Jordana Brewster to Star in the Comedy “Charlie In The Pandemic”

Jordana Brewster is bringing the funny to the Hamptons…

The 41-year-old half-Brazilian Panama-born actress will star in the comedy Charlie In The Pandemic.

Jordana BrewsterBrewster will star alongside Reid ScottAdam Pally and Dylan Penn as leads on the project.

Xavier Manrique and his Blind Bulldog Films has teamed up with Jason Dubin, Perry Street Films and Nicholas Schutt to produce the feature. David Frankel is executive-producing. Manrique is set to direct a script penned by Schutt.

In the movie, the COVID-19 bubble is popped when a New York City family hiding out in the Hamptons is surprised by a Bloody Mary-swilling, pot-smoking ‘Charlie’ from their past who brings a lifetime of hurt that might heal them all.

The film is now in pre-production and is set to shoot in New York City and the Hamptons later this month.

Brewster is best known for her work on the Fast & Furious films, including the most recent F9 film. Her other credits include Dallas, Lethal Weapon and American Crime Story.

Shakira Barrera to Appear on 11th & Final Season of Showtime’s “Shameless”

There’s a little more shame(less) in Shakira Barrera’s game…

The Nicaraguan-American actress/dancer and former GLOW star will recur in the final season of Shameless as Heidi, the series’ last recurring character.

Shakira Barrera

Heidi is a recently released inmate who goes on a terrorizing crime spree when she hits the streets.

Starring William H. Macy, the 11th and final season of Shameless finds the Gallagher family and the South Side at a crossroads, with changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, gentrification and aging to reconcile.

Jeremy Allen, Ethan Cutkosky, Cameron Monaghan, Noel Fisher, Steve Howey, Shanola Hampton, Christian Isaiah and Kate Miner also star.

Created by Paul Abbott, Shameless is produced by Bonanza Productions in association with John Wells Productions and Warner Bros. Television.

Barrera appeared as Yolanda (aka Yo-Yo) in Netflix’s GLOW, and recently recurred on Animal Kingdom.

Her additional credits include Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, Lethal Weapon and Queen of the South. She also appeared in HBO’s High & Mighty and It’s Bruno.

Marisela Zumbado to Appear on HBO Max’s Lena Dunham-Produced Dramedy “Generation”

Marisela Zumbado is celebrating her Generation

The Latina actress has landed a recurring role on HBO Max’s Lena Dunham-produced half-hour dramedy Generation.

Marisela Zumbado

Zumbado appears on a roster of newcomers to the cast that includes Alicia Coppola and Marwan Salama.

Created by Zelda Barnz and her father Daniel Barnz, who also directs, Generation is a dark yet playful half-hour following a group of high school students whose exploration of modern sexuality (devices and all) tests deeply entrenched beliefs about life, love and the nature of family in their conservative community.

Zumbado is Lucia, a young junior who is confident, bold and queer and loves to shake things up.

Coppola plays Carol, the mother of Riley (Chase Sui Wonders) who is terribly uncool, painfully suburban and obsessed with meddling in Riley’s business.

Salama portrays Bo, an under-the-radar high school junior who is direct, utterly unself-conscious and refreshingly comfortable in his own skin.

They join an ensemble cast that includes Nathanya Alexander, Chloe East, Nava Mau, Lukita Maxwell, Haley Sanchez, Uly Schlesinger and Sam Trammell with Justice Smith and Martha Plimpton.

Zumbado will next be seen on Netflix’s On the Verge. She has recurred in Showtime’s The Affair, CW’s The Originals, Cinemax’s Banshee, and recently guest starred in Fox’s Lethal Weapon and Deputy as well as Amazon’s Goliath.

Netflix Acquires Skydance Television’s Global Spy Adventure Series Starring Monica Barbaro & Arnold Schwarzenegger 

Monica Barbaro is heading to Netflix…

Skydance Television’s hour-long global spy adventure series starring the 30-year-old Latina actress and Arnold Schwarzenegger has landed at Netflix.

Monica Barbaro,

The project will reportedly now head into development with a script-to-series commitment.

Created by Nick Santora, the series, marking Schwarzenegger’s first major foray into scripted television, is described as a global spy adventure with a father (Schwarzenegger) and daughter (Barbaro) at the center of the story.

Santora is executive producing the untitled series as part of his overall deal with Skydance Television.

Schwarzenegger executive produces the new series along with Skydance’s David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Bill Bost; Carolyn Harris will oversee the project for the company.

