María Gabriela de Faría to Star as The Engineer in James Gunn’s “Superman: Legacy”

Posted on November 15, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

María Gabriela de Faría is enhancing her legacy…

The 31-year-old Venezuelan actress and singer has landed a breakout part, joining the cast of James Gunn’s Superman: Legacy.

de Faria, best known for roles in Fox comedies Animal Control and The Moodys, will portray Angela Spica aka The Engineer. Part of the Warner/DC flick’s villain team, Angie’s powers stem from nanotechnology built into her body. Created by Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch, she’s the second DC character to bear the name of The Engineer and was first introduced in The Authority vol.1 #1 in 1999.

The first title in a revamped DC slate, marking Gunn’s first directorial effort as co-head of DC Studios, Superman: Legacy will follow Superman as he looks to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing. He is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way, guided by human kindness in a world that sees kindness as old-fashioned.

Others in the ensemble, as previously announced, include David Corenswet as Clark Kent/Superman, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner/Green Lantern, Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific, and Anthony Carrigan as Rex Mason/Metamorpho.

In a recent post on Threads, Gunn confirmed that the film will retain its release date of July 11, 2025, even after the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, which have forced many other titles to push.

Gunn directs from his own script, drawing on characters created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. DC Studios co-boss produces.

de Faría is best known on the feature side for a lead role in Lionsgate’s The Exorcism of God, a supernatural horror pic co-written and directed by Alejandro Hidalgo, which was released through Saban Films after world premiering at Fantastic Fest.

Prior to the Joel McHale-led Animal Control, which has been renewed for a second season, the actress was seen opposite Denis Leary and Elizabeth Perkins on dysfunctional family comedy The Moodys.

The rising talent found her first meaty TV role stateside on Deadly Class, Syfy’s show based on the same-name Image Comics series, from executive producers Joe and Anthony Russo.

Alberto Ferreras’ “B as in Beauty” Being Developed as a Television Series

Posted on April 3, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Alberto Ferreras’ first novel is getting the small screen treatment…

The Spanish/Venezuelan writer and director’s novel B as in Beauty is being developed as a television series from writers Manuel Figueroa and Jordan Heimer after Concord Originals partnered with Marsh Entertainment and Telemundo Streaming Studios.

At this time, no broadcaster is attached.

The bilingual dramedy will follow Bella “B” Zavala, whose personal life, career and relationships are at best a mess. That is until she meets a mysterious and unique woman who offers her a moonlighting job as an emotional companion. Through the unexpected adventures she faces with her eccentric new clients, Bella’s own notions of beauty, love and self-worth will never be the same.

B as in Beauty won the International Latino Book Award for Best English Popular Fiction in 2009. It was also chosen by Siempre Mujer magazine as the Best Novel of the Year after its release.

Figueroa and Heimer previously developed drama series The Three Joaquins at ABC. The duo served as executive story editors on Starz’s Step Up: High Water and developed Eastside at NBC with Ruben Fleisher’s The District and previously staffed on ABC’s Stumptown and Syfy’s Defiance.

Concord Originals is the television and film division of the company that owns music catalogs such as Creedence Clearwater Revival and Otis Redding and musicals from Rodgers & Hammerstein and Tennessee Williams.

“The magic of B as in Beauty is in B’s ability to look inward and redefine her personal power. It’s our hope that this character and the path that she finds herself on will touch hearts all over the world because B’s journey is global in nature,” said Marsh.

“This project represents the culmination of our key objectives – giving existing IP new life in another format and championing filmmakers as they create content for underserved audiences,” said Concord Originals’ Sophia Dilley. “We know Sherry and our friends at Telemundo share this vision, making them the perfect partners to bring Alberto’s whip smart B to life on screen.”

“Telemundo Streaming Studios’ core mission is to tell stories that inspire connection while elevating Hispanic voices and representing them authentically on the screen. We are committed to representing diverse perspectives in front of and behind the camera and are excited to partner with Marsh Entertainment and Concord Originals who share in our values. We are confident audiences will identify with Bella’s universal story about self-love,” added Ponce, SVP and GM of Telemundo Streaming Studios.

Natalie Chaidez Signs Exclusive, Multi-Year Deal with Warner Bros. Television

Posted on April 5, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Natalie Chaidez has been warn(er)ed.

