Tag Archives: Netflix

Raúl Castillo to Star in Paramount‘s “Smile” Sequel

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Raúl Castillo has a new reason to smile…

The 46-year-old Mexican American actor has been cast in Paramount‘s Smile sequel.

Raul CastilloCastillo is among a list of new cast additions that includes Miles Gutierrez-Riley, who starred in The Wilds.

The film’s plot and character details are being kept under wraps.

The duo joins the previously announced cast: Naomi Scott, Lukas Gage, Kyle Gallner, Rosemarie DeWitt and Dylan Gelula.

Smile writer and director returns for the second installment to again direct from his own script, with Temple Hill producing.

Smile 2 is currently slated for release on October 18, 2024, when it will go up against a still-unnamed title from Universal Pictures.

Going on to gross over $217M in theaters, even if it was initially set up for release on Paramount+, Smile was one of the great, unexpected box office successes of 2022. One of several original studio horror films of late to expand into a franchise, it tells the story of Dr. Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon), a psychiatrist who becomes increasingly convinced she is being threatened by an uncanny entity, after witnessing a bizarre, traumatic incident involving a patient.

Castillo most recently starred in the Amazon film Cassandro opposite Gael Garia Bernal. He’s set to appear in HBO‘s Mark Ruffalo-led series, the Untitled Brad Ingelsby Task Force Project (w/t), currently in pre-production.

Prior television credits also include HBO’s Looking, Starz’s Vida and Netflix’s Atypical to name a few; Army of the Dead, Cha Cha Real Smooth, Knives Out and We The Animals are among his film credits.

Gutierrez-Riley made his TV debut in the second season of Prime Video’s The Wilds, where he portrayed Ivan. In September 2022, Miles he starred in Paramount’s film adaptation of On The Come Up, which made its world premiere on the opening night of TIFF. Next up, he will star opposite Corey Fogelman in Tommy Dorfman’s directorial debut I Wish You All the Best, premiering at SXSW in March. It has also been announced that Gutierrez-Riley will star in Disney+’s WandaVision spinoff, Agatha: Darkhold Diaries.

Jaume Collet-Serra to Direct Blumhouse’s “The Woman in the Yard”

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Jaume Collet-Serra is hitting the yard…

The 49-year-old Spanish film director and producer and Black Adam filmmaker will direct Blumhouse’s The Woman in the Yard, starring and executive-produced by Danielle Deadwyler.

Jaume Collet-Serra

The project reteams Collet-Serra and Deadwyler, who recently collaborated on the Netflix thriller film, Carry On.

The film, which has a plot line under wraps, is set for theatrical release on January 10, 2025.

“I’ve been trying to find the right project to work on with Jaume, in our system, for over a decade. The Woman in the Yard is the perfect match, a film that’s ambitious in scope but modest in budget that combines Jaume’s vision with the incomparable Danielle Deadwyler. Together with my friend Stephanie Allain, this is a real dream team and I’m excited to collaborate with them on the film,” said Blumhouse boss Jason Blum.

The Woman in the Yard is written by Sam Stefanak. Blum and Allain are producers on the film. Collet-Serra, Deadwyler, Gabrielle Ebron, Scott Greenberg and James Moran are EPs. Haley Pigman and Jungyoon Kim are the executives covering the film for Blumhouse.

The Woman in the Yard is a Blumhouse production for Universal. 

Collet-Serra’s other credits include House of Wax, Orphan and The Shallows, as well as the Liam Neeson-led thriller films Unknown, Non-Stop, Run All Night and The Commuter.

Laz Alonso Signs with Independent Artist Group for Representation

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Laz Alonso is going independent…

Independent Artist Group has signed the 49-year-old Afro-Cuban American actor for representation.

Laz AlonsoAlonso is best known for starring on the hit Amazon series The Boys, centering on vigilantes’ efforts to take down a group of corrupt superheroes, which returns for its fourth season this year.

On the show developed by Eric Kripke from the same-name comic by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, Alonso portrays the vigilante Mother’s Milk, sharing the screen with Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty and more.

He’s also currently voicing the title character on Netflix’s animated series My Dad the Bounty Hunter,.

Alonso’s past television credits include A&E’s cult hit Breakout Kings, Starz’s Power Book II: Ghost, TNT’s Southland, NBC’s Deception and The Mysteries Of Laura and Spectrum Originals’ L.A.’s Finest.

