Heitor Dhalia Teaming Up with Netflix Brazil for New Series “DNA do Crime”

Heitor Dhalia is preparing to work on a massive Brazilian project for Netflix

The 52-year-old Brazilian director and screenwriter, considered one of Brazil’s foremost and most ambitious movie auteurs, is teaming up with Netflix on “DNA do Crime,” a banner title for the U.S. streaming giant in Brazil, one of its largest international markets.

Heitor DhaliaDescribed by Dhalia as “one of the biggest series ever produced in Brazil,” the eight-part scripted skein, which goes into production on October 31, turns on a heist of epic proportions, which takes place on the Brazil-Paraguay border.

When federal police officers are called in to investigate, they discover “the beginning of a thread that unravels, like no other, the construction of crime in the country,” the synopsis runs.

“The series will try to open a new paradigm for the genre,” Dhalia told Variety. “It also talks about the tragic flaws in all of us, our deep nature,” he added.

Inspired by true events, DNA do Crime is created by Dhalia. Its initial idea was developed by Dhalia, Leonardo Levis and editor-scribe Bernardo Barcellos. It’s produced by Paranoid Filmes, Dhalia’s label, and Netflix Brazil.

Dhalia will oversee the general direction of the series and its production along with Netflix. Screenwriters are Barcellos and Bruno Passeri, “both extremely talented and with a lot of experience in the genre,” Dhalia commented.

Admired arthouse auteur Aly Muritiba, a specialist in pivoting point of view, collaborated on first stage development, as did Levis. The writers’ room includes David Kobi, Rosana Rodini, Mariana Vielmond, Eduardo Melo and Juaar.

Dhalia broke out with his second feature, Drained (2006) a dramedy of obsession, with Selton Mello, then directed daughter-father relationship Adrift, with Vincent Cassel, selected for Cannes Film Festival’s 2009 Un Certain Regard. After English-language abduction thriller Gone, with Amanda Seyfried, he took another change of direction co-writing and directing Bald Mountain (2013), an epic-scale Western tinged gangster movie of friendship riven by the greed and corruption set in 1980 at Sierra Pelada, the biggest hell-on earth open pit mine in modern history, in the Amazon jungle.

From what Dhalia told Variety, DNA do Crime looks set to inherit that film’s ambition. Foreseeably it will also take on some of his kinetic style in action scenes.

Romeo Santos Releases Teaser of Justin Timberlake Collaboration “Sin Fin”

Romeo Santos is (n)syncing up with a pop icon…

The 41-year-old Puerto Rican and Dominican-American singer, known as the King of Bachata, is joining voices with Justin Timberlake for the new single “Sin Fin.”

Romeo SantosSantos offered a sneak peek at the upcoming collaboration, dropping a 15-second preview of their highly anticipated single via social media on Monday.

The preview of the track from Santos’ Formula, Vol. 3 album, due September 1, spotlights JT’s vocals, as he sings, “You already know this love is all your, baby/ So take it/ We’ve been here before, it’s strong enough to save us, oh baby,” over what appears to be black and white footage from the song’s video. The various set-ups range from JT and Santos laughing and goofing around on set to Santos dancing with a woman and taking a ride in his expensive car.

The song will appear on an album that also boasts a collaboration with Rosalía and which will focus not on reggaetón, trap or rap, but on bachata, the traditional, guitar-based Dominican heartbreak music that Santos has made his calling card.

“If I do an urban song, it could be massive. I don’t want it to be a distraction,” Santos recently told Billboard in a cover story. “You have these amazing artists who right now are in their prime offering urban music. I wanted to make a difference and speak for my genre. Bachata needs me. I needed to put on my Superman cape for my culture.”

Santos, a longtime JT fan, had never met the “Sexy Back” singer and they had few connections before working together. In fact, just feeling out Justin’s interest in recording a song took nearly a year, but Santos was determined to make it happen.

“Ninety-nine percent of my records are written and produced by me,” he said. “But on Aventura’s first album, I took ‘Gone’ by *NSYNC and rewrote and translated it to Spanish,” he added, referring to an all-acoustic cover from his group’s 2002 album, We Broke the Rules. “It’s crazy how things line up. That was history in the making without realizing it.”

Once the song was in the works, however, it came together quickly, with Santos recruiting longtime collaborator Rico Love and producer Danja (who, along with Timbaland, co-produced all of Timberlake’s 2006 album, FutureSexLoveSounds) to come up with “Sin Fin.”

“He said, ‘I dig this.’ What I respect about JT is he not only recorded his vocals but he turned that song that now I feel was at 30% into something completely different for the better,” said Santos. “He changed the melody, the lyrics; he wrote, he produced. There was a moment where I was at the studio and he was directing my guitarist. To me, that was surreal: JT is producing a bachata.”

Vanessa Rubio Upped to Series Regular on Netflix’s “Cobra Kai”

Vanessa Rubio is stepping things up…

The 37-year-old Colombian-American actress has been promoted to series regular for the upcoming fourth season of Netflix’s Cobra Kai.

Vanessa Rubio 

Starring Ralph Macchio and William Zabka, the Karate Kid sequel series is one of the streamer’s most popular shows.

Rubio has portrayed Carmen Diaz since Season 1, appearing in 16 episodes. Carmen is Miguel’s (Xolo Maridueña) hard-working mother who would do anything to protect her son.

The third season recently premiered in January, hitting No. 1 worldwide on Netflix. The first three seasons of Cobra Kai are now streaming on Netflix with the fourth season production underway in Atlanta.

Cobra Kai takes place over 30 years after the events of the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament with the continuation of the inescapable conflict between Daniel LaRusso (Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (Zabka).

Cobra Kai is written and executive produced by Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg via their production company, Counterbalance Entertainment. Will Smith, James Lassiter and Caleeb Pinkett executive produce for Westbrook Entertainment along with Susan Ekins in association with Sony Pictures Television. Macchio and Zabka also serve as executive producers.

In addition to Cobra Kai, Rubio recently appeared in the second season of Netflix’s Bonding.

Her other previous TV credits include Netflix’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings and Master of None, WGN’s Gone and NBC’s Deception.

Her film work includes How To Be Single, The Hudson Tribes and The Girl is in Trouble.

Pino to Star in Procedural Drama Series “Gone”

Danny Pino is going, going, Gone

The 42-year-old Cuban American actor and former Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Cold Case alum will star opposite Chris Noth and Leven Rambin in Gone, a 12-episode procedural drama series for NBCUniversal International Studios, Germany’s RTL and France’s TF1.

Danny Pino

The series, which eyes a launch in winter 2017-18, was created by Matt Lopez (The Sorcerer’s Apprentice) based on Chelsea Cain’s novel One Kick.

The project tells the fictional story of Kit “Kick” Lannigan (Rambin), survivor of a famous child-abduction case, and Frank Booth (Noth), the FBI agent who rescued her. Determined never to fall victim again, Kick trains in martial arts and the use of firearms. She finds her calling when Booth persuades her to join a special task force he created dedicated to solving abductions and missing persons cases. Paired with former Army intelligence officer John Bishop (Pino), Kick brings her unique understanding of the mind of a predator. Bishop is initially skeptical about bringing Kick onto the team, but over the course of the season, he will come to appreciate her unique skill-set and they will become a formidable crime-solving duo.

Pino most recently starred opposite Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Tony Shalhoub in CBS’ critically praised series Braindead. He previously played Detective Nick Amaro on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit for multiple seasons, and starred for seven seasons as Detective Scotty Valens on Cold Case. He also recurred on ABC’s Scandal.