The Latina television writer and producer has signed an exclusive, multi-year deal with Warner Bros. Television.

As part of the deal, she’ll develop and create original programming via WBTV for all platforms.

The news comes ahead of HBO Max’s Season 2 premiere of The Flight Attendant on April 21, marking Chaidez’s debut as series executive producer and co-showrunner alongside Steve Yockey.

Chaidez is a veteran creator, executive producer and showrunner who works in both television and features. Prior to joining The Flight Attendant, she served as executive producer and writer on USA Network’s crime drama Queen of the South.

She previously created and executive produced the Syfy drama series Hunters. Her additional TV writing and producing credits include 12 Monkeys, In Plain Sight, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Heroes, Judging Amy and New York Undercover among many others.

She was nominated for an Emmy and WGA Award for her work on Heroes.

Most recently, Chaidez received a pilot order from Freeform for the coming-of-age story AZNBBGRL, a collaboration with Dinh Thai.

Natalie Chaidez Developing Television Series Based on the Late Oscar “Zeta” Acosta’s Novels

Posted on July 19, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

The late Oscar “Zeta” Acosta’s life story will be getting the Hollywood treatment…

Half-Mexican American television writer/producer Natalie Chaidez has acquired the film and television rights to the late Chicano attorney, politician, novelist and activist’s novels Autobiography of a Brown Buffalo and The Revolt of the Cockroach People.

She will executive produce and supervise writing for an upcoming television series.

Chaidez is developing the project with Joe Loya and Phillip Rodriguez.

Acosta was a Mexican American activist in the Chicano Civil Rights Movement who disappeared in Mexico in 1974, a year after his second novel The Revolt of the Cockroach People was released and is presumed dead. He is also famously known for his friendship with Hunter S. Thomson, who characterized Acosta as Samoan attorney Dr. Gonzo in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

“Oscar Zeta Acosta has been a passion of mine since I first encountered his books in an East LA library. Acosta’s story is one of the deepest and cinematic stories in the Latinx canon. I’m thrilled to bring his story to life,” Chaidez told Deadline in an exclusive statement.

The televison series will feature elements from both of his published novels, the first is loosely based on his early years, and the second tells real stories from his later years during the Chicano movement while changing the identities of those involved. It’s currently being shopped around to networks and streamers.

Chaidez is currently co-showrunner on the second season of HBO Max’s The Flight Attendant alongside Steve Yockey currently in production. She was previously an executive producer and writer on USA Network’s Queen of the South and served as creator and executive producer of the Syfy drama Hunters.

Alex & David Pastor to Write & Direct Spanish-Language Spinoff of Netflix’s “Bird Box”

Posted on March 14, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Alex and David Pastor are flying high…

The Spanish sibling screenwriters/filmmakers will pen and direct a Spanish-language spinoff of Netflix’s Bird Box.

The film will reunite Netflix with Bird Box producers Dylan Clark and Chris Morgan, but it will also have a distinctly Spanish flavor.

The Pastor brothers are best known for 2020 Netflix thriller The Occupant and 2009 pandemic thriller Carriers, as well as Syfy series Incorporated and recent HBO Max series The Head, both of which they created.

The yet to be titled film, which will sit within David Kosse’s local-language slate at the streamer, is due to start production towards the end of this year in Spain. Cast has yet to be set.

This could be the first of multiple local-language Bird Box spinoffs.

Post-apocalyptic thriller Bird Box was a massive hit for Netflix in 2018. Sandra Bullock starred as a mother who tries to protect herself and two children from entities which push people who look at them to suicide. According to the streamer, the film was watched by 89 million households over its first four weeks of release, the second-most ever for one of their original films.

Syfy Releases Trailer for Fifth & Final Season of Nicole Muñoz’s Horror Drama “Van Helsing”

Posted on March 13, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a last (dramatic) hurrah for Nicole Muñoz…

Syfy’s Van Helsing, starring the 26-year-old half-Spanish Canadian actress, will feature “the mother of all endings” when the show returns for its fifth and final season.

The horror drama will return for its last chapter at 10:00 pm on Friday, April 16.

