By Bel Hernandez Castillo

The nine minutes standing ovation of French director Jacques Audiard’s latest film Emilia Perez at the Cannes Film Festival is a tribute to the Audiard’s vision and the three leads Karla Sofia Gascòn, Zoe Saldaña, and Selena Gomez who not only act in Spanish, but also dance and sing – it is a musical after all.

Emilia Perez is a film about cartel drug kingpin Juan “Manitas” del Monte’s  gender transformation into an elegant Spanish lady. It deals with heady topics like drugs, violence and psychology issues and at the end of the day, what money can, or cannot buy.  Saldaña plays Rita Moro Castro, a lawyer who is tasked with handling the legal matters of Manitas’ big shift from cartel kingpin to the women he has always been.  Selena Gomez plays Manitas’ wife Jessi, who after all is said and done, rekindles a relationship with a shady character, Gustavo (Édgar Ramirez) which just might unravel Emilia’s carefully laid family arrangements.

Gascòn, like her character in the film, is Spanish and also a trans woman in real life. This is the first film she has starred in as an actress after announcing her transition in 2018. Before that, she had a long career as a male actor.

Jacques Audiard was inspired for the idea of the musical from a chapter in a novel he read during the pandemic about a drug trafficker who yearns to change his identity.

Saldaña in the role of the lawyer gets to go back to one of her first artistic art forms of expression, dance. She has several dance numbers she performs in Emilia Perez as well as singing a couple of songs.  As for acting in Spanish, she is she is fluent. Although born in Passaic, New Jersey, when she was 10 years old her family moved back to the Dominican Republic for seven years.

Gomez, on the other hand told Vanity Fair in a recent interview, that the “Scariest thing was speaking in Spanish, for sure,” but what she ended up realizing, while singing in Spanish in the film, is that she sings better in Spanish than speaking it.

Audiard (winner of the Palme d’Or with Dheepan in 2015) started writing the film during the pandemic, after being inspired from a chapter in a novel about a drug trafficker who yearns to change his identity. The film has emerged as one of Cannes 2024’s biggest hits among critics and audiences alike.

Emilia Perez takes place in Mexico but was filmed mostly in France with a few location shoots in Mexico.  The film is set to release August 28, 2024

The post Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez and Karla Sofia Gascòn in ‘Emilia Perez’ Take Cannes by Storm first appeared on .

A Florida Drama With Moral Dilemmas 

Edgar Ramirez is making his mark on Netflix. The billion-dollar streaming site has ordered the new series Florida Man, created by Donald Todd and starring Ramirez.  

The eight-episode series, described in the same vein as Body Heat and Elmore Leonard’s Out of Sight, revolves around a struggling ex-cop who returns to his home state of Florida to find a Philly mobster’s runaway girlfriend. His gig becomes a spiraling journey into buried family secrets and moral dilemmas about wrong and right.

Ramirez currently stars in Netflix’s Yes Day alongside Jenna Ortega and Jennifer Garner. The Venezuelan actor recently starred in HBO’s The Undoing as detective Joe Mendoza. His upcoming credits include Borderlands by Eli Roth and Disney’s Jungle Cruise where he’ll join stars Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt. The actor has also joined Universal’s spy thriller 355. He has been nominated for the Golden Globe twice for his performances in Carlos and American Crime Story. Todd, who will serve as an exec-producer and showrunner of the hour-long drama, is known for creating the Christina Applegate comedy series Samatha Who? for ABC. He has won a Writers Guild Award for his work on Ugly Betty and has been nominated for an Emmy, Writers Guild Award and Golden Globe for This Is Us.

Jason Bateman and Michael Costigan are exec-producing for Aggregate under their first-look deal at the streaming service.

A New, Modern Fantasy Island

Roselyn Sanchez is set to star in Fox’s update of Fantasy Island.

The straight-to-series drama is a modern update of the former ABC entry that takes place at a luxury resort where literally any fantasy requested by guests is fulfilled, though it always comes with a twist. Each episode will tell emotional, provocative stories about people who arrive with dreams and desires and depart enlightened and transformed through the magical realism of Fantasy Island.

The Grand Hotel and Devious Maids alum will play a descendant of Ricardo Montalban‘s Mr. Roarke. Sanchez’s Elena Roarke is described as a woman who set aside her own ambitions and the love of her life to uphold her family’s legacy. Sophisticated, insightful and always charming, Elena’s calm exterior masks the challenges of the responsibilities she has assumed as a steward of this mysterious island.

