Tag Archives: Unstoppable

Jennifer Lopez to Star Opposite Brett Goldstein in Netflix Rom-Com “Office Romance”

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Jennifer Lopez is having an office romance…

The 55-year-old Puerto Rican superstar will star opposite Ted Lasso’s Brett Goldstein in Netflix’s irreverent romantic comedy Office Romance.

Jennifer LopezLopez has previously delivered two hit movies for the streamer… The Mother and Atlas.

There was a hot bidding war for the forthcoming feature, which Netflix won.

Goldstein and Joe Kelly are co-writing the rom-com.

The producers on Office Romance are Aaron Ryder and Andrew Swett for Ryder Picture Company; Goldstein and Kelly; as well as Lopez, Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas and Benny Medina for Nuyorican Films.

Nuyorican Productions has a multiyear first-look deal with Netflix spanning feature films, TV series and unscripted content, with an emphasis on projects that support diverse female actors, writers and filmmakers.

Lopez and Goldstein recently had films at the Toronto Film Festival. Lopez was at TIFF with the Amazon MGM Studios sports drama Unstoppable, about championship wrestler Anthony Robles, who was born with one leg; the movie has 74% fresh reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.

Goldstein world premiered the MRC feature drama All of You, which he co-wrote and starred in with Imogen Poots. That film stands at 85% fresh reviews on RT.

Lopez’s top two movies on Netflix, The Mother and Atlas, clocked 136.4 million global views and 73 million global views, respectively. The Mother is among the streamer’s 10 most-watched movies of all time and was Netflix’s most-watched movie of 2023. Atlas also hit the top 10 in 93 countries.

Salma Hayek-Starrer “Without Blood” to World Premiere at Toronto International Film Festival

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Salma Hayek’s latest film is headed to Canada’s largest film festival…

Organizers of the 49th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival have announced the full lineup of Galas and Special Presentations, with the 57-year-old Mexican Oscar-nominated actress and film producer’s war drama Without Blood set to make its world premiere at the event.

Salma HayekDirected by Angelina Jolie and based on the novel by Alessandro Baricco, the film also stars Demián Bichir.

Among the feature directorial debuts at the fest, there’s Argo editor William Goldenberg’s Amazon sports biopic Unstoppable, starring Jennifer Lopez.

There’s a lot of this past Cannes Film Festival’s greatest hits as well, including the award-winning Spanish musical noir Emilia Perez, starring Selena Gomez.

In total, the Galas and Special Presentations section counts 63 movies from 25 countries.

Per TIFF, “The Gala and Special Presentations programs are recognized for celebrating the very best of contemporary cinema across all genres and styles, from all corners of the world.”

Here are the TIFF films revealed so far:

Galas 2024

Andrea Bocelli: Because I Believe Cosima Spender | UK
World Premiere

Better Man Michael Gracey | USA
Canadian Premiere

Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight Embeth Davidtz | South Africa
Canadian Premiere

*Eden Ron Howard | USA
World Premiere

*Elton John: Never Too Late R.J. Cutler, David Furnish | USA
World Premiere

*Harbin Woo Min-ho | South Korea
World Premiere

Meet the Barbarians Julie Delpy | France
International Premiere

*Nutcrackers David Gordon Green | USA
World Premiere

Oh, Canada Paul Schrader | USA
North American Premiere

Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band Thom Zimny | USA
World Premiere

*Superboys of Malegaon Reema Kagti | India
World Premiere

*The Deb Rebel Wilson | Australia
World Premiere

The Friend Scott McGehee, David Siegel | USA
International Premiere

The Penguin Lessons Peter Cattaneo | Spain/United Kingdom
World Premiere

The Return Uberto Pasolini | Italy/United Kingdom
World Premiere

The Shrouds David Cronenberg | Canada/France
North American Premiere

*The Wild Robot Chris Sanders | USA
World Premiere

Unstoppable William Goldenberg | USA
World Premiere

Will & Harper Josh Greenbaum | USA
International Premiere

Special Presentations 2024 (in alphabetical order)

40 Acres R.T. Thorne | Canada
World Premiere

All of You William Bridges | USA
World Premiere
Sales Title – Rights Available

All We Imagine as Light Payal Kapadia | France/India/Netherlands/Luxembourg
Canadian Premiere

Anora Sean Baker | USA
Canadian Premiere

Bird Andrea Arnold | United Kingdom
North American Premiere

Bring Them Down Christopher Andrews | Ireland/Belgium
World Premiere

Can I Get a Witness? Ann Marie Fleming | Canada
World Premiere

Carnival is Over Fernando Coimbra | Brazil/Portugal
World Premiere
Sales Title – Rights Available