The project was developed internally at Skydance TV and the independent studio cast the two leads before taking it out to the streaming marketplace.

The series extends Skydance TV’s relationship with Netflix where the company produces long-running hit comedy Grace and Frankie and also produced Altered Carbon.

Barbaro will next appear on film in Top Gun: Maverick.

Her previous credits include appearances on Stumptown, Splitting Up Together, The Good Cop, Lethal Weapon and Unreal.

Johnathan Fernandez to Star on HBO Max’s “Gossip Girl” Series Reimagining

Johnathan Fernandez is ready to spill the tea…

The 46-year-old Colombian and Honduran American actor joined Emily Alyn Lindin Gossip Girl, HBO Max’s upcoming series reimagining of the pop culture phenomenon that made household names of stars like Blake LivelyLeighton Meester, Penn BadgleyChace Crawford and Ed Westwick.

Johnathan Fernandez

Fernandez joins a roster of new cast additions that includes Whitney PeakEli Brown and Jason Gotay.S

The 10-episode series hails from Joshua SafranJosh Schwartzand Stephanie Savage’s Fake EmpireAlloy EntertainmentWarner Bros Televisionand CBS Television Studios.

Like the original series, the new iteration of Gossip Girl, written by Safran, is based on the book by Cecily von Ziegesar. Eight years after the original website went dark, a new generation of New York private school teens are introduced to the social surveillance of Gossip Girl. 

The prestige series will address just how much social media — and the landscape of New York itself — has changed in the intervening years.

No official character descriptions for the quartet are being released. The new series is said to have a similar character dynamic to the original, with Peak, Brown and Lind as the leading trio and Fernandez and Gotay as members of the core ensemble.

Gossip Girlran for six seasons from 2007-2012 on the CW across 121 episodes. Its influence extended beyond television.Fernandez was a series regular on another WBTV series, Fox’s Lethal WeaponFor three seasons, he played the dry-toned medical examiner on the series reboot.  Fernandez will next appear in the Marvel feature Morbiusand the indie Together-ish.

Priscilla Quintana Lands Recurring Role on Freeform’s “Good Trouble”

Priscilla Quintana is getting into Trouble

The Latina actress has joined The Fosters spinoff Good Trouble in a recurring role.

Priscilla Quintana,

The Freeformseries follows residents of The Coterie as they deal with the consequences of their personal and professional decisions and realize that sometimes standing up for what you believe in comes at a price. 

The current season picked up with Callie and Mariana’s relationship on the rocks after Callie has decided to move in with Jamie and leave the “Coterie Biatches” behind.

Quintana will play Isabella, a sexy, charming, outgoing aspiring actress/model who seems very confident but is really desperate to be liked. With her friendly personality and good looks, she is sure to shake things up at The Coterie. 

Good Trouble stars Maia MitchellCierra RamirezSherry ColaTommy Martinez, Zuri AdeleEmma Hunton and Josh Pence.

Quintana will return for the second season of The CW’s Pandora. Her other credits include appearances on Lethal WeaponMasters of Sex and Training Day.

Danny Trejo to Star in “The Protector”

Danny Trejois protected

The 75-year-old Mexican American actor will star opposite Billy Zane, Randy Couture and James Russo in the action film The Protector from filmmaker Justin Lee.

Danny Trejo

Ed Morroneleading the film as protagonist Mickey Rome, an aging protection specialist who’s ready to holster his guns and head for retirement. When the agency he works for demands one last job be done, Mickey obliges and is sent to Central America to watch a husband and wife who have stolen $8m from a ruthless crime family.

Doctor Drew PinskyJohnny Messnerand Eddie Finlayare also part of the cast.

“This movie is a fun throwback to films from the ’80s like Lethal WeaponMidnight Run and 48 Hours. It has action. It has comedy. It has dark moments. It was such a joy to get to work in a space I love so much with phenomenal talent,” said director Lee.

Trejo, best known for his title role as Machetein the Robert Rodriguez-helmed films, has previously appeared in AnacondaCon AirGrindhouseand Once Upon a Time in Mexico.

Priscilla Quintana to Star in the CW’s Sci-Fi Action Series “Pandora”

Priscilla Quintana is opening Pandora’s box…

The Latina actress has been cast as the lead in Pandora, the CW‘s upcoming summer sci-fi action series.

Priscilla Quintana

From Mark A. Altman and Steve Kriozere’s Radioactive FishtankVital Signs Entertainmentand Starlings Television, the series is set in the year 2199.

