Tag Archives: Disney

Belissa Escobedo to Star in Reba McEntire’s Still-Untitled NBC Comedy Pilot

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Belissa Escobedo has lined up her next project…

The 25-year-old Latina actress and Blue Beetle star has been cast in Reba McEntire in her as-yet-untitled NBC multi-cam comedy pilot.

Belissa Escobedo,The project is produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group.

The pilot follows Bobbie (McEntire) who inherits her father’s restaurant and is less than thrilled to discover that she has a new business partner in the half-sister she never knew she had.

Escobedo stars as Bobbie’s sister Isabella, an enthusiastic 20-something, who has studied psychology and loves to analyze people. She is thrilled to start working at the tavern and is full of “great” ideas about how to bring it to life.

Escobedo’s star continues to rise following two major roles in DC Entertainment/Warner Bros’ Blue Beetle, where he portrayed the titular character’s (played by Xolo Maridueña) sister Milagro, and Disney’s Hocus Pocus 2 where she popped off the screen—no easy task when you’re starring opposite Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy, who returned as the Sanderson sisters.

Additional credits include the ABC dramedy The Baker And The Beauty alongside Carlos Gomez, Lisa Vidal and Victor Rasuk; Ryan Murphy’s FX anthology series American Horror Stories, the Catherine Hardwicke-directed Quibi limited series Don’t Look Deeper and the American High films Sex Appeal (Hulu) and Sid Is Dead.

Pedro Pascal to Star as Mr. Fantastic/Reed Richards in Marvel Studios’ “The Fantastic Four” Reboot

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Pedro Pascal is preparing for a fantastic project…

Marvel Studios has revealed the cast of its new film The Fantastic Four, with the 48-year-old Chilean actor among those set to star in the reboot.

Pedro PascalPascal will play Reed Richards (aka Mr. Fantastic).

His cast mates will include Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm (aka the Invisible Woman), Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm (aka the Human Torch) and Ebon Moss-Bachrach is Ben Grimm (aka the Thing). The news was made official on Instagram.

WandaVision helmer Matt Shakman is directing Fantastic Four off a script by Josh Friedman, Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer.

Disney is swapping Fantastic Four and Thunderbolts release dates in 2025: The latter will now kick off summer on May 2, while Fantastic Four will open July 25.

Created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee in 1961, The Fantastic Four is a family of astronauts who after being exposed to cosmic rays during a space mission gain superhero powers. Thing (Ben Grimm) is actually a former college football star, Reed’s college roommate and a skilled pilot.

The film is a major reboot by the Kevin Feige-led Marvel after Disney absorbed the 20th Century Fox Marvel assets, one of those IPs being Fantastic Four. 

That studio made two films in 2005 and 2007, Fantastic Four and Fantastic Four: Rise of Silver Surfer, which combined grossed more than $635 million at the global box office.

A 2015 reboot by Josh Trank crashed, making just $167.8M worldwide.

Selena Gomez to Executive Produce & Guest Star in Disney’s “Wizards of Waverly Place” Sequel

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Selena Gomez is heading back to the place it all started…

One of Disney’s signature comedies, Wizards of Waverly Place, which helped turn the 31-year-old Mexican American actress/singer into a household name, is getting a sequel.

Selena GomezDisney Branded Television has ordered a pilot for the follow-up, which is executive produced by original stars Gomez and her small screen sibling David Henrie.

Gomez will guest star in the pilot for Disney Channel as the character that helped launch her career, Alex Russo, with Henrie reprising the role of Justin Russo as a series regular.

They’ll be joined by new cast members Janice LeAnn Brown, Alkaio Thiele and Mimi Gianopulos.

The revival pilot comes from writers and executive producers Jed Elinoff and Scott Thomas who are behind another Disney Channel comedy spinoff, Raven’s Home.

It picks up after a mysterious incident at WizTech, where an adult Justin Russo has left his wizard powers behind, opting for a normal, human life with his wife and two sons. But he gets a surprise when a powerful young wizard in need of training shows up at his door… and Justin must embrace his past to ensure the future of the Wizard World.

The powerful young wizard Billie, whom Justin takes under his wing, will be portrayed by series lead Brown. Thiele will play Roman Russo, Justin’s oldest son; Gianopulos will play Justin’s wife, Giada.

