themes across all media. Currently, Scrappy Heart is adapting Crazy Is My Superpower, based on Mendez’s bestselling memoir.

Natalie Morales to Star in & Produce CBS’ Comedy Pilot Based on Sarah Cooper Book

Posted on April 9, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Natalie Morales is preparing for a successful next endeavor…

The 36-year-old Cuban American actress has been cast as one of the leads in CBS’ comedy pilot based on TikTok star Sarah Cooper’s book How to Be Successful Without Hurting Men’s Feelings.

Morales will star opposite Amy Landecker and Alice Lee in the pilot.

She’ll also serves as a producer on the pilot, from Cooper, Cindy Chupack, Nina Tassler and Denise Di Novi.

Co-written by Cooper and Chupack and directed by Amy York Rubin, the Untitled Sarah Cooper/Cindy Chupack Project revolves around three women at different stages in their careers at a male-dominated company — played by Morales, Landecker and Lee — who help each other navigate modern gender politics in their professional and personal lives.

Morales will play Joanna, a conflict-averse, people-pleasing middle manager at the small tech company Lucent Muse, whose new hire, Elyse (Lee), challenges her “go along to get along” career philosophy. She lives with her boyfriend of two years, a sweet, loyal guy who might be too sweet and loyal for her.

Morales’ acting credits include The Little Things and Dead to Me. She made her feature directing debut with this year’s Language Lessons, which premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival and won the Audience Award at SXSW. She is an executive producer and director on Plan B, a feature comedy on Hulu that’ll be released in spring 2021; and she’s writing and producing an untitled comedy feature set in Miami from Universal.

David Del Rio to Star in ABC’s Comedy Pilot “Maggie”

Posted on April 5, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

David Del Rio has landed his next role…

The 33-year-old Latino actor has been cast as a series regular opposite Rebecca Rittenhouse in the ABC comedy pilot Maggie, based on Tim Curcio’s short film.

Del Rio will star joins a roster of cast newcomers that includes Chris Elliott, Ray Ford and Leonardo Nam.

The project hails from Family Guy and Life in Pieces writer Maggie Mull, daughter of Clue actor Martin Mull, and Life in Pieces creator Justin Adler. 20th Century Fox Television produces.

Written by Mull and Adler, the single-camera comedy follows a young woman (Rittenhouse) who tries to cope with life while coming to terms with her abilities as a psychic. She can see everyone’s future, but her present is a mess.

Del Rio will play Ben. A gregarious guy, Ben has a heightened energy and is enlivened by new experiences and people. In this way, he’s Maggie’s opposite, but like Maggie, he has a romantic side that he tries to hide behind a sometimes overly confident veneer.

Del Rio most recently starred on ABC’s short-lived Latin-themed series The Baker and the Beauty.

On the film side, he can also be seen in James Gunn’s The Belko Experiment. His credits also include a supporting role in Universal’s Pitch Perfect, the indie Dead Drop opposite Cole Hauser, and Nickelodeon’s The Troop, on which he starred for three seasons.

Edgar Ramirez to Star in Eli Roth’s Film Adaptation of “Borderlands” Video Game

Posted on April 5, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Edgar Ramirez is heading to the borderlands…

The 44-year-old Venezuelan actor will portray Atlas in Eli Roth’s adaptation of the bestselling video game Borderlands for Lionsgate.

Ramirez joins Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ariana Greenblatt, Florian Munteanu, Haley Bennett, and Jack Black. In the game, Atlas is a business titan and arms manufacturer, and the most powerful person in the universe.

“What an incredible honor to have an actor of Edgar’s caliber, talent, and charisma playing opposite Cate Blanchett and this remarkable cast,” Roth said. “Atlas has to be a truly magnetic personality, someone with charisma and charm but that air of menace underneath it all. I’ve been a fan of Edgar’s since his early performances and he continues to amaze me with each dramatic turn. We want to create something wild, fun, and very different from anything they’ve seen from Edgar before. I am so, so excited to work with him.”

In the film, Lilith (Blanchett), an infamous outlaw with a mysterious past, reluctantly returns to her home planet of Pandora to find the missing daughter of the universe’s most powerful S.O.B., Atlas (Ramirez). Lilith forms an alliance with an unexpected team – Roland (Hart), a former elite mercenary, now desperate for redemption; Tiny Tina (Greenblatt), a feral pre-teen demolitionist; Krieg (Munteanu), Tina’s musclebound, rhetorically challenged protector; Tannis (Curtis), the scientist with a tenuous grip on sanity; and Claptrap (Black), a persistently wiseass robot. These unlikely heroes must battle alien monsters and dangerous bandits to find and protect the missing girl, who may hold the key to unimaginable power. The fate of the universe could be in their hands – but they’ll be fighting for something more: each other.

Based on the game from Gearbox and 2K, one of the bestselling video game franchises of all time, welcome to Borderlands.

“The force of Edgar’s presence and the strength of his talent as an actor make him an ideal choice to play Atlas, a character who controls the fate of so many in the Borderlands universe. He’s the perfect addition to this perfect cast,” said Nathan Kahane, president of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group.

