Danny Trejo to Star in the Crime Drama “Alone Today”

Danny Trejo isn’t leaving things Alone Today

The 77-year-old Mexican American actor and entrepreneur has joined the cast of Alone Today, an upcoming crime drama from director Wendy Wilkins.

Danny TrejoTrejo joins a roster of cast additions that includes Shannon Elizabeth and Frank Whaley.

The project centers on a woman (Elizabeth) in an abusive relationship with a dirty detective (Whaley) who is helping move sex trafficked girls coming over the Mexican Border. When attempting to save just one truck load before “disappearing forever” everything goes horribly wrong and she decides to take a different path.

The project hails from Different Duck Films founder Rob Margolies, who will produce.

The film will begin filming in Los Angeles this winter.

Wilkins is a former law enforcement official and the author of memoir Sex, Love & Cops: A Memoir of My Five Years as a Young Cop, a collection of stories of when she was a real life cop.

“As a former police officer, I wanted to write a film that portrayed a more authentic version of a woman who was also a police officer, not a stereotyped version, and to shine a light on domestic violence and that it could happen to anyone, regardless of your upbringing, job, and geography,” she said. “The script, I believe, is grounded, realistic and an accurate portrayal of the characters as these are inspired by true life events.”

Added Margolies: “The project is an interesting mesh of thrills and suspense. I look forward to working with Shannon. Alone Today will show her in a brand-new light. Shannon is excited to portray a multi-faceted woman that she said after reading the script  ‘feels real to her’ and she is ‘thrilled to have a female director.’”

Justina Machado to Appear in First-Ever The Muppets Halloween Television Special

It’ll be a Haunted Halloween for Justina Machado.

The 49-year-old Puerto Rican actress will appear in the first Halloween television special featuring The Muppets.

Justina Machado

Muppets Haunted Mansion will premiere on Friday, October 8, exclusively on Disney+.

Starring in the special alongside the Muppets are Will Arnett (as The Ghost Host), Yvette Nicole Brown (The Hearse Driver), Darren Criss (The Caretaker) and Taraji P. Henson (The Bride).

In Muppets Haunted Mansion, the Great Gonzo – world-famous daredevil artiste, has done it all, seen it all and survived it all. But on Halloween night, the fearless Gonzo takes on the greatest challenge of his life by spending one very daring night in the most grim grinning place on Earth: the Haunted Mansion.

In addition to Machado, Muppets Haunted Mansion will also feature appearances from Chrissy Metz, Alfonso Ribeiro, Edward Asner, Jeannie Mai, Danny Trejo, Sasheer Zamata, Craig Robinson, Skai Jackson, Pat Sajak, Geoff Keighley, Kim Irvine and John Stamos as himself.

The Muppets Haunted Mansion EP will be released on October 8 from Walt Disney Records, and will include three new original songs: “Rest in Peace,” “Life Hereafter,” and “Tie the Knot Tango,” plus a cover of the 1970s classic, “Dancing in the Moonlight.”

Danny Trejo to Appear in Hulu’s Horror Anthology Series “American Horror Stories”

Let the Horror begin for Danny Trejo.

The 77-year-old Mexican American actor has joined the cast of American Horror Stories, Hulu’s American Horror Story spinoff anthology series.

Danny Trejo

Trejo will join the cast as Santa as part of Ryan Murphy’s horror franchise.

AHS alums Matt BomerBillie Lourd and John Carroll Lynch are set to return to the series.

Bomer, Lourde and Lynch are set to play Michael, Liv Whitely and Larry Bitterman, respectively. Naomi Grossman will also return to the American Horror Story franchise to take on Rabid Ruth.

American Horror Stories is a weekly hourlong anthology series that will feature a different horror story in each contained episode. The spinoff will premiere exclusively on Hulu July 15. Murphy’s social media post also revealed that Aaron Tveit, Paris Jackson, Madison Bailey and Virginia Garndner and many more will appear throughout the series. Murphy also confirmed that

“And this isn’t even the half of it,” Murphy said about the packed cast.

The spin-off anthology series will premiere a little more than a month before American Horror Story returns for its tenth installment, Double Feature. American Horror Stories is set to conclude on Halloween.

American Horror Stories is executive produced by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, Alexis Martin Woodall, John J. Gray and Manny Coto.

Danny Trejo to Star in “Wolf Mountain”

Danny Trejo is heading up the mountain…

The 76-year-old Mexican American actor will star opposite Tobin Bell and Latin singer Malu Trevejo in Wolf Mountain, which is wrapping up production now in Castaic, California.

