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

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.

María Gabriela de Faríade 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 StudiosSuperman: 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.

Ana Nogueira to Pen “Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow” for Warner Bros. & DC Studios

Ana Nogueira is a (super)girl on a mission…

The 38-year-old Latina actress, playwright and screenwriter has been tapped to write Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow for Warner Bros. and DC Studios.

Ana NogueiraThe project is a standalone film that will follow Kara Zor-El, the cousin of Superman. The film is still in early development and no director is attached at this time.

While plot details for the film are still vague, the original comic follows Supergirl as she gets caught up in a young alien girl’s quest for revenge.

The film is a big part of DC Studio Co-Chiefs James Gunn and Peter Safran’s grand plan to re-launch the DC universe starting with Superman Legacy that Gunn is writing and directing with David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan starring. Production for that film will begin next year.

Nogueira, the actress turned playwright, most recently penned her Off-Broadway play Which Way To The Stagewhich debuted in 2022. On the film side she is adapting the novel Mothers, Lock Up Your Daughters for 21 Laps Entertainment.

Disney to Premiere Zoe Saldaña’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” on Disney+ in August

Zoe Saldaña’s galaxy is headed online…

Disney has set the Disney+ global premiere date for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, starring the 45-year-old Puerto Rican and Dominican American actress, for August 2, 90 days after the film’s theatrical release of May 5.

Zoe SaldanaWhile Disney received criticism during CEO Bob Chapek’s era for executing theatrical day-and-date releases on Disney+ during the pandemic, the Mouse House continues to make it up to movie theater operators.

In fact, they’ve been following long theatrical windows before Marvel films hit Disney+ going back to 2021’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Recently, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania had an 89-day theatrical window until it hit its Disney+ debut date on May 17. Marvel’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever had an 82-day window after its November 11 theatrical release date before hitting Disney+ on February 1.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 from filmmaker-turned-DC Studios co-Boss James Gunn, is currently the second highest grossing movie of the year with $842.4M worldwide after

Universal/Illumination’s Super Mario Bros Movie, which has minted $1.34 billion. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is still shy of the $955.7M that Disney/MCU’s summer kickstarter, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnessgrossed last year.

Meanwhile, Super Mario Bros will hit Universal’s streaming service Peacock after 121 days in theaters.

Warner Bros. Releases Trailer for Xolo Maridueña’s DC film “Blue Beetle”

Xolo Maridueña is feelin’ blue

Warner Bros has released the official trailer for the DC film Blue Beetle, starring the 21-year-old Mexican, Cuban, and Ecuadorian American actor.

Xolo MaridueñaFrom filmmaker Angel Manuel Soto, the film will hit theaters on August 18 and will be available for viewing in Imax.

The film was originally conceived for HBO Max, but then the studio pivoted to a theatrical release before Blue Beetle started production.

The first Latin DC superhero feature was developed under the Walter Hamada run era of the studio. Word is the character will be incorporated in the universe being developed by new DC bosses Peter Safran and James Gunn. In the DC canon, Blue Beetle is friends with Booster Gold, another DC character who Gunn/Safran are developing a TV series around.

Maridueña stars in the title role and as his alter ego Jaime Reyes. Recent college grad Jaime Reyes returns home full of aspirations for his future, only to find that home is not quite as he left it. As he searches to find his purpose in the world, fate intervenes when Jaime unexpectedly finds himself in possession of an ancient relic of alien biotechnology: the Scarab. When the Scarab suddenly chooses Jaime to be its symbiotic host, he is bestowed with an incredible suit of armor capable of extraordinary and unpredictable powers, forever changing his destiny as he becomes the superhero Blue Beetle.

Starring alongside Maridueña are Adriana Barraza as Jaime’s grandmother, Nana, Damían Alcázar as his father, Elpidia Carrillo as his mother, Bruna Marquezine as Jenny Kord, Raoul Max Trujillo as Carapax, with Oscar winner Susan Sarandon as Victoria Kord, and George Lopez as Jaime’s Uncle Rudy.

The film also stars Belissa Escobedo as Jaime’s sister, Milagro, and Harvey Guillén as Dr. Sanchez.

Soto directs off a screenplay by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer, based on characters from DC.

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

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.

Zoe SaldañaThe 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.

David Del Rio to Star in ABC’s Comedy Pilot “Maggie”

David Del Rio has landed his next role…

The 33-year-old Latino actor has been cast as a series regular opposite Rebecca Rittenhouse in the ABC comedy pilot Maggie, based on Tim Curcio’s short film.