In addition to Gomez, Henrie, Elinoff and Thomas, Gary Marsh and Andy Fickman will also executive produce, with Fickman directing.

Marsh was the former longtime top Disney Channel creative executive who was the driving force behind Wizards of Waverly Place and was instrumental in getting Gomez on the network after she was discovered during an open casting call in Dallas.

Created by Todd J. Greenwald, the original series, which ran from 2007-2012, followed the Russo family, where three siblings navigated the challenges of adolescence while mastering their magical abilities. The cast also included Jake T. Austin, Jennifer Stone, Maria Canals-Barrera and David DeLuise, all of whom (minus Henrie), reunited for the TV special The Wizards Return: Alex Vs. Alex in 2013.

The pilot order caps years of online chatter about a potential Wizards Of Waverly Place revival or reboot. It also fits into Disney Branded Television’s strategy of beefing up Disney Channel’s lineup of multi-camera sitcoms.

Gomez is currently in the Disney family as a star and executive producer of the hit Hulu/20th Television comedy series Only Murders In the Building.

Selena Gomez Hints at Retiring from Music

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Selena Gomez may be retiring from music in the near future…

The 31-year-old Mexican American singer/actress shared on the on the latest episode of SmartLess, the podcast hosted by Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Sean Hayes, that she’d like to focus on only one aspect of her career.

Selena Gomez“I started having a lot of fun with music and then touring was really fun. But I was doing my TV show at the same time [Wizards of Waverly Place] and I just found it really fun so I just kept going but the older I get, the more I’m kind of like, I would like to find something to just settle on,” she explained.

The Only Murders in the Building actress added that she’d like to focus on her acting career, sharing, “I do feel like I have one more album in me but I would probably choose acting.”

Gomez recalled that she got into singing after snagging the lead role on her Disney Channel series Wizards of Waverly Place.

“Disney is, it’s safe to say, a machine and, in a way, forcefully require that I know how to sing so I could sing the theme song [of a show]. They know how to package someone and make it a whole triple threat thing,” she said.

After she recorded the theme song for Wizards of Waverly Place, Disney asked if Gomez would like to record an album, which she “thought it would be fun.”

She added, “I wanted to be an actress, I never really intended on being a singer full-time but apparently that hobby turned into something else.”

Gomez’s acting career is skyrocketing even more lately, as her role in Hulu’s Only Murders has snagged her two Golden Globes nominations in 2023 and 2024 for best performance by an actress in a television series – musical or comedy.

Jared Leto’s Thirty Seconds to Mars to Perform During “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2024”

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Jared Leto will be rockin’ into the New Year…

The 51-year-old part-Spanish American actor/singer’s rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars has been announced as part of the lineup for Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2024.

Jared Leto, Shannon Leto, Thirty Seconds to MarsLeto and his brother Shannon’s Thirty Seconds to Mars joins a lineup that includes Aqua, Doechii, Ellie Goulding, Green Day, Janelle Monáe, Loud Luxury x Two Friends with Bebe Rexha, Ludacris, Nile Rodgers & CHIC, Paul Russell and Reneé Rapp with Coco Jones.

Jeannie Mai and Rita Ora join Seacrest as new co-hosts for the upcoming 52nd edition of the venerable holiday telecast. While Mai will emcee the Hollywood party in the Pacific Time zone, Ora will be live in Times Square.

Ringing in the new year at midnight in the Atlantic Time zone (11pm ET), New Year’s Rockin’ Eve will once again feature a Spanish language countdown with Dayanara Torres returning as co-host from Puerto Rico’s Convention Center.

Eliminated from the lineup is the Central Time zone countdown from New Orleans, which had been part of the show since 2017. (Last year, Rockin’ Eve also added a Disneyland location to kick off Disney’s 100th anniversary celebration, which is not coming back.)

The changes come in Rockin’ Eve’s first year under new ownership at DCP, which was acquired in January by Penske Media Eldridge. The annual program was recently renewed through January 1, 2029.

The No. 1 New Year’s Eve special for over 30 years, Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2023 drew 13.8 million total viewers and averaged 4.1/29 among adults 18-49 last year. It peaked at 17.9 million viewers and a 5.3 18-49 rating in the midnight quarter-hour.