Danny Trejo

The film is written by Keli Price, who also stars, and is directed by David Lipper.

The story follows AJ (Keli Price), who begins having vivid dreams of his parents’ death. He decides to go back to the spot where they were killed, 20 years ago, accompanied by his brother and his brother’s family. But legend has it there is something mysterious roaming these woods.

Additional cast include Karissa Staples, David Lipper, Fernanda Romero, Eddie McClintock, Matt Rife and Abdel Hameed.

Trejo’s previous credits include American Gods, The Flash, and From Dusk to Dawn: The Series.

Atria Books to Publish Danny Trejo’s Memoir, “Trejo: My Life of Crime, Redemption, and Hollywood”

Danny Trejo is o-penning up about his life…

The 76-year-old Mexican American actor, whose credits include Desperado, Machete, From Dusk Till Dawn and Con Air, will publish his memoir with Atria Books, according to the publisher. Titled Trejo: My Life of Crime, Redemption, and Hollywood will be released on July 6.

Danny Trejo

The book will detail Trejo’s path from crime to prison, addiction, loss and unexpected Hollywood fame. With appearances in more than 300 films, the 76-year-old actor continues to book 10-20 roles a year. A 2020 Pete Davidson tribute to Trejo went viral.

“Danny Trejo is more than an actor for the millions of Mexican Americans, like me, who love him,” says Michelle Herrera Mulligan, senior editor at Atria Books. “He is a legend. A role model. The first Chicano action star. Someone we can always hold up as a hero who made it. One of my proudest acquisitions to date, this book shows us the difficult path it took to get him there, in unforgettable, literary detail.”

Trejo first used heroin at age 12, learning that loyalty only came through violence and peace was found in oblivion. For a period of time, he did stints in some of America’s most notorious prisons including San Quentin, Folsom and Soledad. Then he was offered a part as a boxer in Runaway Train, giving him the opportunity to choose a new path.

In Trejo, he describes how the difficult lessons he learned in childhood both saved his professional life and hindered his personal one, offering an inspirational and brutally honest look at his fascinating life. He shares how he rebuilt his life after finding sobriety and spirituality in solitary confinement and went on to become a success, hobnobbing with A-list celebrities and using his memories of his adrenaline-fueled robbing heists to inspire him as an actor.

“At 76,” Trejo says, “this memoir was an opportunity for me to be fearlessly honest for the first time about the terrifying brutality of my experiences in the hardest prisons in the world, the family secrets that tore lives apart, my personal bottom while I was in the hole in Soledad facing a possible death penalty charge, the role God played in turning my life around, my acting career that started at the age of 40 by simply showing up to a set to help another addict in need and how all of it shaped the person I am.”

Trejo is co-writing his memoir with his best friend of 20 years, actor Donal LogueTrejo will be published simultaneously in both English and Spanish and later will be adapted for a young-readers edition. The book also will be published simultaneously as an audiobook from Simon & Schuster Audio.

Atria Books is an imprint of Simon and Schuster.

Starz Releases Trailer for Season 3 of Danny Trejo’s Fantasy Drama Series “American Gods”

Danny Trejo is getting preparing for a divine battle…

“We will hunt and kill everyone of you that gets in our way,” declares Crispin Glover’s Mr. World in the new trailer for American Gods’ third season, guest starring the 76-year-old Mexican American actor. He’ll portray one of the many forms that Glover’s Mr. World will take in the new episodes.

Danny Trejo

With sex, blood and rock’n’roll and fueled by Superhuman’s cover of “My Way,” the extended look at the Ricky Whittle and Ian McShane-led series, based on EP Neil Gaiman’s award-winning 2001 novel, certainly raises the stakes in the divine war.

Now with former Charles “Chic” Eglee in the showrunner seat, the 10-episode new season debuts on Starz on Sunday, January 10.

Mainly set in and around the chilly and mystical Badger State town of Lakeside, this season of American Gods sees Lela Loren, Devery Jacobs, Blythe Danner, Marilyn Manson, Julia Sweeney, Trejo and Iwan Rheon on board for the battle between the Old Gods led by Odin (McShane) and the New Gods of digital media and more. As well the road trip of sorts sees Emily Browning, Omid Abtahi, Yetide Badaki, and Bruce Langley back with Glover, Whittle’s Shadow Moon and McShane’s Odin by any other name.

As McShane’s Mr. Wednesday says in the trailer: “Game on!”