Borderlands is one of the world’s most successful video game franchises, with more than 68 million units sold-in worldwide, including over 24 million units of Borderlands 2, which is the highest-selling title in the history of 2K. The most recent installment, Borderlands 3, which launched in September 2019 and was recently released for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, has sold-in more than 12 million units worldwide and was honored with the award for Best Multiplayer Game at Gamescom 2019 and Best Ongoing Game at Gamescom 2020.

The latest draft of the screenplay is by Craig Mazin.

Ramirez has stayed busy over the past year, most recently starring opposite Jennifer Garner in Netflix’s Yes Day. He was also recently seen in HBO’s critically acclaimed limited series, The Undoing. He will next star in Disney’s Jungle Cruise and Universal’s The 355.

Eva Longoria to Direct & Executive Produce HBO Max’s “The Gordita Chronicles” Pilot

Posted on March 4, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Eva Longoria has lined up her next directorial project…

The 45-year-old Mexican American actress/producer will direct and executive produce The Gordita Chronicles pilot at HBO Max.

The single-camera family comedy hails from Josh Berman’s Osprey Productions, Zoe Saldana’s Cinestar Pictures, and Sony Pictures Television, where Berman’s Osprey Prods is under a deal.

Written by Claudia Forestier, The Gordita Chronicles centers on a willful, chubby, 12-year-old Dominican who struggles to fit into hedonistic 1980s Miami as her family pursues the American Dream.

Brigitte Munoz Liebowitz serves as executive producer and showrunner. Longoria executive produces via her UnbeliEVAble Entertainment. Zoe Saldana, Mariel Saldana and Cisely Saldana executive produce for Cinestar Pictures.

Sony Pictures Television is the studio.

Longoria will be making her film directorial debut with Searchlight’s Flamin’ Hot, an inspiring biopic about the janitor turned executive who created the flaming hot Cheetos snack. She’ll also direct the workplace comedy 24/7 and star alongside Kerry Washington for Universal and direct the action comedy Spa Day for Sony.

The former Desperate Housewives star made her television directing debut on Devious Maids in 2014. Her television producing/directing credits also include ESPN 30 for 30 documentary Versus, and episodes of Black-ish, The Mick and Telenovela.

Longoria made her pilot directing debut with the CW’s Glorious.

Jennifer Lopez to Star in & Produce Netflix’s Action Feature “The Mother”

Posted on February 1, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Jennifer Lopez has landed a mother of a role…

The 51-year-old Puerto Rican superstar is reteaming with Netflix to star in and produce the action feature The Mother.

Lopez will play a deadly female assassin who comes out of hiding to protect the daughter she gave up years before, while on the run from dangerous men. The project is reportedly in the spirit of the Luc Besson classic The Professional.

Misha Green penned the original screenplay with revisions Andrea Berloff.

Lopez is producing with Elaine Goldsmith Thomas for Nuyorican Productions; Benny Medina; Roy Lee and Miri Yoon for Vertigo Entertainment; as well as Green. Catherine Hagedorn will serve as EP with Courtney Baxter as Associate Producer.

Niki Caro is in talks to direct.

Lopez is starring in and producing the Netflix adaptation of the Isabella Maldonado novel The Cipher. In that movie, Lopez will play FBI agent Nina Guerrera, who is pulled into a serial killer’s case after he leaves complex codes and riddles online, which are linked to his recent murders.

Lopez recently performed at the U.S. Presidential Inauguration of Joe Biden. She is currently filming Lionsgate’s Shotgun Wedding, and will be seen in Universal’s musical-driven romantic comedy Marry Me with Owen Wilson, which is set for theatrical release on May 14.

In 2019, Lopez scored her biggest domestic opening for a live-action feature at the box office and stateside hit with STX’s Hustlers ($33.1M opening, $105M domestic B.O.), a role which earned her a second Golden Globe nomination, as well as a supporting actress SAG nomination.

A Martinez to Star in Michael Bay’s Action Thriller “Ambulance”

Posted on January 23, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

A Martinez is preparing a medical emergency…

The 72-year-old part-Mexican American actor will star in the Michael Bay-directed action thriller Ambulance.

Martinez joins the list of new additions to the cast list that includes Garret Dillahunt, Keir O’Donnell and Moses Ingram.

The four join current cast members Jake Gyllenhaal, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Eiza Gonzalez in a feature that’s based off the original Danish film Ambulancen.

While the plot is being kept under wraps, the film is expected to be in the spirit of such 1990s action films as Speed and Bad Boys.

Chris Fedak wrote the original script.

Universal is distributing the movie with Endeavor Content packaging of the project.

Martinez, who gained acclaim in the soap operas Santa Barbara, General Hospital, One Life to Live, The Bold and the Beautiful and Days of Our Lives, recently appeared in the series-long role of Jacob Nighthorse on Netflix’s Longmire, as well as recurring roles on The Bay and Queen of the South. He has also appeared in films including The Cowboys, She-Devil and Powwow Highway.

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