Pandora centers on Jax (aka Pandora), played by Quintana, a resourceful young woman who has lost everything after the death of her parents but finds a new life at Earth’s Space Training Academy where she and her friends learn to defend the Galaxy from threats, both alien and human. When secrets about the nature of her own identity begin to surface, she must uncover the truth, and whether she will be humanity’s savior or the instrument of its destruction.

Quintana’s Jax is super smart, naturally inquisitive, empowered, and with a quick acerbic wit. As traumatic as the death of her parents was for her, her world will be turned upside down even more when she learns her whole life is a lie.

Rounding out the series regular cast are Oliver Dench, Raechelle BannoJohn Harlan KimBen RadcliffeBanita SandhuMartin Bobb-Semple and Noah Huntley

Production is underway in Bulgaria. A premiere date has not yet been set.

 “The biggest challenge of casting a new drama is to create an exciting, diverse family of actors,” said Altman. “And I cannot imagine a more dynamic or talented group of actors than the cast of Pandora. I can’t wait for audiences around the world to meet this incredible ensemble this summer.”

Quintana’s recent feature credits include Traffik and Polaroid. She also has guest starred on television on Lethal WeaponTraining Day and Masters of Sex. 

Cabral to Star in FX’s “Sons of Anarchy” Spinoff Pilot “Mayans MC”

It’s ride or die for Richard Cabral

The Mexican-American actor, who earned an Emmy nomination for his standout performance in American Crime, will co-star opposite JD Pardo in FX’s Mayans MC, Kurt Sutter’s Sons of Anarchy spinoff pilot.

Richard Cabral

Set in the aftermath of Jax Teller’s death at the end of SOA’s seven-season run in 2014, Mayans MC will focus on the struggles of Ezekiel “EZ” Reyes (Pardo), a prospect in the Mayan MC charter on the California/Mexico border. EZ is the gifted son of a proud Latino family, whose American dream was snuffed out by cartel violence. Now, his need for vengeance drives him toward a life he never intended and can never escape.

Cabral will play Johnny “El Coco” Cruz, a full patch member of Mayans MC, Santo Padre. Former Army sharpshooter and weapons specialist, Johnny earned a section 8 for shooting a cigar out of his CO’s mouth from a half-mile away… while he was stoned.

In addition to Pardo, Cabral joins previously cast Edward James Olmos, John OrtizAntonio Jaramillo and Clayton Cardenas.

Mayans MC was co-created by Sutter and Elgin James. Sutter is set to executive produce and direct the pilot; James is co-executive producer for Fox 21 Television Studios and FX Productions.

Cabral has recurred on all three seasons to date of ABC’s anthology drama American Crime, earning an Emmy nomination for his work in Season 1. Season 3 premieres March 12. Set in rural North Carolina, it centers around immigration and American labor issues.

Cabral also has a recurring role on Fox’s Lethal Weapon.

Fox Renews Bratt’s Drama Series “Star” for a Second Season

Benjamin Bratt’s star is still shining bright…

Fox has renewed its freshman drama series Star, starring the 53-year-old half-Peruvian American, for a second season.

Benjamin Bratt

The music-centric series was co-created by Lee Daniels, the co-creator of Fox’s hit series Empire, as well as Tom Donaghy.

It follows three talented singers – running from their pasts and desperate for a new start – with ambitions of stardom, as they navigate the cutthroat music business. The Season 1 finale airs March 15 before Empire returns to the Wednesday 9 PM time period. Guest stars set to appear on Star over the next four weeks include Naomi Campbell, Big Boi, Rickey Smiley, Missy Elliott and Paris Jackson.

“Lee Daniels is a true visionary, and he and Tom Donaghy have delivered a series with a unique and meaningful point of view,” Fox Entertainment president David Madden said.

Launching behind the fall finale of Empire, Star hasn’t been a breakout hit like the soapy hip-hop family drama. But it has had a stable audience, averaging a Live+Same Day rating between 1.2 and 1.3 in adults 18-49 for the past five weeks, rising to about 1.9 in Live+7. Its L7 average of 2.1 demo rating is below Lethal Weapon (2.5) and above Lucifer (1.9), both of which were recently renewed, along with Fox flagship Empire.

Star, whose cast includes Bratt, who plays talent manager Jahil Rivera, Queen Latifah, Jude Demorest, Brittany O’Grady, Ryan Destiny, Amiyah Scott and Quincy Brown, averages 7.5 million multi-platform audience, according to Fox.

Star is a production of 20th Century Fox Television in association with Lee Daniels Entertainment.