Sanchez toplines a cast that also includes John Gabriel Rodriquez (Rosewood) as pilot Javier, who also is the head of island transportation and a jack of all trades, and Kiara Barnes (The Bold and the Beautiful) as Ruby Okoro, a young woman with an old soul who arrives on Fantasy Island with a terminal illness and is given a new lease on life there.

The Puerto Rican actress’s film credits include Rush Hour 2, Boat Trip, The Game Plan and Act of Valor. Sanchez is also known as a singer-songwriter and was nominated for a Latin Grammy for her single “Amor Amor” in 2003. She first grew to international fame after she won the title of Miss American Petite in 1993. 

Production on the new Fantasy Island is already underway in Puerto Rico. The new take is exec produced by Liz Craft and Sarah Fain (The Shield). Sony Pictures TV, Gemstone Studios and Fox Entertainment are the studios on the co-production.

All seven seasons of the original Fantasy Island and the late ’90s reboot are available on Fox’s free-streaming platform Tubi, allowing viewers to familiarize themselves with the predecessor before the new series airs on August 10.

Sanchez is repped by APA, Alchemy Entertainment and Hirsch Wallerstein. 

Another Showrunner Joins Popular HBO Series

Natalie Chaidez is boarding the extended HBO Max drama The Flight Attendant. 

Chaidez will serve as co-showrunner alongside Steve Yockey for the second season of the drama series starring Kaley Cuoco. The Flight Attendant was initially intended to be only a limited series but it was expanded due to its popularity.

Natalie Chaidez, who was previously exec producer of USA Network’s Queen of the South, is joining the series as co-showrunner alongside Steve Yockey for its second season.

She will exec produce alongside showrunner Yockey, Cuoco, Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter. 

There are other changes. Meredith Lavender and Marcie Ulin, who were co-showrunners of season one, will depart.

The series, based on the book of the same name by author Chris Bohjalian, centers on alcoholic, globe-trotting flight attendant Cassie Bowen (Cuoco) who get caught in the middle of an espionage plot following her affair with a first-class passenger that winds up murdered after their night together.

The series has rated relatively highly amongst critics holding a 7.1 score on IMDb and 98 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

The series also stars Michiel Huisman, Rosie Perez, Zosia Mamet, Michelle Gomez, T.R. Knight, Colin Woodell, Merle Dandridge, Griffin Matthews and Nolan Gerard Funk.

It is produced by Warner Bros. Television, Cuoco’s Yes, Norman Productions, and Berlanti Productions. Norman’s Suzanne McCormack is co-executive producer.

Chaidez is a veteran creator, executive producer and showrunner who works in both television and features. She exec produced and wrote Queen of the South, created and executive produced Syfy drama Hunters and wrote and produced series including 12 Monkeys, In Plain Sight, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Heroes.

The L.A. native is of Mexican descent and a graduate of the University of California Los Angeles’ School of Theater, Film and Television. 

She recently signed with CAA for representation in all areas and continues to be represented by Susan Solomon at Circle of Confusion.

The post Spotlight: Edgar Ramirez, Roselyn Sanchez and Natalie Chaidez first appeared on .

By Justina Bonilla

Edgar Ramirez has joined the all-star cast of the upcoming film adaption of one of the world’s most popular video games franchises Borderlands.

Ramirez will play Atlas, a weapons manufacturing business titan and is regarded as the universe’s most powerful person. Among the cast of impressive talent alongside Ramirez include Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jack Black and Jamie Lee Curtis. Borderlands will be directed by Eli Roth and written by two-time Emmy-winning screenwriter Craig Mazin.

Among his diverse acting resume, Ramirez is known for his roles in the 2015 remake of Point Break, Gold, and The Undoing. He gained critical acclaim for his portrayal of the iconic fashion designer Gianni Versace in the mini-series American Crime Story. He also recently starred opposite Jennifer Garner in Miguel Arteta’s Yes Day.

“What an incredible honor to have an actor of Edgar’s caliber, talent, and charisma playing opposite Cate Blanchett and this remarkable cast,” Roth shared with Deadline in a statement. “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.”

Part of this highly talented cast is the young up-and-coming talent Ariana Greenblatt. Greenblatt is best known for her role in the Disney TV series Stuck in the Middle from 2016-2018. Among her film credits include Avengers: Infinity War and the upcoming musical In the Heights.

