Eréndira Ibarra to Star Opposite Keanu Reeves in “The Matrix 4”

Eréndira Ibarra is enterting the matrix…

The 34-year-old Mexican actress will be reuniting with Sense8 co-creator Lana Wachowski in the Warner Bros./Village Roadshow sequel The Matrix 4, which is expected to begin filming this year.

Eréndira Ibarra

Ibarra will be joining franchise returnees Keanu Reeves (Neo), Carrie-Anne Moss(Trinity), and Jada Pinkett Smith(Niobe) as well as newcomers Jessica HenwickNeil Patrick HarrisToby Onwumere, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who is rumored to be playing young Morpheus. Henwick is buzzed to play a female Neo-like character.

Wachowski will direct and co-write the screenplay with Aleksandar Hemon and David Mitchell. Wachowski is producing with Grant Hill, who executive produced Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions. The Matrixtrilogy has grossed more than $1.6 billion at the worldwide box office.

Ibarra joined the first and second seasons of Netflix’s Sense8 in the role of Daniela Velázquez. 

She also starred in the Kate del Castillo Netflix series Ingobernable and the Amazon Prime series El CandidatoShe studied at the artistic studio in Casa Azul.

Kate del Castillo to Star in the Off Broadway Production of Isaac Gomez’s “the way she spoke”

Kate del Castillois ready to take the stage…

The 46-year-old Mexican actress, who starred in Telemundo’s wildly popular La Reina del Sur series, will return to the New York stage this summer in the Off Broadway production of Isaac Gomez’s the way she spoke, directed by Jo Bonney as the next Audible Theater production at the Minetta Lane Theatre.

Kate del Castillo

Previews begin on Monday, July 8, with opening night set for Thursday, July 18. The Minetta Lane, in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village, is home base for Audible’s live performances, with productions recorded and released by Audible as audio plays.

the way she spoke follows an actress who enters a theater, picks up a script, and begins to read a story that reveals “disturbing and haunting accounts of the murder of thousands of women in Juarez, Mexico and one playwright’s journey of discovery and responsibility.” 

According to Audible’s description, “As lines blur between theatricality and reality, intense and provocative questions are raised and demand deeper examination. Based on a series of intimate interviews, this one-woman play demonstrates the power of speaking truth, even as it considers the implications of doing so.”

Kate Navin, Audible Artistic Producer, called Gomez’s play “deeply moving,” and that del Castillo’s “raw and inspiring performance is sure to captivate our live audiences in New York City and resonate with Audible members everywhere.”

The creative team includes Riccardo Hernandez (scenic design), Emilio Sosa (costume design), Lap Chi Chu(lighting design), Elisheba Ittoop(sound design), and Aaron Rhyne(projection design).

del Castillo, set to co-star with Will Smithand Martin Lawrencein 2020’s Bad Boys For Life, has been a popular star of Mexican television since her teens, but her performance on La Reina del Sur in 2011 became a cultural phenomenon. A second season launched last month. The series, produced by Telemundo and Spain’s Antena 3, is a primetime serial that chronicles del Castillo’s Teresa character, a Mexican woman who rises to great power through international drug trafficking (Alice Bragaplays the character in USA Networks’ American version Queen of the South).

del Castillo’s other credits include Jane The VirginUnder the Same MoonThe 33All About Nina, and the upcoming Bad Boys For Life.

Off-screen, del Castillo made international news when, after controversially tweeting about El Chapoin 2012, the actress was contacted by a lawyer for the Mexican drug lord to discuss a biopic about him (El Chapo, it turned out, was a del Castillo superfan, with a stockpile of La Reina del Sur DVDs found at the safe house raided by Mexican intelligence agencyCISEN.) Later, del Castillo helped arrange the meeting between El Chapo and actor Sean Penn.

Eduardo Marturet & the Miami Symphony Orchestra Record La Reina del Sur 2’s Soundtrack in Collaboration with Alberto Slezynger

Eduardo Marturet is giving Telemundo’s La Reina del Sur telenovela sequel a Hollywood-level soundtrack.