David Del Rio

Del Rio will star joins a roster of cast newcomers that includes Chris Elliott, Ray Ford and Leonardo Nam. 

The project hails from Family Guy and Life in Pieces writer Maggie Mull, daughter of Clue actor Martin Mull, and Life in Pieces creator Justin Adler. 20th Century Fox Television produces.

Written by Mull and Adler, the single-camera comedy follows a young woman (Rittenhouse) who tries to cope with life while coming to terms with her abilities as a psychic. She can see everyone’s future, but her present is a mess.

Del Rio will play Ben. A gregarious guy, Ben has a heightened energy and is enlivened by new experiences and people. In this way, he’s Maggie’s opposite, but like Maggie, he has a romantic side that he tries to hide behind a sometimes overly confident veneer.

Del Rio most recently starred on ABC’s short-lived Latin-themed series The Baker and the Beauty.

On the film side, he can also be seen in James Gunn’s The Belko Experiment. His credits also include a supporting role in Universal’s Pitch Perfect, the indie Dead Drop opposite Cole Hauser, and Nickelodeon’s The Troop, on which he starred for three seasons.

New Trailer Released for Saldana’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2”

It’s on guard(ian) for Zoe Saldana

The latest trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, starring the 38-year-old Puerto Rican and Dominican American actress was unveiled by Saldana’s co-star Chris Pratt on Tuesday night’s Jimmy Kimmel Live.

Zoe Saldana

The video features a handful of the same scenes that have been seen in previous trailers and promos, with the superhero team assembling to save the galaxy for a second time, as well as continuing the team’s adventures as they unravel the mystery of Peter Quill’s true parentage.

“Sometimes, the thing you’re searching for your whole life in right there by your side all along,” Pratt’s Star-Lord says in the trailer.

He doesn’t have to wait that long to find the thing he’s been searching for his whole life, as audiences are finally introduced to Star-Lord’s father Ego, played by Kurt Russell.

In addition to Saldana and Pratt, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, directed by James Gunn, also features Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel as Baby Groot.

It opens in theaters on May 5.

Arjona to Star in Guillermo del Toro’s “Pacific Rim 2”

It’s a Legendary deal for Adria Arjona

The 24-year-old Guatemalan/Puerto Rican actress has closed a deal with Legendary Pictures to star in Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim 2.

Adria Arjona Adria Arjona

Arjona joins a cast that includes John Boyega, Scott Eastwood, Jing Tian and Cailee Spaeny.

Steven S. DeKnight is directing the sequel based on the world created by del Toro and Travis Beacham.

Arjona is starring in NBC’s upcoming series Emerald City as Dorothy Gale. It’s the retelling of The Wizard of Oz that’s set to premiere on January 6.

Arjona stars in the James Gunn horror production The Belko Experiment and the upcoming Melissa McCarthy movie Life of the Party.

The actress also co-starred in the 2015 installment of HBO’s True Detective.

Arjona to Star in the College-Set Comedy “Life of the Party”

Adria Arjona is ready to party

The 24-year-old Guatemalan and Puerto Rican actress has signed on to star in Melissa McCarthy’s upcoming college-set comedy Life of the Party.

Adria Arjona  

Described as in the vein of Rodney Dangerfield’s 1986 comedy Back to School, Life of the Party stars McCarthy, Maya Rudolph, Gillian Jacobs, Jacki Weaver, Molly Gordon and Jessie Ennis and hits theaters May 11, 2018.

Arjona is set to play “a sorority sister with issues.”

Ben Falcone directs Life of the Party from a script he co-wrote with McCarthy.

Life of the Party begins filming this week in Atlanta.

Arjona next will be seen starring in NBC’s Emerald City opposite Vincent D’Onofrio and MGM’s The Belko Experiment, written and produced by James Gunn and set to premiere at TIFF next month.

Her credits also include HBO’s True Detective and Netflix’s Narcos.

Del Rio to Star in the Action Horror Film “The Belko Experiment”

David Del Rio is experimenting…

The 27-year-old Latino actor has been cast in The Belko Experiment, the Greg McLean-directed action horror film that was written and is being produced by Guardians Of The Galaxy director James Gunn.

David Del Rio

Gunn has been leaking out a new role a day for the MGM thriller, which stars Melonie Diaz.

Del Rio will play a snarky young man with a wicked sense of humor and a key component in the panic of the employees at a San Paulo office building who are mysteriously forced to either start killing one another or be killed.

John Gallagher Jr., Tony Goldwyn, Adria Arjona, Michael Rooker and John C. McGinley are among those already aboard.

Del Rio will next appear in Undrafted with Chace Crawford and Aaron Tveit.