Produced by FremantleAmerican Gods is executive produced by Eglee, Gaiman, Anne Kenney, Damian Kindler, David Paul Francis, Mark Tinker, McShane, Craig Cegielski and Stefanie Berk.

Danny Trejo to Star in the LGBT-Themed Short Film “The Shift”

Danny Trejo is reporting for his shift

The 76-year-old Mexican American actor has been cast in The Shift, an LGBT-centric short film from Eyeris Entertainment.

Danny Trejo

Trejo will star opposite Jessica Tuck, Brittany Curran, and Toni Trucks in the short film, which will be directed by Jade Tailor.

The film is set at the very beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and tells a deeply human story, through the intertwined vignettes of seven individuals, as they experience a paradigm shift in what was once their everyday lives.

Brooke Maroon, Skyler Davenport, Moses Muñoz and Aidan Bristow co-star in the short, which explores shifts in perspective, shifts in expectations, and shifts in society as a whole.

Curran and Sarah Wylie are producing with Tailor serving as an executive producer. The three are simultaneously fundraising for LGBTQ+ youth in crisis during COVID-19 and have partnered with the Los Angeles LGBT Center.

“Even the most unexpected elements of filmmaking have changed,” said Curran. “We took a group shot at the end of filming with the incredible Danny Trejo. With our masks on, we scattered ourselves all over the garden we were shooting in, and somehow managed to get the whole crew in one shot while staying totally compliant. Then Danny whips out his phone and says that he’s FaceTiming Mayor Garcetti because he wants him to see this. It was a singular moment.”

STXtv Developing Chicano-Themed Series “Once Upon a Time in Aztlan” to Star George Lopez

George Lopez has a little Timeon his hands for an ode to California’s Chicano culture…

STXtv is developing Once Upon a Time in Aztlan, a new television series anchored by the 59-year-old Mexican American actor/stand up comedian.

George Lopez

The project includes the participation of  famed photographer Estevan Oriol and iconic Los Angeles-based artist Mister Cartoon aka Mark Machado.

Michael Connolly, under his Mad Hatter Entertainment banner, brought the elements together. 

Lopez is in final talks to star and executive produce the project through his Travieso Productions, with Javier Rodriguez writing the pilot. Oriol and Cartoon will executive-produce.

“I’m thrilled to be teaming up with Cartoon, Estevan, Jada and Michael for this series and developing a show with STXtv,” Lopez said. “Cartoon and Estevan are the DaVincis of our community; they have been the street chroniclers of our uniquely Chicano story … our American story. I’m looking forward to working with them and the rest of the team to expand their canvas to capture the diverse stories and people that make our culture and community so amazing, colorful and vibrant.”

This authentic L.A.-based series examines a family coming to terms with the falsehoods of the American Dream and their ability to defy expectations.

“I want to create a vision of Los Angeles inspired by my tattoos and murals that enriches and showcases the culture, opening it up to new audiences,” Cartoon said. “Putting together the dream team of Latino street culture and a collection of creative minds headed up by George Lopez, who is born and raised in L.A. and is an icon of our community. George’s experience and sense of humor acts as a foundation for this team.”

The pilot will be directed by Ricardo de Montreuil, who helmed Eva Longoria and Demián Bichir in the Blumhouse/Imagine East L.A.-set drama, Lowriders.During that production, he worked closely with Oriol and Cartoon, who were also involved in the production. 

Oriol and Cartoon’s longtime collaborators Mark Suroff and Marco Valadez, who produced LA Originals, also will serve as executive producers with Connolly.

“I’m looking forward to developing this with Cartoon, George, Jada and Michael,” said Oriol. “STXtv truly gets what it takes to develop a real show that can only be made in LA. This is the dream team. Period. It doesn’t get more authentic than this and I’m proud and privileged to be invited on this ride.”

Lopez recently released his first Netflix comedy special

He previously starred in Lopez for TV Land and Saint George for FX. And he had a talk show that ran from 2009-11. While his hit comedy George Lopez, whichended in 2007, ran on ABC, STXtv will zero in on buyers in the cable and streaming markets.

Cartoon is L.A.’s legendary tattoo artist, designer and cultural icon whose stylish and influential global work has been featured on countless celebrities including Kobe BryantEminemDr. Dre50 CentBeyoncéLewis HamiltonSnoop Dogg and many others. Cartoon also designed the logos for Cypress Hill and Eminem’s Shady Records, and his résumé includes cutting-edge designs for Nike, the LA Clippers and T-Mobile and others.