“Ariana is a spectacular new talent in cinema,” Roth also shared in a previous statement with Deadline. “She has already worked with many of my close collaborators, and everyone raves about her. She blew us all away in her audition, and I cannot wait to see her bring the wild, insane and unpredictable Tiny Tina to the big screen. She’s going to blow up on screen like one of Tina’s grenades.”

Lionsgate’s synopsis for Borderlands reads as follows:

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 (Florian Munteanu), Tina’s musclebound, rhetorically challenged protector; Tannis (Curtis), the scientist with a tenuous grip on sanity; and Claptrap (Black), a persistent 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.”

The Borderlands franchise is an action shooter video game with four main games and several expansions. It has internationally sold over 68 million units. The franchise is available for gaming consuls and PCs as a single-player or multiplayer. As a “Vault Hunter,” your goal within Borderlands is to plow your way through an array of enemies as you collect unique weapons to reach a highly prized Vault. Its biggest appeal is the wildly flamboyant characters, from enemies to unlikely allies.

Borderlands started filming on April 1, 2021, in Budapest, Hungary. Lionsgate has announced no official release date.

The post Edgar Ramirez Joins Cast of Lionsgate’s ‘Borderlands’ first appeared on .

By Bel Hernandez

Jenna Ortega, who first came to the attentions of audiences when she played the young Jane in the CW’s hit series Jane the Virgin, has been cast as the lead in the high-school feature drama The Fallout to air on Netflix. According to Deadline, the news was announced at the European Film Market (EFM) by Clear Horizon.

Actress Megan Park (What If) will direct, with David Brown and Giulia Prenna producing for Clear Horizon, and Joannie Burstein and Rebecca Miller producing for The Burstein Company.

Ortega will play Vada who is dealing with the trauma of witnessing a high school tragedy, making her whole outlook on life shift.

Ortega who got her star on TV has been making the jump into films and it seems to be a good career mover. She recently filmed Yes Day, directed by Miguel Arteta, in which Jennifer Garner and Edgar Ramirez play her parents who try to make it through an entire day by only saying, “yes”. to their children’s requests. She also stars opposite Bella Thorne in The Babysitter 2 a horror-comedy directed by Dan Lagana.

Jenna Ortega is represented by CAA and Baker Winokur Ryder PR

The post Jenna Ortega Lands Starring Role In The Feature “The Fallout” first appeared on .

Hola mi Gente! Well, let’s get down to business and talk about some major casting announcements currently trending.

The Latest:

Gina Rodriguez will be playing the title role as the scrappy, headstrong young lawyer who lands a career-making case with an upper-crust law firm, in the HBO Max feature film Bobbie Sue. Charles Stone III will direct from a script written by Owen Egerton and Dana Fox.

Rodriguez, who just in July wrapped her run on Jane the Virgin after shooting 100 episodes, has been keeping quite busy. In addition, to having wrapped two acting roles on two films, Awake and Kajillionaire, she is currently in pre-production on her CBS comedy web television series, Diary of a Female President, created by Ilana Peña. The series about a young Cuban-American girl who embarks on a journey to become the future president of the United States. is being produced under Gina’s own production company I Can And I Will, and is set to premiere on Disney+ in 2020. Rodriguez will be directing and also recurring in the series as the President of the United States. She will be the first Latina to play the POTUS!

And let’s not forget that Gina will be producing the live-action Carmen Sandiego feature film also under her production shingle.

In addition to these projects here are a few more on slate:

Femme: A TV drama about four young women from different walks of life who meet online in a secret feminist social media group and become unlikely friends and strong allies. Being developed for the CW.

Have Mercy:A TV drama written by Dailyn Rodriguez (Queen of the South, Ugly Betty, Night Shift) an hourlong series about a Latina doctor who is unable to practice once she moves to Miami, demoted to nurse she starts an illegal practice out of her home.

Illegal: A TV series written by Rafael Agustin (Jane the Virgin) based on his own undocumented status and set up at the CW. It will feature the first undocumented family on TV!

