Zoe Saldana Becomes First Performer to Appear in Top Three Highest Grossing Films Globally

Posted on February 20, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Zoe Saldana is officially a box office blockbuster star…

The 44-year-old Puerto Rican and Dominican American actress’ latest film Avatar: The Way of Water has replaced Titanic as the third-highest grossing film in history.

While the director of both films, James Cameron, has two films in the top three, Saldana appears in all three films, a feat not achieved by any other performer.

The sci-fi sequel Avatar: The Way of Water has generated $2.2433 billion globally, enough to overtake Titanic ($2.2428 billion) at the worldwide box office. Now, The Way of Water trails only Avatar ($2.92 billion) and Avengers: Endgame ($2.7 billion) on the all-time charts.

Saldana stars as Ney’tiri in the Avatar films and appears as her Guardians of the Galaxy character, Gamora.

Like the original “Avatar,” the follow-up’s success is attributed to its generation-spanning appeal as well as the incentive to watch the film in premium and 3D formats. On Imax screens, the movie has crossed $250 million. That’s more coinage than many films manage to earn in their entire theatrical runs.

In North America, “The Way of Water” is the ninth-highest grossing movie ever with $657 million to date. In order to fly higher on the all-time domestic charts, it’ll have to take down Titanic (at No. 8 with $659 million) and Avengers: Infinity War (at No. 7 with $678 million).

Elsewhere, “Avatar 2” recently passed Titanic to become the third-highest grossing international release ever with $1.585 billion. It’s behind only 2009’s Avatar ($2.1 billion) and Avengers: Endgame ($1.9 billion) in terms of overseas ticket sales. Standout markets include China ($242 million), France ($144 million), Germany ($135 million) and Korea ($106 million). It ranks as highest-grossing film of all-time in more than 20 countries, including France, Germany, Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Rep, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Turkey, UAE, Cambodia, Mongolia, New Zealand, Colombia and Puerto Rico.

Disney and 20th Century spent roughly $460 million to produce and promote The Way of Water, which is one of the most expensive films ever. The long-delayed sequel opened on the big screen in December and has remained in the top five on box office charts for 10 consecutive weeks. Saldana and Sam Worthington star in the otherworldly saga about family. A third installment is set to debut in December 2024 with plans for fourth and fifth entries in the coming years.

First Trailer Released for Zoe Saldaña’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3”

Posted on December 2, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Zoe Saldaña is on guard…

The first trailer has been released for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, starring the 44-year-old Puerto Rican and Dominican American actress, which marks the end of an era for Marvel.

The film is the final adventure of this iteration of the cosmic team, and it is also a final Marvel bow for James Gunn, who has departed the MCU to take a job as a top executive at DC Studios, where he co-runs its film, television and animation efforts.\

In addition to Saldaña, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 also stars Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Sean Gunn, Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel, and introduces the character Adam Warlock, played by Will Poulter.

The first Guardians of the Galaxy was a game-changer for Marvel, which had already made $1 billion brands out of so-called “B-level” characters such as Iron Man.

But 2014’s Guardians took that formula to new heights, turning obscure characters into a global brand. The film, which earned $773.3 million internationally, ushered in an era in which quirky filmmakers such as Gunn put their own stamps on Marvel properties. A sequel followed in 2017, with the third eyed for 2020 before Gunn was fired from the property over old, offensive tweets before eventually being reinstated.

The Guardians, and the voice Gunn established, have been important to Marvel in between Vols. 2 and 3.

The characters appeared in Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, released last month on Disney+.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 opens on May 5, 2023.

The new trailer is soundtracked by the 1996 top 40 Billboard Hot 100 hit “In the Meantime,” by (appropriate to the intergalactic films) Spacehog.

The soundtracks to the first two installments in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, both of which were studded with carefully curated 1970s pop gems, were both big hits.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1, which featured such hits as Blue Swede’s “Hooked on a Feeling” and Redbone’s “Come and Get Your Love,” topped the Billboard 200 for two consecutive weeks in August 2014.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 2, which contained such hits as ELO’s “Mr. Blue Sky” and Looking Glass’ “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl),” reached No. 4 in 2017.