Caught by the Tides Jia Zhang-Ke | China
North American Premiere

Conclave Edward Berger | USA/United Kingdom
International Premiere

Emilia Pérez Jacques Audiard | France/USA/Mexico
Canadian Premiere

Hard Truths Mike Leigh | United Kingdom/Spain
World Premiere

Harvest Athina Rachel Tsangari | United Kingdom
North American Premiere

Heretic Scott Beck, Bryan Woods | Canada
World Premiere

I’m Still Here Walter Salles | Brazil/France
North American Premiere

I, the Executioner Ryoo Seung-wan | South Korea
North American Premiere

*K-Pops Anderson .Paak | USA
World Premiere

Love in the Big City E.oni | South Korea
World Premiere

Millers in Marriage Edward Burns | USA
World Premiere

Misericordia Alain Guiraudie | Spain/Portugal/France
Canadian Premiere

*Nightbitch Marielle Heller | USA
World Premiere

On Becoming a Guinea Fowl Rungano Nyoni | Zambia/United Kingdom/Ireland
North American Premiere

Piece by Piece Morgan Neville | USA
International Premiere

Quisling – The Final Days Erik Poppe | Norway
International Premiere

Relay David Mackenzie | USA
World Premiere

Rez Ball Sydney Freeland | USA
World Premiere

Riff Raff Dito Montiel | USA
World Premiere

Rumours Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, Galen Johnson | Canada/Germany
North American Premiere

Sharp Corner Jason Buxton | Canada/Ireland
World Premiere

*Shepherds Sophie Deraspe | Canada/France
World Premiere

Sketch Seth Worley | USA
World Premiere

The Assessment Fleur Fortuné | United Kingdom/Germany/USA
World Premiere

The Cut Sean Ellis | United Kingdom
World Premiere

The End Joshua Oppenheimer | Denmark/UK
Canadian Premiere

The Fire Inside Rachel Morrison | USA
World Premiere

The Girl with the Needle Magnus von Horn | Denmark/Poland/Sweden
North American Premiere

The Last Showgirl Gia Coppola | USA
World Premiere

*The Life of Chuck Mike Flanagan | USA
World Premiere

The Order Justin Kurzel | Canada/USA
North American Premiere

The Piano Lesson Malcolm Washington | USA
International Premiere

*We Live in Time John Crowley | United Kingdom/France
World Premiere

Went Up the Hill Samuel Van Grinsven | New Zealand/Australia
World Premiere

Without Blood Angelina Jolie | USA/Italy
World Premiere

Young Werther José Avelino Gilles Corbett Lourenço | Canada
World Premiere

*previously announced

Jharrel Jerome to Star as Anthony Robles in “Unstoppable”

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Jharrel Jerome is unstoppable…

The 25-year-old Afro-Dominican American actor, an Emmy winner and EP/star of the upcoming Prime Video series I’m a Virgo that just premiered at SXSW, has signed on to star in Unstoppable, the film starring Jennifer Lopez and directed by Billy Goldenberg.

Jharrel Jerome The film follows the true story of Anthony Robles, a three-time All-American wrestler born with one leg who won a national championship at Arizona State.

Robles will reportedly be heavily involved in the project, which Amazon Studios is in talks to acquire.

The second big project from Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s Artists Equity and Amazon is coming together rather quickly before the April 5 opening of their first movie, Air, which is getting a theatrical release and debuted at SXSW on Saturday. Artists Equity is co-founded by RedBird Capital.

Robles was born without a right leg. At the age of 14, he tried wrestling for the first time, at a mere 90 pounds. His first year he went 5-8, but remained determined that he could be a champion in the sport one day. Robles is also an inspirational speaker.

In 2019 he broke the Guinness world record for most pull-ups in a minute with 62 reps.

Jerome won an Emmy for Outstanding Actor in a Limited Series for the Ava DuVernay Netflix series When They See Us. His other credits include the film Concrete Cowboy and the Stephen King series Mr. Mercedes. He’ll soon be seen co-starring in HBO Max’s Steven Soderbergh series Full Circle.

Jerome is an EP on the Boots Riley Amazon series I’m a Virgo. The darkly comedic, fantastical coming-of-age joyride center son Cootie (Jerome), a 13-foot-tall young Black man in Oakland, CA. Having grown up hidden away, passing time on a diet of comic books and TV shows, he escapes to experience the beauty and contradictions of the real world. He forms friendships, finds love, navigates awkward situations, and encounters his idol, a real-life superhero named The Hero, played by Walton Goggins. I’m A Virgo is a mythical odyssey that questions the purpose of the mythical odyssey.