On the film side, he’s been seen portraying the villain Fenix opposite Vin Diesel in multiple Fast & Furious titles, also appearing in James Cameron’s Avatar. Other notable big screen credits include the Jason Statham action thriller Wrath of Man, Kathryn Bigelow’s Detroit, Spike Lee’s Miracle at St. Anna, Stomp the Yard, Jarhead and Constantine.

Additionally, Alonso has executive-produced titles including Alan Jacobs’ TIFF drama Down for Life, in which he starred alongside Danny Glover, and the indie thriller Detained co-starring Abbie Cornish. He heads up the production company Abundancia Pictures as CEO and continues to be represented by Authentic Talent and Literary Management and attorney Rick Genow at Goodman, Genow, Schenkman.

Rita Moreno to Star in the Indie Horror Thriller “Theirs”

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Rita Moreno is preparing to scare up a new audience…

The 92-year-old Puerto Rican award-winning actress, dancer and singer has been cast in Theirs, an indie horror thriller going into production in Tulsa, Oklahoma this summer.

Rita Moreno,But she isn’t the only Latina artist joining the project.

Roselyn Sanchez, who most recently starred in the Fantasy Island reboot,

The 50-year-old Puerto Rican singer-songwriter, dancer, model, actress, producer and writer and Moreno will star alongside Harvey Keitel and Udo Kier in the project.

Written by Juan Pablo Reinoso and to be directed by Sonja O’Hara, the film centers on a mother who, after a lifetime of grappling with abusive men and a bitter divorce, finds hope for herself and her teenage daughter in a new home, only to quickly find their newfound freedom tested by malicious secrets within its walls.

Keli Price will produce for his Price Productions, alongside Reinoso for LookBook, and David Bond for Dark Elegy Films. Tom Biolchini will serve as the film’s executive producer.

Recent credits for EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar & Tony Award) winner Moreno include dark comedy The Prank, out March 15, as well as Fast X, Netflix’s Family Switch, 80 for Brady and Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, to name a few.

Most recently starring on the Fox series Fantasy Island, Sanchez has also been seen in prominent roles on shows like Grand Hotel, Devious Maids and Without a Trace.

Zión Moreno to Star in American High and Hartbeat Hulu’s “Prom Dates”

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Zión Moreno has secured a prom date(s)…

The 28-year-old Mexican American actress and Gossip Girl reboot star has been cast in Prom Dates, an American High and Hartbeat Hulu film.

Zión MorenoChelsea Handler, John Michael Higgins, Julia Lester, Antonia Gentry, Kenny Ridwan, JT Neal, Jordan Buhat and Terry Hu also star.

The film will hit the service this spring.

The Kim O. Nguyen directed, D.J. Mausner scripted film follows best friends Jess and Hannah (Gentry and Lester), who make a pact at 13 to have the perfect senior prom. Despite the impending changes that college will bring over the next four years, the two are committed to honoring their prom pact. But with only 24 hours left before the big event, everything falls apart when they break up with each of their dates. Jess and Hannah are left with one night to find new dates and live out their middle-school fantasies.

Producers are Jeremy Garelick, Will Phelps and Molle DeBartolo for American High; Kevin Hart, Bryan Smiley and Luke Kelly-Clyne for Hartbeat; and Mickey Liddell and Pete Shilaimon for LD Entertainment. EPs are Kevin Healey and Thai Randolph for Hartbeat, Michael Glassman for LD Entertainment, and Mausner and Andrew Reyes. Jason Zaro will serve as co-producer for Hulu and Axelle Azoulay as associate producer.

Moreno plays Heather, a college party girl who grabs life by tegh horns. The actress has appeared on Max’s Gossip Girl and Netflix’s Control Z, .

Mausner currently serving as a staff writer on Nickelodeon’s Max and the Midnights and consulting on various projects for Netflix Animation. They previously won a Canadian Screen Award for best writing in a variety sketch comedy series for their work on CBC/IFC’s Baroness Von Sketch Show. Additionally, they were featured in the 2023 CBS TALENT SHOWCASE and starred opposite Ruby Rose, Paris Berelc and Barbie’s Hari Nef in the Amazon/Lionsgate comedy feature 1UP.