The 65-year-old Venezuelan conductor and composer’s Miami Symphony Orchestra has recorded LaReina del Sur soundtrack in collaboration with Latin Grammy-nominated composer and musician Alberto Slezynger.

Eduardo Marturet & the Miami Symphony Orchestra

Slezynger wrote the score with members of the team at his production company Personal Music.

“The idea was to produce the music using the highest Hollywood standards,” Slezynger said in a statement.

“When we have the symphony, aside from creating a fabulous sound, we get a product produced by human beings as it happens on a scene or on set. We don’t have robots, we have real people,” Marturet added.” 

It’s the first time that the Miami Symphony Orchestra has recorded a soundtrack.

Season two of the spectacularly successful show re-visits drug trafficker Teresa Mendoza (Kate del Castillo), eight years after she disappeared into the U.S. government’s witness protection program. 

Shot on location in eight countries, the La Reina del Sursecond season is a co-production between Telemundo and Netflix.

Telemundo will air the show in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, while Netflix has exclusive rights in the rest of the world. 

The original La Reina del Surwas Telemundo’s most successful series ever. 

For La Reina del Sur 2, the Spanish-language network will expand the show’s reach by airing it across its platforms with English-language subtitles. Telemundo Global Studios’ President Marcos Santana is the show’s Executive producer and showrunner.

La Reina del Surs Season 2 premieres April 22 at 10 p.m. on Telemundo.

Briarcliff Entertainment Acquires US Rights to Raúl Castillo’s Latino Superhero Film “El Chicano”

El Chicano will be sweeping into theaters next year…

Briarcliff Entertainment has acquired U.S. rights to the Latino superhero film with an all-Hispanic cast, including star Raúl Castillo.

El Chicano

The action film tells the story of twin brothers Diego and Pedro (both played by Castillo), who grew up together on the streets of East Los Angeles. As adults, their lives took radically different paths as Diego became a celebrated detective for the LAPD, and Pedro turned to a dead-end life of crime. When clues start connecting Pedro’s death to a case Diego is working on, a mythological figure from his youth, The Ghetto Grim Reaper, draws Diego in deeper than he ever expected. He becomes that figure, a Hispanic version of Batman or Black Panther.

The film also stars George Lopez, Aimee Garcia, Emilio Rivera, Kate del Castillo, Mr. Criminal, Noel G. Marco Rodriguez, Marlene Forte, Jose Pablo Cantillo, Sal Lopez, David Castañeda and Armida Lopez.

El Chicano marks the feature film directorial debut of 25-year veteran stuntman Ben Hernandez Bray, who co-wrote the script with Joe Carnahan.

Carnahan was frustrated waiting for Bad Boys 3 to come together, he succumbed to Bray’s rationale and bailed on one franchise in hopes of starting another.

“I was frustrated with Bad Boys 3, and Ben had been talking about this for a decade,” Carnahan said. “He would tell me that 25% of movie tickets are purchased by Latinos, and so where are their big heroes? We wrote this on spec, and these white oil and gas guys from Canada gave us the money to make it at an under $8 million budget. It got an amazing response at the L.A. Film Festival. We believe in this, and that it can find a big audience and launch a franchise.”

Said Bray: “Just the fact that we’re making this announcement during Hispanic Heritage Month, which celebrates the vital and important presence of Hispanics and Latinos in North America, is wonderful to me. The time is now for a film like El Chicano. A Latino superhero franchise is long overdue, but to have the forces of Joe Carnahan, Frank Grillo, Tom Ortenberg and Lorenzo di Bonaventurain the mix just makes it even sweeter and well worth the wait!”

The film will be released theatrically on March 22, 2019, with a reported target of 600-800 screens.

Raúl Castillo to Star in the Indie Film “El Chicano”

Raúl Castillo has landed a super new role…

The 39-year-old Mexican American actor will star in El Chicano, the indie film directed by Ben Bray (Supergirl) from a script he co-wrote with Joe Carnahan (Smokin’ Aces).

Raúl Castillo

It’s described as a dark, urban-inspired superhero movie, detailing the crime-fighting exploits of the mysterious barrio vigilante known as “El Chicano.”