Airing December 31, live on ABC at 8:00 PM EST, Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2024 will feature more than 5 1⁄2 hours of music performances, guests and a look at New Year’s celebrations around the globe.

ABC to Air Season 1 of Selena Gomez’s Hulu Original Comedy Series “Only Murders in the Building” in January

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Selena Gomez is bringing a little murder to ABC…

The network will air season 1 of the Hulu Original comedy series Only Murders in the Building, starring the 31-year-old Mexican American actress/singer, beginning in January.

Hulu Renews Selena Gomez's "Only Murders in the Building" for Second SeasonGomez’s acclaimed series will follow Celebrity Jeopardy, which is moving to Tuesday nights from its original Wednesday slot.

The first three episodes of Only Murders in the Building, starring Steve Martin, Martin Short and Gomez, will start at 9:00 pm on Tuesday, January 2, following a new semifinal episode of Celebrity Jeopardy! at 8:00.

ABC had been eyeing a primetime run for Only Murders in the Building this season while the network’s original scripted series have been delayed by Hollywood’s dual strikes.

The hit comedy, which is nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series at next year’s Emmy Awards, is produced by ABC sibling 20th Television for Hulu, which ABC and 20th Television parent Disney is becoming a full owner of after recently announcing that it was acquiring Comcast’s stake.

From co-creators and writers Martin and John Hoffman (Grace & Frankie, Looking), the first season of Only Murders in the Building follows three strangers (Martin, Short and Gomez) who share an obsession with true crime and suddenly find themselves wrapped up in one. When a grisly death occurs inside their exclusive Upper West Side apartment building, the trio suspects murder and employs their precise knowledge of true crime to investigate the truth. As they record a podcast of their own to document the case, the three unravel the complex secrets of the building, which stretch back years. Perhaps even more explosive are the lies they tell one another. Soon, the endangered trio comes to realize a killer might be living amongst them as they race to decipher the mounting clues before it’s too late.

Recently renewed for a fourth season, Only Murders in the Building is the most-viewed Hulu Original comedy series ever, according to the streamer.

Martin and Hoffman executive produce along with Short, Gomez, Jamie Babbit, This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman and Jess Rosenthal. The series is produced by 20th Television, a part of Disney Television Studios.

Here’s the schedule for the 10-episode Season 1 of Only Murders in the Building (all times Eastern/Pacific):

9-11 p.m. Tuesday, January 2: Episodes 1-3
9-11 p.m. Tuesday, January 9: Episodes 4-6
9-11 p.m. Tuesday, January 16: Episodes 7-9
9-11 p.m. Tuesday, January 23: Episode 10

Stephanie Beatriz to Star in the Sci-Fi Series “The Disco Ball”

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Stephanie Beatriz is heading to the disco…

The 42-year-old Colombian-Bolivian Argentine actress will star in the sci-fi series The Disco Ball.

Stephanie BeatrizBeatriz will star opposite Costa Ronin in the series from online storytelling platform StoryCo, with Halo showrunner Kyle Killen attached.

In the sci-fi-series, Beatriz will play Captain Alma Cooke, who leads a team of astronauts thrust into a journey to save the multiverse. Ronin also stars, with Lionel Boyce, Baron Ryan and Teddy Sears in supporting roles.

The first chapter launches today as the debut project on StoryCo, a collaborative online platform that allows creatives to create multimedia stories and build communities around them.

A multi-chapter arc will unfold over the next several months, with creators from around the world collaborating with Killen and others to expand and build on the story.

The Disco Ball will be produced through in part through ‘Co/Create’ initiatives, where artists, musicians, actors, producers, writers and other creatives are invited to key elements of the story alongside the core team. That work is integrated into the main narrative and rewarded with upfront compensation and a share of future profits through StoryCo’s ‘Profit Points’ system, which rewards meaningful contributions.

So far, the backstory of the antagonist was illustrated by Nigerian art student Okereafor Aanu, a supplementary character was developed by New York high school teacher Aaron Arm, a voice performance is provided by retired Disney Imagineer staffer Roy Berglund and a song that will feature in a later chapter comes from Arizona synth pop duo Fuzzle.