American High’s collaboration with Hulu Originals has resulted in seven original films and one acquisition, which launched to critical and consumer acclaim, including hit films such as Pete Davidson’s lead debut, Big Time Adolescence, Natalie Morales’ Plan B and the company’s first-ever sequel, It’s a Wonderful Binge — directed by The Binge scribe, Jordan VanDina, in his feature directorial debut.

Prom Dates marks the eighth film under the original first-look slate deal with American High for Hulu.

J.A. Bayona’s “The Society of the Snow” Wins 12 Goya Awards, Including Best Director & Best Film

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J.A. Bayona is this year’s Goya Awards darling.

The 48-year-old Spanish filmmaker’s The Society of the Snow took home 12 trophies at the 38th Annual Goya Awards, Spain’s equivalent of the Oscars, in Valladolid.

J.A. BayonaBayona’s film for Netflix claimed the most awards of the night, including Best Director and Best Film awards for the Academy Award-nominated filmmaker.

J.A. Bayona, La Sociedad De La Nieve, Society of the SnowBut Bayona wasn’t the only multiple-award winner.

Pablo Berger earned two Goya Awards for his acclaimed animated film Robot Dreams, which is nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Film.

The 61-year-old Spanish filmmaker’s film claimed the Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Animated Film awards.

The top acting awards went to Malena Alterio for Antonio Méndez Esparza’s Que Nadie Duerma and David Verdaguer for David Trueba’s Saben aquell.

Here’s the complete winners list:

Honorary Goya
Juan Mariné

Best Supporting Actor
José Coronado
Cerrar los ojos (Close Your Eyes)

Best Original Song
“Yo solo quiero amor”
Rigoberta Bandini
Te estoy amando locamente

Best Costume Design
Julio Suárez
La sociedad de la nieve (The Society of the Snow)

Best Special Effects
Pau Costa, Félix Bergés and Laura Pedro
La sociedad de la nieve (The Society of the Snow)

Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Ana López-Puigcerver, Belén López-Puigcerver and Montse Ribé
La sociedad de la nieve (The Society of the Snow)

Best New Actor
Matías Recalt
La sociedad de la nieve (The Society of the Snow)

Best Film Editing
Andrés Gil y Jaume Martí
La sociedad de la nieve (The Society of the Snow)

Best Cinematography
Pedro Luque
La sociedad de la nieve (The Society of the Snow)

Best Sound Editing
Jorge Adrados, Oriol Tarra y Marc Orts
La sociedad de la nieve (The Society of the Snow)

Best Art Direction
Alain Bainée
La sociedad de la nieve (The Society of the Snow)

Best Production Design
Margarita Huguet
La sociedad de la nieve (The Society of the Snow)

Best Original Music
Michael Giacchino
La sociedad de la nieve (The Society of the Snow)

Best Animated Film
Robot Dreams
Pablo Berger

Best Documentary Film
Mientras seas tú, el aquí y ahora
Carme Elías, de Claudia Pinto

Best Short (Fiction)
Aunque es de noche
Guillermo García López

Best Documentary Short
Ava
Mabel Lozano

Best Animated Short
To bird or not to bird
Martín Romero

Best Novel Direction
Estíbaliz Urresola Solaguren
20.000 especies de abejas (20,000 Species of Bees)

International Goya
Sigourney Weaver

Best New Actress
Janet Novás
O corno (The Rye Horn)

Best Iberoamerican Film
La memoria infinita (Chile) (The Eternal Memory)
Maite Alberdi

Best European Film
Anatomía de una caída (Francia) (Anatomy of a Fall)
Justine Triet

Best Supporting Actress
Ane Gabarain
20.000 especies de abejas (20,000 Species of Bees)

Best Adapted Screenplay
Pablo Berger
Robot Dreams

Best Original Screenplay
Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren
20.000 especies de abejas (20,000 Species of Bees)

Best Actor
David Verdaguer
Saben aquell (Jokes & Cigarettes)

Best Actress
Malena Alterio
Que nadie duerma (Something is About to Happen)

Best Director
J. A. Bayona
La sociedad de la nieve (The Society of the Snow)

Best Picture
La sociedad de la nieve (The Society of the Snow)

Manolo Caro Signs First-Look Deal with Onyx Collective 

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Manolo Caro has a new first-look deal…

Onyx Collective has signed the 39-year-old Mexican director and The House of Flowers creator and Woo Films’ co-founders Rafael Ley and Maria Jose Cordova to a multiyear first-look deal.

