Esai Morales Takes Over; Wilmer Valderrama’s New Projects; John & Justine Leguizamo; Salma Hayek Fights Domestic Violence; Rosario Dawson and Maria Teresa Kumar Lead Voto Latino
Esai Morales is Mission: Impossible 7 Villain
Esai Morales has stepped in as the villain for Mission: Impossible 7 is set to start production late this summer. Originally actor Nicholas Hoult was cast as the villain. The movie was slated for release on July 23, 2021 but it fell victim to the COVID-19 crisis and now is set to release on November 19, 2021. The entire franchise, consisting of six movies has amassed over $3.57 billion for Paramount. Repped by Innovative, LINK, Vault Entertainment and Eric Feig, Morales recently completed a stint in How To Get Away With Murder. No doubt about it, this is a juicy role perfect for Morales in this film, which will also see Tom Cruise reprise his Ethan Hunt spy character.
Wilmer Valderrama Renews First-Look Deal With CBS TV Studios
Wilmer Valderrama who portrays Special Agent Nick Torres on NCIS has re-upped his first-look deal with CBS TV Studios. Great news for the NCIS actor who is a NCIS which has been renewed for the 18th season.
Under the first-look agreement, Valderrama has developed several series projects for CBS TV Studios through his WV Entertainment banner, including Hipster Death Rattle, a dark comedy based on the book by Richie Narvaez, with writer Rafael Agustin and Corinne Brinkerhoff; as well as the previously announced, The Turners, a half-hour single-camera autobiographical family doctors comedy from writer Naomi Ekperigin at ABC with Two Shakes Entertainment co-producing; and Patriots From the Barrio, a WWII drama about a Mexican-American unit, based on the book by Dave Gutierrez, from writer John Covarrubias.
John Leguizamo & Wife Justine Included In Bestseller Book
Photo: Jim Spellman
John Leguizamo is a chapter in Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue‘s book, 40 Celebrated Couples Share with Us the Secrets to a Happy Life (HarperCollings Publishers). Leguizamo’s chapter provides insight on how it’s been since he and his wife Justine got married in 2003.
“I’m thinking, Oh, my God, she cares about my feelings. She’s not saying, ‘You’re an asshole,’ or ‘You’re an idiot.’ She’s just listening to me and I just felt really heard,” Leguizamo says lovingly about his wife. Actor-writer-comedian Leguizamo may be a lot of things, spectacular on stage, film, or television, but his most important and cherished job is that of being husband to Justine and a father to their teenage children. It is a delight to read another side of the extremely private actor where he allows the public into his personal life and on what makes his marriage work.
Salma Hayek Launches “Stand With Women” Campaign
Oscar-nominated actress Salma Hayek launched a campaign on May 20, 2020 to combat violence against women under coronavirus lockdown measures, urging her millions of social media followers to “stand in solidarity with women.” The #StandWithWomen campaign will be run by fashion brand Gucci’s Chime For Change initiative founded by Hayek and singer Beyonce in 2013 and help fund organizations fighting domestic violence around the world. “We retreat into our homes to protect ourselves from the threat of COVID-19, but what if our home was a threat itself,” asked Hayek in a video shared to her nearly 15 million Instagram followers. “It is so important that we take a stand against gender-based violence… We can really achieve change if our voices come together and scream: No more.”
The Mexican-born Hayek was nominated for an Academy Award for her role in the 2002 movie, Frida. She is the latest celebrity to join the outcry about violence against women under lockdown with South African star Charlize Theron launching a similar campaign in April.
Rosario Dawson: Latino Voice & Vision For Voto Latino
A leading advocate to galvanize the Latino vote since 2004 when she launched Voto Latino at MTV studios in New York, Rosario Dawson has been relentless in her quest to inspire Latinos to vote. And on the 15th anniversary of Voto Latino, she knows that the 2020 presidential elections will need every Latino citizen to exercise their civic duty and vote.
Dawson enlisted the Maria Teresa Kumar to take the Voto Latino lead and mobilize voters. Years later, it is a match made in heaven. Recently, Dawson was interviewed by Hispanic Executive and asked what has been her fave Voto Latino moment, and she stated, “Being a part of advancing technology like voter registration through texting… and of course, all of this: Dreaming big, coalition building, commitment, focus, and determination can make a real impact. When we see and support each other there is nothing we cannot do.”