By Luis Reyes

By now we all know that ABC Television Network has renewed medical drama series The Good Doctor for a third season. The hit series stars Nicholas Gonzalez as Dr. Neil Melendez and Freddie Highmore as the lead character of Shaun Murphy. The Good Doctor is one of TV’s most highly rated shows. Gonzalez made his mark in his first series Showtime’s Resurrection Blvd.

Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story Latinx Casting

(Clockwise: Ariana DeBose, Andres Rivera,
David Alvarez & Rachel Zelgler)

The Steven Spielberg’s upcoming film adaptation of West Side Story has cast promising young Latinos in the principal roles.  Ariana DeBose who earned a Tony nomination for her most recent Broadway outing as Donna Summer in Summer: The Donna Summer Musical will play Anita; while David Alvarez who won a Tony for Billy Elliot and Hamilton tour alumni Andres Rivera will take on the roles of Bernardo and Chino. Newcomer Rachel Zegler, a 17 year old from New Jersey, who submitted a video of herself singing two classic songs from the movie, has won the coveted role of Maria after a nationwide search.  

Director Spielberg and casting director Cindy Tolan set out to find a cast that included members of both the Puerto Rican and larger Latinx communities (Debose and Rivera have Puerto Rican backgrounds. Alvarez and Zegler are Cuban and Columbian-American respectively). As previously announced the cast will also include Rita Moreno, who won an Oscar in 1962 for her performance as Anita in the film version of West Side Story. She will play Valentina, a new take on the show’s Doc, candy store owner. “I’m so happy that we have assembled a cast that reflects the astonishing depth of talent in America’s multifaceted Hispanic community.” said Spielberg in a statement.

1st Latina Oscar Nominated Producer

Roma Producer
Gabriela Rodriguez

Gabriela Rodriquez is the first Latina producer to be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar for her work on Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma which is an Oscar favorite at next week’s awards ceremony.

Netflix which financed the film Roma announced on February 12th that it will open offices in Mexico City where it is set to produce 50 TV shows and films over the next two years. And finally, Diego Luna will return for a second season of Narcos: Mexico.