Manolo CaroUnder the deal, Caro, Ley and Cordova will develop new projects for Onyx Collective.

“Manolo Caro is in a rare class of storytellers who blend heart and humor to reveal the essence of what makes us all human,” said Tara Duncan, president, Onyx Collective. “He is a proven hitmaker, and we’re excited to bring his universal stories to the Hulu audience.”

“Joining the creative voices at Onyx is not only a commitment to my artistic mission but a critical reflection of my own identity,” says Caro. “I want to tell stories through my particular vision and pop lens and create content that allows me to share with the world what my culture is and what has driven me all the way here.”

Caro and Woo Films join an extensive roster of creatives with deals with Onyx including Ryan Coogler, Destin Daniel Cretton, Jason Kim, Joseph Patel, Prentice Penny, Natasha Rothwell, Yara Shahidi and Erika Green Swafford.

Caro’s background spans writing, producing and directing for film and theater.

Among his film credits, which made him the first Mexican director in the top 10 of the Mexican box office for three consecutive years, are titles like Perfectos Desconocidos and La Vida Inmoral de la Pareja Ideal.

His debut feature was a film adaptation of I Don’t Know Whether to Slit My Wrists or Leave Them Long, which he initially wrote and directed for the theater. He followed that up with titles like Elvira I Will Give You My Life But I’m Using It and Tales of an Immoral Couple.

For television, Caro as a Latin American showrunner, was behind the Netflix release The House of Flowers. While under a development deal at Netflix, he created the miniseries Alguien Tiene que Morir and the streamer’s first Spanish-speaking musical series, Sebastián Yatra: Érase una vez.

The first season of his latest release, Sagrada Familia, starring Najwa Nimri and Alba Flores, debuted on Netflix’s top 10 in over 56 countries.

Enrique Murciano to Star in Netflix’s “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story”

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Enrique Murciano is preparing for a monster of a role…

The 50-year-old Cuban American actor has joined the cast of Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, the second installment of Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s true-crime anthology series for Netflix.

Enrique MurcianoIt was in 1989 that Lyle and Erik Menendez murdered parents Jose and Kitty in their L.A.-area home. Although not initially looked at as prime suspects, they came under investigation in the months following and eventually confessed to parricide, at the same time claiming that their actions stemmed from years of physical, emotional and sexual abuse at the hands of their father.

The first of two trials, broadcast on Court TV, had the nation in its grip, much like the 1994 trial of O.J. Simpson, and is believed to have played a part in the modern-day fascination with true crime. The prosecution argued that the pair were in fact seeking to inherit their father’s multimillion-dollar estate, and the Menendez brothers were convicted in 1996 and sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

Murciano, best known for his work on Without a Trace, is part of a roster of new cast additions that includes Dallas Roberts, Jason Butler Harner and  10 others.

Murciano is Carlos Baralt, an Americanized Cuban immigrant, professor and lawyer, uncle to the Menendez Brothers and brother-in-law to Jose Menendez, and the executor of the Menendez will.

Other cast members include Michael Gladis, who plays Tim Rutten; Drew Powell as Det. Tom Linehan; Charlie Hall is Craig Cignarelli; Gil Ozeri plays Dr. William Vicary; Jeff Perry portrays Peter Hoffman; Tessa Auberjonois is Dr. Laurel Oziel; Tanner Stine plays Perry Berman; Larry Clarke portrays Brian Andersen; Jade Pettyjohn is Jamie Pisarcik and Marlene Forte portrays Marta Cano.

They join previously announced cast Javier Bardem as Jose Menendez, Chloë Sevigny as Kitty Menendez, Nicholas Alexander Chavez as Lyle Menendez, Cooper Koch as Erik Menendez, Nathan Lane as Dominick Dunne, Ari Graynor as Leslie Abramson, and Leslie Grossman as Judalon Smyth.

Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story will debut in 2024.

Murphy and Brennan executive produce with Alexis Martin Woodall, Eric Kovtun, David McMillan, Louise Shore and Carl Franklin.