Edgar Ramirez Stars Opposite Jennifer Garner in Yes Day

The man who wowed as Gianni Versace in FX’s The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, Edgar Ramirez (Hands of Stone, Point Break) will now be playing Jennifer Garner’s husband on Netflix’s Yes Day. Playing their children will be Jenna Ortega (Elena de Avalor, Jane the Virgin), Julian Lerner (Happy), and Every Carganilla (The Haunted Man)
The film will be directed by Miguel Arteta (Like a Boss, Beatriz at Dinner) and produced by Jennifer Garner.

Based on a children’s book by Tom Lichenheld and Amy Krouse Rosenthal, the story is a fun idea where the parents (Ramirez and Garner) attempt to make it through an entire day by only saying, “yes” to their children’s requests. Garner, Lawrence Grey, Ben Everard, Nicole King, Adam Marshall, Mark Moran and Daniel Rappaport. Entertainment 360 and Grey Matter Productions are also producing

In The Pipeline – Like a Boss

Director Miguel Arteta’s upcoming Like a Boss, is the second film working with Salma Hayek is set to premiere in January 2020.

Starring Salma Hayak, Tiffany Haddish and Rose Byrne in a story about two female friends with very different ideals who decide to start a beauty company together. One is more practical, while the other wants to earn her fortune and live a lavish lifestyle. It sounds like a fun film.!

Based on a story by Danielle Sanchez-Witzel and written by Adam Cole Kelly and Sam Pitman. “The world of beauty is about to get ugly” you all!

And that is it for now! Follow me on Instagram @BelsCOOList

The post Gina Rodriguez Is Scrappy in “Bobbie Sue”; Edgar Ramirez On “Yes Day” first appeared on .

By Luis Reyes

Jimmy Smits’ New  NBC series Bluff City Law for Sept, 2019

Jimmy Smits new legal drama Bluff City Law has been picked up as a continuing series for Monday nights 10: P.M. on the NBC network 2019 Fall Schedule. Bluff City Law stars Smits as Elijah Strait and Sydney Keller (Caitlin McGee) as a Memphis Tennessee father-daughter legal team who take on explosive civil rights cases that are as explosive as their own volatile relationship. Dean Georgaris (The Brave) serves as Executive producer along with Michael Aquilar (Constantine) and David Janollan (Six Feet Under, Midnight). The series pilot was directed by Jessica Yu (Grey’s Anatomy). Smits is repped by UTA, Brillstein Entertainment (Management), and Carol Marshall Public Relations. Follow drama series on social media: @NBCBluffCityLaw

Edgar Ramirez, Sebastian Stan in Exciting Spy Film, 355

Edgar Ramirez and Sebastian Stan (Avengers: Endgame) join Penelope Cruz, Lupita Nyongo and Jessica Chastain in the new spy action film 355, about a group of female spies who must bond together in order to stop an earthshaking event that will thrust the world into chaos and destruction. The film begins shooting in London, Paris, and Morocco this July and will be released by Universal Pictures. Ramirez recently starred in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story. Ramirez is repped by CAA and Impression Entertainment.  Stan is repped by ICM and Brookside Artist Management.

Rosa Salazar & Lauren Schacher Join Forces for The Bang Bang Girls Film

Rosa Salazar (Bird Box), who starred in Robert Rodriquez’s big budget Sci-Fi epic film Alita: Battle Angel, will star in and executive produces a new feature film comedy The Bang Bang Girls to be written and directed by Lauren Schacher making her directorial debut. The Bang Bang Girls is the story of a high school valedictorian and her two best friends who recruit their new chemistry teacher (Salazar) to form a secret after school sex education club. Salazar’s other credits include The Maze Runner franchise and the Divergent series: Insurgent. She will be seen next starring in the Amazon series Undone. Salazar is repped by Paradigm and Vanderkloof Law.

Documentary on Dolores Huerta wins Prestigious Peabody Awards

The Independent Lens PBS documentary Dolores, profiling 89-year-old living Mexican American activist Dolores Huerta won the Prestigious Peabody Award for documentaries. The critically acclaimed documentary Dolores is described in the event program as “an exhilarating portrait of activist and community organizer Dolores Huerta that serves as a timely reminder of the power of collective action in service of social justice.” The documentary was produced by legendary guitarist Carlos Santana and directed by Peter Bratt.  Huerta was present in New York at the awards ceremony to accept the award on May 18^th, 2019. 

The post Jimmy Smits “Bluff”, Edgar Ramirez Joins Spies, Rosa Salazar & “The Bang Bang Girls” first appeared on .