Maximiliano Hernandez to Star in Fox’s Sci-Fi Mystery Pilot “The Last Police”

Posted on October 2, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Maximiliano Hernandez is joining the force…

The 48-year-old Honduran American actor will star in the Fox pilot The Last Police, an adaptation of Ben Winters’ sci-fi mystery novel The Last Policeman.

Hernandez will serve as a series regular alongside Dawnn Lewis, Derek Phillips, Courtney Dietz and Troy Kotsur, as well as series leads Blu Hunt and Reno Wilson.

In The Last Police, as an asteroid races toward an apocalyptic collision with Earth, a small-town police detective (Hunt) believes she’s been chosen to save humanity, while her cynical partner (Wilson) can’t decide what he’ll enjoy more: her delusional failure, or the end of the world itself.

Hunt plays Detective MacKenzie Ward. She’s a sharp young police detective who as our story begins has decided to end her life on her own terms rather than wait for the Earth’s annihilation in its impending collision with an asteroid. When her suicide attempt fails, she attributes her survival to being chosen for a special purpose, and going forward she’s a relentless ambassador for optimism and hope in a world with an ever-shorter supply of both.

Wilson portrays Detective David Duran. He’s a drinking, smoking, unshaven wreck with a badge who, following a devastating personal tragedy unrelated to the asteroid, views the rest of his days alive as a penance and openly embraces the prospect of the world’s end. When they’re partnered in the pilot, he’s amused by what he considers Mackenzie’s delusions of grandeur, and her positivity only stokes his cynical fatalism.

Hernandez will portray Detective Alvaro Diaz. A former minor-league ballplayer from Cuba who segued to law enforcement when he first became a father, Diaz was a contented family man before news of the asteroid hit. Since that revelation he’s become a mess, openly weeping at his desk and distracted by savoring every moment he has left with the wife and children he loves more than anything.

Fox Entertainment and 20th Century Fox Television will produce.

Hernandez’s television credits include TNT’s The Last Ship, FX’s The Americans, Audience Network’s Mr. Mercedes and Amazon’s Hand of God and features such as Sicario, Avengers: Endgame and Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

He will soon be seen recurring in CBS’ SEAL Team.

Victoria Alonso Promoted to President of Physical, Post Production, VFX & Animation at Marvel Studios

Posted on September 20, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

It’s another Marvel-ous moment for Victoria Alonso…

The 55-year-old Argentine film producer has been promoted to president, physical and post production, visual effects, and animation production at Marvel Studios.

A 15-year studio veteran, Alonso will oversee the divisions across the studio’s slate of films and series and continue to report to Marvel Studios co-president Louis D’Esposito.

“Victoria has been an incredible partner and part of our team since the very first Iron Man,” said Kevin Feige, president, Marvel Studios and chief creative officer, Marvel, and D’Esposito on Monday. “She is one of the most dynamic, candid and accessible executives in the industry and we’re thrilled that she’ll continue to be by our side in this elevated role as we lead Marvel Studios into the future.”

Alonso will continue to serve as executive producer on all upcoming feature films including Eternals, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Thor: Love and Thunder, as well as EP on Marvel Studios’ upcoming series for Disney+ including Hawkeye, Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk and Moon Knight.

“When Louis first suggested I come to work with the team on Iron Man, I never could have imagined the adventure ahead, and as far as I’m concerned, it has only just begun!” Alonso said. “We have an absolutely incredible group of people who are bringing their many talents to the exciting slate of films and series we have on the horizon, and I’m especially thrilled about ramping up our studio’s animation efforts, which is a personal passion of mine. Look forward to more singing!”

Alonso joined Marvel in 2006 as the company’s EVP of visual effects and post production, doubling as co-producer on Iron Man, a role she reprised on Iron Man 2, Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger.