The first installment of the anthology, Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, starred Evan Peters as the notorious serial killer. It debuted in September 2022 and became one of Netflix’s most popular English-language series ever, leading to Netflix’s green light of two follow-up installments, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story being the first.

Netflix Agrees to Deal with Julio Iglesias to Produce Series About Star’s Life

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It appears art will imitate Julio Iglesias’ life…

Netflix has agreed to a deal with the 80-year-old Spanish singer, songwriter and former professional footballer to produce a series about the star’s life.

Julio IglesiasIt marks the first time Iglesias has participated in the creative process on a production about his life and musical trajectory.

The agreement was signed after Netflix Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria wrote Iglesias a letter

Details on the series are limited, but it will launch globally and is currently in development.

According to Netflix, it will “tell the story of how Julio Iglesias became the first non-English artist to enter the American and Asian markets and turned into a universal star who is among the five biggest record sellers in history.”

“After many speculations, books and documentaries in which I have not been involved, for the first time I have decided to tell the truth about my life to a universal company like Netflix,” said Iglesias. “After much deliberation, finally, a very touching letter sent to me by Bela Bajaria was enough to convince me that Netflix was the ideal company to develop this project. I feel grateful to a lot of people from many countries who have supported me and have boosted my life.”

Born in Spain, Iglesias studied law and was a goalkeeper for Real Madrid’s reserve team before a automobile accident ended his career. While recuperating, he discovered his talent for music and soon became of the biggest selling music artists of all time. He has shared stages with Frank Sinatra, Willie Nelson, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Sting, Dolly Parton and Placido Domingo.

Through the 1970s and 1980s, his star grew and he entered the Guinness Book of World Records as the biggest selling Latin music artist ever. He also received a Lifetime Achievement from the U.S. National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

Diego Ávalos, Vice President Content at Netflix: “Julio Iglesias has trusted us to tell his story. We are very grateful for his generosity. We all know that his talent and tenacity are unique in the world. Now, we will have the opportunity to see beyond the lights, the pictures in the magazines, the gold records and to really get to know in depth an exceptional person who has accompanied and will accompany many generations in every corner of the planet.”

Wilmer Valderrama’s Allied Management Group Signs a Slew of Latino Writers

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Wilmer Valderrama is giving up-and-coming Latino writers their big break…

The 44-year-old Venezuelan & Colombian American actor’s Allied Management Group, which he set up with John Pollak, has signed a number of Latino writers to its roster.

Wilmer ValderramaThe company has signed Luisa Leschin, Raphael Draccon & Carolina Munhóz, The Original Content Society’s Raúl Campos and Felix de Valdivia, and Daniel and Diego Ayala López.

The goal is for Allied to bring these Latino writers to networks, streamers and studios in the U.S English-language market.

Leschin has worked on nearly 500 episodes of television including Netflix’s Gentefied, where she was a co-exec producer on its second season, Max’s Head of the Class, where she was a co-EP and Hulu’s East Los High. She has also worked on series including Everybody Hates Chris and The George Lopez Show.

Draccon and Munhóz are a husband-and-wife writing team who showran The Chosen One and Invisible City for Netflix and have a first-look deal with Warner Bros. Discovery LatAm to work with Max. They have also written comic books for both Marvel and DC

Campos and de Valdivia are brothers, born in Mexico, who run The Original Content Society. They created, wrote, directed and produced the first YouTube Original sitcom in Latin America – Sobrevivi – as well as Spotify’s first original comedy series, El Grupo, and are co-exec producers for the third and fourth seasons of Amazon’s LOL starring Eugenio Derbez. In addition to producing and directing 24 Netflix comedy specials, they have a first look deal with ITV America, where they are developing an international comedy series called Güerita.

Daniel and Diego Ayala López, born in Colombia were behind Amazon series Manes, which was the most-watched series for Amazon Colombia, and Los Billis. They have worked with Colombia’s Caracol and are currently developing a number of projects with U.S. studios and production companies.

“These writers are currently helping to define the future of Latino story telling by creating universal stories that aren’t defined by borders or language, but instead reflect the modern content experience- groundbreaking storytelling that can be consumed by viewers in a global market,” said Pollak and Valderrama.  “As the need for fresh stories and unique points of view continue to be the priority for Hollywood, these writers will lead the charge and redefine how premium content is created and Allied Mgmt Group is honored to be working alongside them.”