By Ana Perez
Marc Anthony to Bring Music to ViacomCBS’ Gloria Wants to Know It All
Marc Anthony and Argentina’s Juan José Campanella (The Secret in Their Eyes) are partnering with ViacomCBS Intl. Studios (VIS) on the development of the animated series Gloria Wants to Know It All., created by Clara Curiel and Roberto Castro of Miami-based Lanugo Media.
Gloria Wants to Know It All follows Gloria, an eight-year-old alpaca from the big city. Vacationing at her grandmother’s house in Pueblo Lanugo, Gloria discovers that there’s a huge amount to learn.
a six-time Latin Grammy winner Anthony will serve as executive producer ina ddition to doing the music and serving as executive musical producer. Campanella is also an exec producer.
In the writers room are Doreen Spicer (Motown Magic), María Escobedo (Elena de Ávalor) and Diego Labat, a writer on Mundoloco’s Discovery Kids TV series Mini Beat Power Rockers.
Earlier this year when Gloria Wants to Know It All was first announced Anthony said that the series will be highlighting the “splendor and diversity of our Latino culture for children everywhere,”
Jencarlos Canela Joins Sony’s Man From Toronto
Actor-singer Jencarlos Canela (The Expanding Universe of Ashley Garcia, Telenovela) has joined the ensemble of the Sony Pictures’ action comedy Man From Toronto starring Kevin Hart (Jumanji: The Next Level, Night School)and Woody Harrelson (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri).
The film revolves around a case of mistaken identity after the world’s deadliest assassin, known as the “man from Toronto,” and a stranger, played by Hart, run into each other at an Airbnb. Chaos soon ensues as the assassin’s world comes crashing down on Hart.
Patrick Hughes (The Hitman’s Bodyguard) will direct the script by Robbie Fox and Chris Bremner. Jason Blumenthal producing along Todd Black and Steve Tisch.
The film is set to release in theaters in September 2021.
Eva Longoria Joins Cast of Sci-Fi Film For Universal
Eva Longoria will join Ice Cube in the untitled sci-fi movie for the studio. Patrick Aiello and Timur Bekmambetov are set to produce. Rich Lee will direct from a script by Kenneth Golde.
Plot details are minimal other than it being described as a “grounded sci-fi film in the vein of District 9,” but already touches on themes of privacy versus surveillance. Universal has the film going into production this month.
Universal landed the package last month and what really secured the film was the technology that Bekmambetov has been working on since signing his five-picture deal with the studio. The idea behind this format that was part of the presentation is a production that had the look of a commercial event film, but at the budget of a contained thriller. The technology will allow for a fully remote production with all actors and crew working from their individual separate locations.
The shoot would be a first of its kind at this scope and is not only done at a lower budget, but also provides a safe working environment during the COVID-19 pandemic.Longoria, who recently signed with WME, is also set to star in Flamin’ Hot for Searchlight, the recently announced Spa Day for Sony and 24/7 for Universal, which she will also direct.
Emily Tosta Joins Faith Based Film Tito: Peace of Heaven
Emily Tosta (Party of Five, Mayans M.C) is set to star in the faith based indie feature Tito: Peace Of Heaven. Andreina P. Aristeiguieta wrote the script and will direct.
Based on true events, the film is about friendship, forgiveness, a lesson of letting go and second chances. In the film, Emily plays the lead role of Amy, a rebellious teenage girl, who after a failed suicide attempt, meets Tito, a 3-year-old boy who fell into a coma after nearly drowning in a pool in the ICU of the hospital. Through a series of dreams and surreal interactions, Tito will become Amy’s inspiration to get her life back together and understand the true meaning of Life.
The 22-year-old actress will also take on the hat of first-time producer along with Emilia Tosta and Joel Seidl. Aristeiguieta will also produce the drama for Bad Nose Film Co and Galactica Producciones. The film will shoot on location in Mexico City.Tosta can next be seen starring opposite academy-award winning actor Nicolas Cage (Leaving Las Vegas, Mandy) in the independent feature Willy’s Wonderland a horror film written by G.O. Parsons and directed by Kevin Lewis.
Bella Thorne And Benjamin Mascolo To Star in Indie Film Time Is Up
Bella Thorne (Infamous, Midnight Sun) and boyfriend Benjamin Mascolo are set to star in the indie film Time Is Up. Elisa Amoruso will direct the film and also co-wrote the script with Lorenzo Ura and Patrizia Fiorellini.
The movie follows two high school seniors Vivien, played by Thorne, and Roy, played by Mascolo, who at first glance appear to be polar opposites. Vivien is a highly accomplished student, with a passion for physics and focused on getting into a prestigious American university.
She seems to live her own life as a mathematical formula that drives her to look at her own happiness as something to be postponed into the future. Roy, on the other hand, is a troubled and problematic young man who, due to a trauma suffered as a child, sees his desires continually hindered by a past that seems to constantly haunt him. However, mathematics too has its variables and, as always happens, life manages to weave events together in increasingly surprising and unexpected ways. An accident will force the pair to come to a stop and reclaim their lives, one minute at the time, and finally start living in a present that perhaps will prove to be more exciting than any predefined.
Marco Belardi will produce with Lotus Production a Leone Film Group Company Rai Cinema. The film will shoot on location in Rome, Italy and the US.
Thorne can next be seen in lead roles in the indie features, Girl and Chick Fight that are both opening next month. Mascolo is a multi-platinum musician and this film marks his acting debut.
Rosario Dawson Joins Hulu’s Opioid Crisis Drama Dopesick
Rosario Dawson (Daredevil, Briarpatch) has joined the cast of Hulu’s upcoming Dopesick adaptation as a series regular, the streamer announced Thursday. The eight-episode limited series is based on the New York Times bestselling novel of the same name by Beth Macy.
The cast includes Michael Keaton (Spider-Man: Homecoming, The Founder), Peter Sarsgaard (Orphan, Green Lantern), Kaitlyn Dever (Booksmart, Last Man Standing), Will Poulter (Midsommar, The Revenant), John Hoogenakker (Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan), Phillipa Soo (Hamilton, Moana) and Jake McDorman (Shameless).
Dawson will play Bridget Meyer, a “tough DEA agent who fights to curtail the use of OxyContin.”
The drama is described as “an ambitious, harrowing, and compelling look into the epicenter of America’s struggle with opioid addiction.” It will tell the story of the opioid crisis through a Virginia mining community, the hallways of the DEA and the luxurios Big Pharma Manhattan.Touchstone Television’s Dopesick is written by Empire co-creator Danny Strong and will be directed by Barry Levinson (Rain Man). Executive producers include John Goldwyn, Warren Littlefield, Beth Macy and Karen Rosenfelt.