In 2011, she was upped to executive producer on the blockbuster The Avengers, a role she has maintained on all Marvel Studios releases since then including Iron Man 3, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Thor: The Dark World, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man, Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Thor: Ragnarok, Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Black Widow and most recently Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

During her tenure at the studio, Marvel films have amassed over $23 billion in global box office.

In 2021, Alonso became an Emmy-nominated producer for her work on the MCU’s first series on Disney+, WandaVision. She has also become an important voice in Hollywood as a producer, a Latina, and a senior female executive.

She was named one of People en Español Magazine’s top “Poderosa” Most Influential Hispanic Women in 2019 and 2020, and was honored in 2015 with the Muse Award for Outstanding Vision and Achievement from the New York Women in Film & Television.

She was also the first woman to be presented with the Harold Lloyd Award from the Advanced Imaging Society, which is given to a filmmaker who has created a body of work and specific achievements in 3D that advanced the motion picture art form.

In 2017, she was the first woman to be honored with the Visionary Award at the 15th Annual VES Awards for her advancement of unforgettable storytelling through visual effects.

Salma Hayek to Receive Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

Posted on June 19, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Salma Hayek will have a permanent place in Hollywood…

The 54-year-old Mexican Oscar-nominated actress and producer is among the 38 honorees invited to join the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Hayek, who moved to Hollywood in 1991, rose to acclaim in films like Desperado and From Dusk till Dawn. She earned an Academy Award nomination for her portrayal of Mexican painter Frida Kahlo in Frida.

But Hayek isn’t the only Latin honoree this year…

Tessa Thompson was selected in the Motion Picture category.

The 37-year-old Afro-Panamanian American actress gained mainstream recognition for her starring role as Valkyrie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero films Thor: Ragnarok and Avengers: Endgame.

Her other credits include Sylvie’s Love, Men in Black: International, and Creed.

Ashanti has been selected in the Recording category.

The 40-year-old part-Dominican American Grammy-winning singer and actress was first discovered as a teenager and later signed to Murder Inc. Records in 2002.

That year, she was featured on Fat Joe‘s “What’s Luv?” and Ja Rule‘s “Always on Time,” both of which became two of the biggest hit songs of 2002; Ashanti became the first female artist to occupy the top two positions on the Billboard Hot 100 chart simultaneously when “Foolish” and “What’s Luv?” were at numbers one and two, respectively.

Other Latin artists selected include Los Huracanes Del Norte and Angelica Vale.

These honorees were chosen from among hundreds of nominees at a meeting of the Walk of Fame selection committee and ratified by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce’s board of directors this week. Radio personality Ellen K, chair of the selection committee (and a past Walk of Fame honoree), announced the new honorees on the Walk of Fame’s website.

The selection panel, made up of fellow Walk of Famers, handpicks a group of honorees each year that represent various genres of the entertainment world. “The panel did an amazing job choosing these very talented people,” said Ellen K. “We can’t wait to see each honoree’s reaction as they realize that they are becoming a part of Hollywood’s history with the unveiling of their star on the world’s most famous walkway.”

Dates have not been scheduled for these star ceremonies. Recipients have two years to schedule star ceremonies from the date of selection before their selection expires. Upcoming star ceremonies are usually announced 10 days prior to dedication on the Walk of Fame website.

Here’s the full list of Hollywood Walk of Fame Class of 2022 honorees (using their full names as shown on their list):

Recording: Black Eyed Peas, George E. Clinton Jr., Ashanti Douglas, DJ Khaled, Avril Lavigne, Los Huracanes Del Norte, Martha Reeves and Ermias Asghedom (Nipsey Hussle, posthumous).

Motion pictures: Francis Ford Coppola, Macaulay Culkin, Willem Dafoe, Salma Hayek, James Hong, Helen Hunt, Michael B. Jordan, Regina King, Ray Liotta, Ewan McGregor, Adam McKay, Jason Momoa, Tessa Thompson and Carrie Fisher (posthumous)

Television: Byron Allen, Greg Berlanti, Ricky Gervais, Peter Krause, Robert Odenkirk, Holly Robinson-Peete, Norman Reedus, Tracee Ellis Ross, Jean Smart, Ming-Na Wen and Kenan Thompson.