Killen is the writer. He’s known for creating Fox’s Lone Star, NBC’s Awake and ABC’s Mind Games during the 2010s. He also co-wrote the Jodie Foster-directed 2011 film The Beaver and Kevin and Michael Goetz’s Scenic Route.

More recently, he was showrunner and executive producer on Paramount+ sci-fi series Halo, and created Fox pilot The Last Police, which was passed over last year as we revealed at the time. Next year, he’s set to be showrunner on Netflix’s Man on Fire.

“The Disco Ball represents a new way to engage with fictional characters and worlds,” said Killen. “It’s an experience that leans into modern technology and all the powerful ways in which it can seamlessly aid global community, human connection, and the sharing of ideas.”

Beatriz is best known for her work on television in Brooklyn Nine-Nine. She has also starred in Twisted Metal and the Disney film Encanto.

Carlos Saldanha’s Disney Comedy Series “How to be a Carioca” to Screen at Iberseries & Platino Industria

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Carlos Saldanha’s latest project will get its first screening next month.

The 58-year-old Brazilian animator, director, producer and voice actor’s Disney comedy series How to be a Carioca will screen for the first time at the Iberseries & Platino Industria event in October.

Carlos SaldanhaThe first episode of the Star Original Productions-badged comedy will play at the fest, which is held in Madrid.

Saldanha and co-creator Joana Mariani will feature on a panel for the show alongside Leonardo Aranguibel, VP of Production, Head of Production Operations and Strategy, The Walt Disney Company Latin America.

The Portuguese-language comedy series follows an American writer who has to learn the quirks of Rio de Janeiro’s people after moving to the city. It stars the likes of Seu Jorge and Douglas Silva, and marks one of the first live-action Brazilian series the Oscar-nominated Saldanha has made in some years. He’s known for directing two of the Ice Age and Rio movies and picked up an Academy Award nom for 2017’s Ferdinand.

The show is set to launch on Star+ in Latin America and Disney+’s streaming services, including Disney+ worldwide.

How to be a Carioca follows an American writer who has to learn the quirks of Rio de Janeiro’s people after moving to the Brazilian city. Saldanha is creating the show with Mariani and Diogo Dhal with scriptwriters Rodrigo Nogueira, Sabrina Rosa and Felipe Scholl. Moovie is producing.

The series will screen as part of the Chapter One strand of Iberseries.

Disney+ to Begin Streaming Rosario Dawson’s “Haunted Mansion” in October

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Rosario Dawson’s latest film will be bringing the fright to Disney+ soon.

Haunted Mansion, starring the 44-year-old Puerto Rican and Cuban American actress and activist, will begin streaming on Disney+ on October 4.

Rosario Dawson, Haunted MansionThe feature, inspired by the famed theme park ride at Disneyland, Magic Kingdom and Tokyo Disneyland, opened in theaters on July 28.

Directed by Justin Simien and penned by Katie Dippold, the film tells the story of a woman (Dawson) and her son who enlist a motley crew of so-called spiritual experts to help them rid their home of supernatural squatters.

In addition to Dawson, the cast includes LaKeith Stanfield, Tiffany Haddish, Owen Wilson, Danny DeVito, Chase W. Dillon and Daniel Levy, with Jamie Lee Curtis and Jared Leto as The Hatbox Ghost.

The film also will be available at digital retailers on October 4, including Prime Video, Apple TV and Vudu.

Disney+ to Release CNCO’s Original Fiction Miniseries “4Ever” in October

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CNCO may have disbanded as a group, but the members are planning on forever…

The highly-awaited series from Disney+ featuring the members of the Latin boy band has a release date.

CNCOThis week, CNCO unveiled new details on 4 Ever, Disney’s upcoming original fiction miniseries where Christopher Vélez, Richard Camacho, Zabdiel De Jesús and Erick Brian Colón make their acting debut.

“Ian, Andy, Dario, and Ciro. Four voices, one same destiny,” reads the Instagram caption.

The five-episode miniseries that’s produced by Tolmur and Bourke and directed by Nuno Gomes will air October 11 on Disney+. 

4 Ever will follow the story of four musicians who are on their way to becoming a popular band in Miami’s music scene, and will include three original songs performed by CNCO and three covers of well-known ballads.