Karol G Makes History as “Mañana Será Bonito” Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart

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Karol G is celebrating a historic moment…

The 32-year-old Colombian singer and songwriter’s new album Mañana Será Bonito is making an unprecedented splash on the Billboard 200 albums chart dated March 11, as the set debuts atop the tally.

Karol GIt’s both the first No. 1 for the artist and the chart’s first No. 1 all-Spanish-language album by a female artist.

“I feel so very special. More than happiness I feel special,” Karol G tells Billboard, who spoke with her as the news was reported. “My last album did so well and had all those big hits, like ‘Bichota,’ so the bar was high. But I didn’t want to make music because I felt pressure. I wanted to make the music I wanted to make, and the fact that I’ve hit No. 1 with an album that is so personal is enormous.” 

Previously, only two all-Spanish albums led the list, both by Bad Bunny. (Un Verano Sin Ti in 2022 and El Ultimo Tour del Mundo in 2020).

Mañana Será Bonito earned 94,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending March 2, according to Luminate. Its starting sum was largely powered by streaming activity.

Of Mañana Será Bonito’s 94,000 equivalent album units earned, SEA units comprise 83,000 (equaling 118.73 million on-demand official streams of the set’s 17 tracks), album sales comprise 10,000 and TEA units comprise 1,000. The album’s sales were largely powered by its digital download album (8,500), though there was a CD available in limited quantities, selling about 1,500 copies. The digital album was also offered in two alternative cover variants on Karol G’s official webstore.

Mañana Será Bonito logs the largest week, by equivalent album units earned, for a Latin album by a woman since the chart began measuring by units in December of 2014. (Latin albums are defined as those that have hit or are eligible for Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart.) Further, as Mañana Será Bonito generated 118.73 million official on-demand streams for its songs, the set registers the biggest streaming week ever for a Latin album by a woman.

Mañana Será Bonito is also the first Latin album by a woman to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200 since 1995, when Selena’s posthumously-released, mostly-Spanish effort Dreaming of You topped the list for one week. (The 13-song Dreaming of You album has six tracks in Spanish, five in English and two duets that blend English and Spanish.)

Only three mostly-non-English-language albums by women have reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 – the all-Spanish Mañana Será Bonito, Dreaming of You and The Singing Nun’s all-French-language self-titled album in 1963.

Karol G made her Billboard chart debut in 2016 and has been a force on Billboard’s Latin genre charts ever since, notching 17 top 10 hits on the Hot Latin Songs chart – including five No. 1s (through the most recently published chart, dated March 4). On the Top Latin Albums list, she’s previously logged a trio of top two-charting sets, including one No. 1, her previous release, KG0516, in 2021.

Mañana Será Bonito is the fourth charting album for Karol G on the all-genre Billboard 200, but first to reach the top 10. She previously visited the list with KG0516 (No. 20 in 2021), Ocean (No. 54 in 2019) and Unstoppable (No. 192 in 2017). Preceding the release of the new album, Karol had logged five top 40-charting hit songs on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, but with three of them coming in 2022: “Mamiii,” with Becky G (No. 15), “Provenza” (No. 25) and “Gatubela,” with Maldy (No. 37). Both “Mamiii” and “Provenza” became Karol’s first top 10-charting hits on the all-genre Streaming Songs chart, reaching Nos. 5 and 10, respectively. (Both “Provenza” and “Gatubela” are included on Mañana Será Bonito.)

With Karol G’s Mañana Será Bonito replacing SZA’s SOS at No. 1, it’s the first time a woman has replaced another woman atop the list in over a year. It last happened when a trio of leading ladies traded off the top spot from November 20, 2021-December 4, 2021. Summer Walker’s Still Over It debuted at No. 1 on the on November 20 chart, Taylor Swift’s Red (Taylor’s Version) then opened atop the list on November 27, and Adele’s 30 bowed at No. 1 on the December 4 chart.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album.

Rosario Dawson to Help Reveal This Year’s SAG Awards Nominations

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Rosario Dawson is helping with a big reveal…

The 42-year-old Puerto Rican and Cuban American actress and activist will team up with Vanessa Hudgens to announce this year’s SAG Awards nominations on Wednesday, January 12, at 10:00 am ET/7 am PT via Instagram Live.

Rosario DawsonThis marks the second consecutive year the SAG nominations will be announced via Instagram Live as part of the @sagawards’ Instagram Stories.