Live theatre/live performance: Patti LuPone, Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis, Jr. and Angelica Vale

Radio: Richard Blade

Sports entertainment: Michael Strahan

Marvel Studios Releases Trailer for Salma Hayek’s Superhero Film “Eternals”

Posted on May 24, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Salma Hayek’s burning an Eternals flame…

Marvel Studios has released the first trailer for Eternals, the epic superhero film starring the 54-year-old Mexican actress.

Hailing from Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao and based on the comics of the same name, the film follows a diverse group of heroes – technically aliens from an immortal race who have secretly lived on earth for thousands of years – who team up to protect humanity from a new threat.

In addition to Hayek, the film also stars Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Kit Harington and Angelina Jolie.

The film is one of the first in Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and is set after an unexpected tragedy following the events of Avengers: Endgame.

Stick around until the post-title of the trailer for a jokey tease about what we can expect from a post-Avengers world.

Disney has the film slated for release on November 5.

Tessa Thompson Launches Production Company ‘Viva Maude’

Posted on January 19, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Tessa Thompson is expanding her Hollywood reach…

The 37-year-old part-Panamanian and part-Mexican American actress is moving into the production arena with a new production company, a first-look deal at HBO and HBO Max and executive-producing two big book adaptations – Who Fears Death and The Secret Lives of Church Ladies.

Thompson, who stars on HBO’s Westworld, has launched Viva Maude with a two-year deal at the WarnerMedia-owned cable network and streaming service.

“I’m beyond thrilled to officially launch my production company, Viva Maude, which has been a real passion project and labour of love over the last few years,” said Thompson. “I’m elated to begin this partnership and to bring entertaining and impactful television projects to my friends and collaborators at HBO and HBO Max. Together we are committed to developing interesting and inclusive stories with inventive creators and to discover new voices and visionaries.”

Thompson, who stars in and executive produced the Amazon Studios feature film Sylvie’s Love, will exec produce the two projects in development at HBO and HBO Max as part of the deal.

Who Fears Death is an adaptation of Nnedi Okorafor’s eponymous book. In the works at HBO since 2017 with Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin as one of the exec producers, Aïda Mashaka Croal, a writer on Jessica Jones and Luke Cage, has also come board as showrunner, writer and exec producer.

Who Fears Death tells the coming of age tale of Onyesowu in post-apocalyptic North Africa where her story makes her an outcast. She must go on a journey from self-reproach to love, but to do so she’ll have to overcome untold obstacles—defeating her hated sorcerer father and becoming the instrument of prophetic deliverance for a land of oppressed people, all the while fighting to master the terrifying powers growing inside her.

At HBO Max, Thompson is also exec producing an adaptation of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies. The short story collection, written by Deesha Philyaw, was published in September and was a finalist for the 2020 National Book Award for Fiction. It contains nine stories about Black women, church, and sexuality.

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies explores the raw and tender places where Black women and girls dare to follow their desires and pursue a momentary reprieve from being good. Different generations of women characters grapple with who they want to be in the world, caught as they are between the church’s double standards and their own needs and passions. With their secret longings, new love, and forbidden affairs, these church ladies are as seductive as they want to be, as vulnerable as they need to be, as unfaithful and unrepentant as they care to be, and as free as they deserve to be.

Thompson will exec produce with author Philyaw, who is also writing the adaptation.

Thompson’s other credits include Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Endgame, Annihilation, Sorry to Bother You, Selma, and Dear White People and she co-stars alongside Ruth Negga in Rebecca Hall’s directorial debut feature film Passing as well as Creed III and Thor: Love and Thunder.

She is also a producer on QCode’s fiction podcast The Left Right Game, which Amazon purchased the rights to adapt into a television series, with Thompson exec producing the series.