In addition to Muñoz, who began starring as Jack in season 4, the series will see the return of cast members Kelly Overton, Jonathan Scarfe, Tricia Helfer, Aleks Paunovic, Kim Coates, Keeya King, Jesse Stanley and Jennifer Cheon Garcia for the 13-episode season.

In the final season of Van Helsing, Vanessa, Violet and Jack will risk everything to finally bring an end to the Dark One once and for all. The Van Helsings must figure out ways to escape and evade the various obstacles in their path to prevent them from their mission, leading to an epic final showdown between the Van Helsings and the Dark One. Who will win the battle between light and dark?

Van Helsing is produced by Nomadic Pictures, Dynamic Television and Echo Lake Entertainment.

Muñoz’s other credits include television roles on Defiance and Defying Gravity, as well as film roles in Tooth Fairy, Hardwired, and Center Stage: Turn It Up.

Arlen Escarpeta to Star in the Second Season of OWN’s Drama Series “David Makes Man”

Posted on August 7, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Arlen Escarpeta is the Manof the hour…

The 39-year-old Belizean actor has been cast as a series regular for the second season of OWN’s acclaimed Peabody-winning drama series David Makes Man.

He’ll star alongside Kwame Patterson, who has been tapped to portray the title character, the adult version of David.

Escarpeta will play his brother JG, in the series which hails from Oscar winner Tarell Alvin McCraney and Warner Horizon Scripted Television.

They join returning series regulars Akili McDowell, Alana Arenas, Travis Coles and Cayden K. Williams for season two.

Created by McCraney and executive produced by Oprah Winfrey, the first season ofDavid Makes Mancentered on David Young (McDowell), a 14-year-old prodigy learning to survive the streets that raised him and the higher education that could offer him a way out. Season two finds David in his early 30s, a rising business man facing an opportunity that will change him and his community forever; the mounting pressure forces David to choose between the instincts that helped him survive or finding a new way to finally, truly live.

Escarpeta’s television credits include series regular roles on Crackle’s The Oath and NBC’s American Dreams, and a recurring role in Syfy’s The Magicians,among others. He also starred as Bobby Brown in the Lifetime original film Whitney.

His feature film credits include Into the Storm, Final Destination 5, Brotherhood, Friday the 13th (2009), and We Are Marshall, among others.

Taylor Ortega to Voice Multiple Characters on Syfy’s “Magical Girl Friendship Squad” Series

Posted on May 17, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Taylor Ortega is joining a new squad…

The 30-year-old Latina actress/comedian will star in Syfy’s TZGZ anime-inspired comedy Magical Girl Friendship Squad.

Created by Kelsey Stephanides, Magical Girl Friendship Squadis a female-driven anime comedy about two young women, Alex (Quinta Brunson) and Daisy (Anna Akana), who are destined to save the Universe…as soon as they figure out how to pay their rent.

In January, TZGZ greenlit a straight-to-series order of the longer-form version of the show (six 15-minute episodes).

Produced by Cartuna, the short-form version, Magical Girl Friendship Squad: Origins (six four-minute episodes), currently airs as part of the late-night adult animation block’s acquisition slate.

In addition to Brunson and Akana, Series regulars include Ana Gasteyer and Matteo Lane.

Christine Baranski,Manny Jacinto,Helen Hong, Eric Bauza and Sarah “Squirm” Sherman will recur on Magical Girl Friendship Squad.

Guest stars are Jason Mantzoukis, Paget Brewster,Vella Lovell, Jamie Loftus and Patti Harrison.

Ortega, who starred in the Disney Channel’s live-action Kim Possible movie, will appear as a utility player alongside Stephanie Sheh and Daisy Hobbs.

Ortega, Sheh and Hobbs will voice multiple roles.

Henri Esteve to Appear on Freeform’s “Grown-ish”

Posted on November 11, 2019 by Tom Castaneda

Watch out, world, Henri Esteve is grownnow…

The 30-year-old Cuban-American actor has landed a recurring role on the upcoming third season of Grown-ish, Freeform’s popular comedy spinoff from ABC’s Black-ish.

Grown-ishis a contemporary take on the issues that students face in the world of higher education, and follows Zoey (Yara Shahidi) and her friends as they return to CalU with confidence and swagger. Learning from the ups and downs of their freshman year, they all think they’ve got their second year on lock, but quickly realize that they’re not as grown as they think.