With the Golden Globes mired in a diversity scandal, resulting in a non-telecast of the awards show on NBC, the SAG Awards this year reps the first big awards show to honor the best of actors and actresses in television and film for 2021.

SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher will give an introduction before the SAG nominations are revealed.

Nominations for the Outstanding Action Performances by Television and Film ensembles will follow, with announcements made by SAG Awards Committee members Jason George and Elizabeth McLaughlin.

The 28th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards will be simulcast live on TNT and TBS on Sunday, February 27, 2022 at 8:00 pm ET / 5:00 pm PT from The Barker Hangar in Santa Monica.

Dawson recently starred in the Hulu series Dopesick, and stars next in the Disney+/Lucasfilm series Ahsoka as Ahsoka Tano and the HBO Max/DC series DMZ. 

She’s filming Disney’s new Haunted Mansion movie with Owen Wilson, Tiffany Haddish, LaKeith Stanfield and Danny DeVito.

Her feature credits include Harmony Korine’s Kids, Spike Lee’s He Got Game and The 25th Hour, as well as Alexander, Rent, Clerks II, Top Five, Trance, Unstoppable and Men in Black II, as well as the Sin City franchise.

For her performance in Seven Pounds, she won Best Actress in a Motion Picture Award at the 2009 NAACP Image Awards.

Diego Calva to Star in Damien Chazelle’s Hollywood Period Feature “Babylon”

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Diego Calva is heading to Babylon…

The Mexican actor will join the ensemble cast of Damien Chazelle’s Hollywood period Paramount feature Babylon.

Diego Calva

Calva joins the previously announced cast, which includes Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Jovan Adepo and Li Jun Li.

The project, which is set for a Christmas Day 2022 release and a January 6, 2023 expansion, is an R-rated drama, set in the shifting moment in Hollywood when the industry turned from silent film to talkies.

In addition, Calva has signed with WME.

The Mexico City native has starred in the Netflix series Unstoppable and will appear in the upcoming season of the streamer’s Narcos: Mexico. 

He previously starred in I Promise You Anarchy, which was screened at the Contemporary World Cinema section of the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. The feature from Julio Hernández Cordón won several awards at festivals like Mix Brasil, Sao Paulo International Film Festival, Lisbon International Film Festival, Costa Rica International Film Festival with Calva receiving the Best Actor award at the Festival of New Latin American Cinema in Havana, Cuba.

Anthony Robles’ Inspiring Story to Be Made Into Film

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Anthony Robles’ life story is headed to the big screen…

Dany Garcia and Dwayne Johnson’s Seven Bucks Productions has teamed up with 101 Studios on Unstoppable, a film that tells the inspiring story of the 31-year-old Latino wrestler.

Anthony Robles

Despite being born with only one leg to a single-parent family living on the wrong side of the tracks, Robles overcame every obstacle to become an undefeated collegiate wrestling star, three-time All-American, 2011 NCAA National Champion, two-time ESPY Award winner and a National Wrestling Hall of Famei nductee.

John Hindman wrote the script, based on Unstoppable: From Underdog to Undefeated: How I Became a Champion, a 2012 memoir Robles wrote with Austin Murphy. 

“Words cannot express how honored I am to have my story made into a film. Because I was born missing my leg, my entire life I’ve had to deal with people having low expectations of me,” says Robles. “When I got into wrestling, most people thought it was impossible for me to become even an average wrestler. I’m hopeful that people who see Unstoppable will walk away believing that you should never let your challenges define you. If you have a goal, go after it with everything you’ve got. Nothing is impossible.”

“Our entire Seven Bucks team is passionate about sharing stories that inspire and resonate on a global scale. We’ve had an eye on Anthony’s story for a long time and have been deeply moved by his perseverance that proves nothing is impossible. The powerful themes of redemption and tackling life’s obstacles are very familiar to us, we are excited to bring this triumphant underdog story to life.

“Anthony’s story is really special and reveals the passion, determination and fearlessness needed to overcome challenges,” Seven Bucks’ Hiram Garcia added. “Investing in the right stories with universal appeal is a huge priority for us at Seven Bucks, but more importantly, we want to share stories like Anthony’s that motivate the world.”

David Glasser, CEO of 101 Studios, said the company was “moved and inspired by Anthony’s triumphs on the mat, but—even more so—his triumphs of spirit and determination in his personal life. Unstoppable embodies the types of films that we want to bring to the screen: films that resonate universally because of their power to connect with audiences.”

The project will follow a fast track to production.