Oriol is an internationally celebrated photographer, director and urban lifestyle entrepreneur. Beginning as a tour manager for Cypress Hill and House of Pain, he developed a passion for photography as he documented life on the road to become hip-hop’s best-known chronicler; his work has been showcased in bestselling books, select galleries, and institutions, including the Smithsonian Center for Latino Initiatives,Mesa Contemporary Art CenterPetersen Automotive Museum, and The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles’ and New York’s Art in the Streets exhibit. He has photographed Eminem, Kim Kardashian, Cypress Hill, Dennis HopperBlink-182Forest Whitaker, Robert De NiroAl PacinoKendrick Lamar, 50 Cent, and Danny Trejo, among many others. He most recently executive produced the film Lowridersand directed the hit Netflix documentary L.A. Originals.

L.A. Originalswas critically acclaimed and extremely successful, introducing new fans to the world to Oriol and Cartoon.

Juan Pablo Di Pace to Take Part in Project Angel Food’s COVID-19 Emergency Telethon, ‘Lead With Love’

Juan Pablo Di Pace is ready to take your call… all for a great cause.

Project Angel Food will be holding a special telethon this Saturday, June 27, with the 40-year-old Argentinian actor/singer and Fuller House scene-stealer set to man the phones.

Juan Pablo Di Pace

The Lead With Love: Project Angel Food Emergency Telethon will air from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm PT on KTLA 5in Los Angeles and stream live on the channel’s website and on the Project Angel Food page.

The goal is to raise $500,000 to support Project Angel Food’s COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund, set up for increased needs due to the coronavirus. In the past two months, the organization has gone from serving 1,600 people a day, to serving 2,000 people a day.

Along with a mix of in-studio and virtual appearances, the telethon will include a live phone bank where callers can talk to celebrity guests, including Di Pace, Jonathan AdamsJoely FisherRachel LindsayPeter Porte, Charlie CarverLawrence ZarianSasha Roiz and Lauren Tom

Scheduled performers include Annie LennoxKristin Chenoweth and Kelly Clarkson, with Eric McCormackSheryl Lee Ralph and Jessica Holmes hosting.

Other performers include Cee Lo GreenDeborah Cox and Billy Idol, and the event will include appearances by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Elton JohnJamie Lee CurtisSharon Stone, Marie OsmondZachary LeviPauley PerretteMarianne WilliamsonJohn GoodmanValerie BertinelliMarlee MatlinOlivia Newton-JohnKelly OsbourneMargaret ChoCharoDanny TrejoMatt Bomer,Cheryl TiegsTyler HenryCarson Kressley,Eileen DavidsonChrissy MetzSandra LeeLisa RinnaHarry HamlinJimmy SmitsVictoria PrincipalYvette Nicole BrownLoni LoveChaz DeanSasha Alexander, Ron Cey and Josh Flagg.

The event is being presented by City National Bank, and executive producer is Brad BesseyLisa Foxx will serve as announcer and auctioneer Gabriel Butu will be the money man.

Founded in 1989 during the AIDS crisis, Project Angel Food medically tailored meals to people with life-threatening illnesses, including those who are at high risk for COVID-19.

“This event will blend the best nostalgic elements from the Jerry Lewis Telethon with the modern virtual fundraisers of today,” Project Angel Food executive director Richard Ayoub said in a statement.

Click here for more information on the event and learn how to donate.

Documentary on the Life of Danny Trejo to be Released in the UK

Danny Trejo’s life story is headed overseas…

The 75-year-old Mexican American actor’s journey from a life of crime to a life in the movies is being told in a new documentary feature. And, now the film has landed on a UK release date.

Danny Trejo

Inmate #1: The Rise of Danny Trejo tells the story of how Trejo went from a life of crime – and his time in prison – to getting his acting break and how his career evolved from there. 

The film has been directed by Brett Harvey, and includes contributions from Trejo himself, Robert RodriguezMichelle RodriguezCheech Marinand Danielle Trejo.

The film has been picked up by Universalin the UK, which will be releasing it on digital download from June 22nd. No word yet on whether a DVD and Blu-ray release will follow.

Here’s the official synopsis:

From an early life of drugs, armed robbery and hard prison time, to the red carpets of Hollywood blockbusters and helping troubled addicts, this is the story of one of the most inspirational transformations of human character ever put to film. With a host of celebrity interviews, never-before-seen footage and personal testimony from Danny and his closest family and friends, audiences will witness the birth of aHollywoodicon who became a symbol of hope to people around the world. To this day, Danny continues to council recovering addicts and speak at state prisons. After 46 years of sobriety, he never forgets his roots and pays forward that which has been bestowed on him.