The film also stars Lucifer star Aimee Garcia, George Lopez and Kate Del Castillo.

David Castaneda, Noel G, Jose Pablo Cantillo, Marco Rodriguez, Sal Lopez, and Mr. Criminal are also among the cast of the film, which is currently in production.

Castillo recurs in the Netflix series Atypical and was cast as a regular in the streaming giant’s upcoming crime drama series Seven Seconds.

Garcia recently wrapped shooting the film What They Had, opposite Michael Shannon and Hilary Swank.

Lopez currently stars in the TVLand sitcom Lopez.

del Castillo stars in the Netflix series Ingobernable.

Daddy Yankee to Perform at This Year’s Billboard Latin Music Awards

Daddy Yankee is readying for another performance on the big stage…

The 40-year-old Puerto Rican superstar is confirmed to perform at the 2017 Billboard Latin Music Awards, taking place April 27 at the University of Miami‘s Watsco Center.

Daddy Yankee

Daddy Yankee and Luis Fonsi will take the stage for the worldwide television premiere of their monster hit “Despacito.” The pair recently dropped a new remix featuring Justin Bieber, and after just 24 hours on YouTube, it became the biggest musical debut on the streaming platform, surpassing 20 million worldwide views.

During Daddy Yankee’s performance, the five-time finalist will also debut a new track.

Other performers throughout the night include J BalvinNicky Jam, Gente de Zona, Zion y LennoxAlejandro Fernández and Morat.

Mexican actress Kate del Castillo, from the Netflix series Ingobernable, and Puerto Rican actor and singer Carlos Ponce will host the awards ceremony that will air live on Telemundo. Presenters include ChocQuibTownSofía ReyesOlga TañónSin BanderaJuan Luis Guerra and Ednita Nazario, among others.

The Billboard Latin Music Awards are the culmination of the Billboard Latin Music Conference, taking place April 24-27 at the Ritz Carlton Miami Beach.

Hulu to Feature del Castillo’s “La Reina del Sur” & Other Telemundo & Sony TV Projects

Kate del Castillo will soon be the reina of Hulu

Hulu has beefed up its Spanish-language offerings with deals that secure programming from Sony Pictures Television and co-owner Comcast’s Telemundo, including the 44-year-old Mexican actress’ popular telenovela La Reina del Sur.

Kate del Castillo

The company didn’t disclose financial terms, but says both pacts are “multi-year.”

The first time agreement with Telemundo will give Hulu five series from its library. They include past episodes of La Reina del SurCelia, and Bajo El Mismo Cielo, which are available now. On April 15 Hulu will add the complete catalogs of Tierra de Reyes and La Patrona.

Meanwhile, Sony has provided telenovelas and teleseries including LadyLa Vendendora de RosasDoña Barbara, comedy series Los Beltran, and crime dramas El MariachiMetastasis and En la Boca del Lobo.

Films in the agreement include El Mariachi and The Secret in Their Eyes. Hulu also will have nine films from director Pedro Almodóvar, including The Skin I Live InWoman on the Verge of a Nervous BreakdownAll About My MotherBad EducationBroken EmbracesTalk to Her and Law of Desire.

Hulu’s deepening its video on demand online library as it prepares to introduce a live streaming service.

Netflix Releases Official Trailer for del Castillo’s “Ingobernable”

Kate del Castillo is uncontrollable

Netflix has released the official trailer for Ingobernable, the upcoming political thriller drama series from Mexico starring the 44-year-old Mexican actress and former telenovela star and Erik Hayser.

Kate del Castillo

First Lady Emilia Urquiza (del Castillo) has big plans to improve conditions for the country through her commitment to fighting for peace. As Emilia starts to lose faith in her husband, President Diego Nava (Hayser), she finds herself at a crossroad where she will need to find a way to deal with a great challenge and uncover the truth.

In the trailer (with English subtitles), we see Los Pinos, the presidential residence, is not a happy homestead. The First Lady (del Castillo) has filed for divorce, the President (Hayser) then turns up dead, and the First Lady is nowhere to be found.