Apple TV+ Releases Trailer for Ciara Bravo’s Drama “Cherry”

Posted on January 17, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Ciara Bravo has found her cherry on top…

Apple TV+ has released the official trailer for Cherry, starring the part-Latina actress.

The drama teams Marvel alums Tom Holland and Joe and Anthony Russo in the true life tale of a Iraq War hero who battles PTSD and spirals into addiction and robbing banks upon his return to civilian life.

The film will hit theaters and the streamer on February 26 .

Based on Nico Walker’s novel based on his life story and with a screenplay by Angela Russo-Otstot and Jessica Goldberg, Holland’s Cherry drifts from dropping out of college to serving as an Army medic in Iraq, through it all anchored by his true love Emily (Bravo). But his undiagnosed PTSD spurs bad decisions, shattering his relationship as he falls. Jack Reynor, Michael Rispoli, Jeff Wahlberg, Forrest Goodluck and Michael Gandolfini also star.

The film is a darkly humorous, unflinching coming-of-age story.

It also marks the Russos’ first directing gig since Avengers: Endgame, the highest-grossing movie of all time. This one they financed themselves — like Walker, the brothers are from Cleveland where this movie is set — via their AGBO production outfit.

Apple is making it a big awards-season play after it acquired worldwide rights to the film in September in a deal in the $40 million range.

Zoe Saldana to Star in the Netflix Action-Adventure Film “The Adam Project”

Posted on November 18, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

There’s a new Project in Zoe Saldana’s future…

The 42-year-old Puerto Rican and Dominican American actress and Guardians of the Galaxy star will star opposite Jennifer Garner and Ryan Reynolds in the Netflix action-adventure film The Adam Project.

Directed by Shawn Levy, Jonathan Tropper penned the script, with David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Don Granger producing for Skydance.

Plot details are being kept under wraps other than it having a time-travel element. The Adam Project marks one of a handful of films Netflix landed this year as studios like Paramount were figuring out their future slate in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Netflix felt like the perfect home as Reynolds was in the midst of wrapping his second film, Red Notice, while Levy has made Netflix his home following the massive success of his series Stranger Things.

The film will be the first project for Reynolds’ The Group Effort Initiative, a self-financed diversity and inclusion program that aims to give people of color a chance to work and learn on the actor’s productions. The Group Effort Initiative is a joint effort between Maximum Effort and B for Effort.

Saldana is known for starring roles in two of three biggest blockbusters in movie history — Avatar and Avengers: Endgame. She next will be seen reprising her role of Neytiri in Avatar 2, 3 and 4. Saldana also will star in and executive produce the limited drama series From Scratch for Netflix.

Alfonso Cuaron’s “Roma” to Open in China This May

Posted on May 1, 2019 by Tom Castaneda

Alfonso Cuaron’s masterpiece is heading to the Middle Kingdom…

The 57-year-old Mexican filmmaker’s Oscar-winning Roma has been confirmed for a May 10 release in China via Estars.

The film is going out on the Nationwide Alliance of Arthouse Cinemas network, which includes approximately 3,897 screens.

It’s not yet clear how many screens Romawill access, but the Middle Kingdom release could effectively be the widest play the film will have had theatrically.

Romahits Chinese cinemas the same day as Warner Bros.’ Detective Pikachuand amid the ongoing run of Avengers: Endgame.

Cuaron’s highly personal black-and-white love letter to the women who raised him currently has an 8.1 on Chinese reviews aggregator Douban.

Cuaron has history with wide audiences in the market where Gravitygrossed $71M back in 2013.

Produced by Esperanto Fillmoj and Participant Media, Romawon Oscars for Best Director, Best Cinematography and Best Foreign Language Film. It was released in the rest of the world by Netflix, becoming available on the platform on December 14 after a theatrical release that began on November 21 in the U.S and Mexico, as well as expanding to other cinemas in over 40 countries.

It is still playing theatrically in nine countries including Japan and Italy.

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