The cast also includes Luka Sabbat, Trevor Jackson, Francia Raisa, Emily Arlook, Jordan Buhat, Chloe Bailey, Halle Bailey, Deon Cole, and recently upped-to-series-regular Diggy Simmons.

Esteve will play Javier, a gorgeous grad student whom Ana (Raisa) interns with at Cal U. A well-educated Cuban Republican activist, Javi is able to cross party lines with his unwavering morals and his James Deanmystique. Despite having everything in common on paper, Ana will find that Javi challenges her in a way she never expected — both in the workplace and out.

Esteve had a recurring role on Amazon’s Homecomingand most recently appeared on the Syfy pilot(Future) Cult Classic. Hit other credits include appearances on Revengeand NCIS.

Season 3 of Grown-ish premieres at 8:00 pm ET Thursday, January 16, on Disney-owned Freeform.

Esai Morales to Star in DC’s “Titans” Series

Posted on March 14, 2019 by Tom Castaneda

Esai Morales has landed a Titan-ic role…

The 56-year-old Puerto Rican actor has been cast in the series Titans.

He’ll portray Deathstroke, the fan-favorite assassin and archenemy of Teen Titans leader Dick Grayson.

The Titans, the first original programming franchise for the DC Universe subscription steaming site, launched in September and finished its first season in December. The weekly show follows the superhero squad that’s led by Batman’s former sidekick, Robin, aka Dick Grayson (Brenton Thwaites), and includes the hot-tempered alien princess Starfire (Anna Diop), the mysterious empath Raven (Teagan Croft), and the green-skinned shape-shifter Beast Boy (Ryan Potter).

That Titans line-up of characters was introduced with much fanfare in the pages of DC Comicsback in 1980. The team, created by Marv Wolfmanand George Perez, didn’t have to wait long to find their signature antagonist: Deathstroke the Terminatorwas introduced in issue No. 2 of The New Teen Titans in December 1980.

The character bio from the show’s producers: “Slade Wilson is known for being DC’s deadliest assassin. While serving his country, Slade became an elite soldier before government testing enhanced his physiology to near superhuman levels, putting him on a path of darkness and revenge. To his family, Slade is a father and husband, but to the rest of the world, he is feared by many as the infamous Deathstroke; selling his services to the highest bidder as the ruthless assassin that never gives up and never misses.”

The character is well known to fans of the popular Teen Titans animated series from Cartoon Network as well as the show’s 2018 tie-in feature film Teen Titans Go! to the Movies. Deathstrokehas also been portrayed by Manu Bennett in 36 episodes of The CWseries Arrow while Joe Manganiello (True Blood) appeared as the assassin in the 2017 feature film Justice League but only with an uncredited cameo.

The DC Comics character represents an interesting footnote in Marvel Comicshistory. The character Deadpool, portrayed by Ryan Reynoldsin the popular R-rated Foxfilm franchise, was created by Fabian Niciezaand Rob Liefeldin 1990 as a thinly disguised version of the DC villain. Not only do the characters share similar costumes, Deadpool’s alias is Wade Wilson, which in fact rhymes with Slade Wilson.

Adding a bit more confusion, both Deadpool and Deathstroke have similar attributes to Deadshot, a DC Comics villain introduced in the 1970s and portrayed by Will Smithon the big screen in Suicide Squad in 2016.

Morales, rose to acclaim in his feature film breakthrough role as Bob Morales in Taylor Hackford’s La Bamba, the landmark 1985 biopic about Ritchie Valens.

Morales’ feature film credits include Bad Boys, Mi Familia, Fast Food Nation, The Line, The Disappearance of Garcia Lorcaand Gun Hill Road, a film he executive produced and starred in. Gun Hill Road was a grand Jury Nominee at the Sundance Film Festivalin 2011. Most recently he starred in Sony’s Superfly and the indie film The Wall of Mexico.

Morales’ recent television credits include Ozark (Netflix), Mozart In The Jungle (Amazon Prime), Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO), and Chicago PD (NBC). Morales also had notable credits over the years on shows such as NYPD Blue (ABC), Miami Vice (NBC), Fame (NBC) Law and Order: SVU (NBC), Caprica (Syfy), and Criminal Minds (CBS).

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