Per the logline: Emilia is a woman with a strong personality, conviction and clear ideas that make her capable of doing anything: making a president, leaving a president and killing a president.

Netflix will launch the 15-episode first season of Ingobernable on March 24.

Netflix to Premiere del Castillo’s “Ingobernable” in March

Kate del Castillo is ungovernable

Netflix will premiere the first season of its Mexican original series Ingobernable, starring the 44-year-old Mexican actress, on March 24.

Kate del Castillo

del Castillo and Erik Hayser star as the First Lady and President of Mexico in the 15-episode fictional series set in the present-day.

del Castillo, a key player in the real-life saga of Mexican drug lord Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, portrays First Lady Emilia Urquiza, a woman who has big plans to improve conditions for the country through her commitment to fighting for peace. She’s a woman with a strong personality, conviction and clear ideas that make her capable of doing anything. As Emilia starts to lose faith in her husband, President Diego Nava, she finds herself at a crossroads where she’ll need to find a way to deal with a great challenge and uncover the truth.

The presidential couple will be joined by their two children Maria Nava Urquiza (Alicia Jaziz) and Emiliano Nava Urquiza (Alessio Valentini).

Other cast members include Erendira Ibarra (Las Aparicio, Sense8, La Vida Inmoral de la Pareja Ideal), Luis Roberto Guzmán (El Pantera, Ladies Night), Fernando Luján (Mirada de Mujer, Todo por Amor), Marina de Tavira (El Señor de los Cielos, Capadocia), Marco Antonio Treviño (The 33, Las Aparicio), María del Carmen Farías (Hostile Border, Las Aparicio), Aida López (Frida, Capadocia), Alberto Guerra Ramos (Hasta que te Conocí, Siempre Tuya Acapulco), Harold Torres (Crónica de Castas, Sin Nombre), Maxi Iglesias (Dueños del paraíso, Velvet), Alvaro Guerrero (Amores Perros, The Mission), Diego Cadavid (The Snitch Cartel, Blind Alley), Tamara Mazarrasa Lopez (Camelia la Texana, Everybody’s Got Somebody…Not Me), Marianna Burelli (Paramédicos, El Torito), Hernan del Riego (Cantinflas, Fantasma), Jeirmarie Osorio Rivera (Celia, Fast Five), Mitzi Mabel Cadena (Capadocia, El Señor de los Cielos), and Pablo Astiazarán (La Última Mirada, Goes And Runs).

The series was originally set to shoot in Mexico, but plans changed and production was moved to the U.S. del Castillo had told ABC News last year she was afraid to go to Mexico for fear of being arrested and prosecuted after she had come under scrutiny from the Mexican government over her connection to the notorious Mexican drug lord Guzman, which led to her and actor Sean Penn’s infamous secret meeting with El Chapo while he was on the run following his escape from a Mexican prison. El Chapo was eventually re-captured and extradited to the U.S. last month to face charges connected to leading one of the world’s largest narcotics organizations.

del Castillo’s Netflix Series “Ingobernable” to Film in the U.S.

Kate del Castillo’s latest project is heading north of the border…

Ingobernable, Netflix’s new original series toplined by the 43-year-old Mexican actress and telenovela star, is heading to production with a twist.

Kate del Castillo

The series, whose star was a key player in the El Chapo saga, was originally slated to film in Mexico.

It will now shoot in the United States. According to Spanish-language reports citing del Castillo’s personal trainer, Ingobernable is expected to film in San Diego.

del Castillo, who recently became an U.S. citizen, lives in California and told ABC News in March that she is afraid to go to Mexico for fear of being arrested and prosecuted.

del Castillo has been under scrutiny by the Mexican government over her connection to notorious Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, which led to her and actor Sean Penn’s infamous secret meeting with El Chapo while he was on the run following his daring escape from a Mexican prison.

“It’s a telenovela within a telenovela. It’s a strange turn of events for sure,” Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos said at the height of the controversy in January, reaffirming the company’s commitment to film the series this year.

Ingobernable was picked up to series in summer 2015, long before del Castillo’s El Chapo ties were revealed. It was originally slated to begin shooting in early 2016, but production was delayed.