Mendez Signs with Paradigm

It’s a paradigm shift for Luis Gerardo Mendez

The 32-year-old Mexican actor, considered one of his country’s fastest-rising stars, has signed with entertainment talent agency Paradigm.

Luis Gerardo Mendez

As part of the deal, which was announced at the third edition of the Los Cabos International Film Festival, Mendez will be represented in all areas.

Mendes gained acclaim and a strong fan following after his performance as the partying son of a supposedly bankrupt millionaire in Gaz Alazraki’s Nosotros los nobles/

He most recently appeared in Sebastian del Amo’s Cantinflas, Mexico’s foreign-language Oscar entry.

Nobles became Mexico’s highest-grossing movie ever in early 2013, taking in $28 million for distributor Warner Bros., while Cantinflas, released by Pantelion Films, is the biggest foreign-language hit so far this year in the U.S. with a $6.4 million gross.

Mendez is the star, co-creator and exec producer of Netflix’s first Spanish-language original series, Los Escorpiones, which will go into production in three weeks, scheduled for a 2015 bow. The series is helmed by Alazraki.

Mendez is also attached to star in Fox International ProductionsThe Brothers Huffington-Fynne, a comedy originally developed for Sascha Baron Cohen. He’ll play four roles in the film.

Mendez is also the face of Pepsi in Mexico.

Mexico Selects del Amo’s “Cantinflas” as its Best Foreign Language Film Oscar Submission

Sebastián del Amo is one step closer to a possible Academy Award nomination…

The Mexican filmmaker’s second feature film Cantinflas has been named by Mexico as its Best Foreign Language Film Oscar submission, just in time for the film’s theatrical push into Mexico and Latin America this month.

Sebastián del Amo

The biopic about famed Mexican comedian Mario Moreno aka Cantinflas was released by Pantelion Films in the United States on August 29 and has grossed $5 million stateside in 400 theaters.

del Amo co-wrote the script with Edui Tijerina.

Cantinflas

Óscar Jaenada (The Losers, Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides) stars opposite Michael Imperioli in the tale of the oddly mustachioed icon who rose from humble beginnings, earned the nickname “The Charlie Chaplin of Mexico,” and helped launch the country’s golden age of cinema.

Pantelion has been pushing Cantinflas hard for months, attaching its trailer to screenings of studio blockbusters and marketing to multigenerational Latino audiences.

 

The film opens in Mexico on September 16 via Videocine Distribucion and will be released in 14 Latin American countries during the next few months.

 

Mexico’s most recent submissions to earn an Oscar nomination were Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Biutiful in 2010 and Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth in 2006.

Pantelion Films Opening the Bio-Drama “Cantinflas,” Starring Jaenada, in Theaters This Weekend

Óscar Jaenada is ready to bring the Charlie Chaplin of Mexico to life in U.S. theaters this weekend…

The 39-year-old Spanish actor is starring as the late, great Mexican actor Cantinflas in the Spanish-language bio-drama of the same name.

Óscar Jaenada as Cantinflas

Written and directed by Sebastian del Amo, Cantinflas is an “untold story” from his humble beginnings to Hollywood and international stardom. Pantelion Films is betting on the enduring popularity of late Mexican actor, whose real name is Mario Moreno, as it brings the title to primarily Latino U.S. audiences this weekend

“We began our discussions with the film’s producers about a year ago,” said Pantelion’s Edward Allen. “Cantinflas as a character has no comparison in America. Unlike American actors [of his generation] Cantinflas is still a part of regular viewing for people of Latin American descent. They see him here all the time through sources like Telemundo and Univision. He appeals across generations.”

From the mid-1930s up until his death in 1993, Cantinflas was Mexico’s most beloved and iconic comedian. He starred in dozens of movies in his native country, often playing impoverished campesinos, before his Hollywood debut. He became known to U.S. audiences for his award-winning role in 1956’s Around the World in 80 Days.

Last year Pantelion hit box office gold with Instructions Not Included. The comedy grossed $44 million, the most of any Spanish-language title in the States. It will go after a similar audience with Cantinflas partnering with Spanish-language media in the U.S. and some non-media partners to spread the word.

“We are doing grass-roots marketing, partnering with supermarkets that cater to Latin American [clientele],” added Allen. “In L.A. we’re doing an outdoor campaign, but also saturating Spanish-language media across all channels.”

Instructions Not Included opened in 348 theaters grossing $7.84 million on August 30, nearly one year ago. It is clearly taking a cue from that successful roll out with a similar strategy with Cantinflas opening in over 380 theaters around the country.

“It will mirror the Latino population across the country,” added Allen. “We will expand based on performance and adjust the plan accordingly.”

In addition to Jaenada, the film also stars Michael Imperioli, Ilse Salas, Bárbara Mori, Ana Layevska and Adal Ramones.

Romero Hard at Work on English and Spanish Projects

Fernanda Romero is setting out to be a crossover queen…

The 30-year-old Mexican actress and singer, who just finished starring in the highly acclaimed film El Fantastico Mundo de Juan Oro by Sebastian del Amo, has a number of projects to premiere in Spanish and English, as she hopes to make her mark in the entertainment world on both sides of the border.

Fernanda Romero

Romero is currently appearing in Chamacas, a comedy show on the Hispanic online entertainment channel Nuevon, which is broadcast on YouTube and is the property of actress Sofia Vergara.

She’s also just wrapped production of the English-language films Ghost Team One, a supernatural adventure, and Mission Park, the story of four close friends who head off in very different directions. Addtionally, Romero’s romantic comedy Pendejo, in which she stars opposite Raja Fenske, Danny Trejo, Laksh Singh and others was recently released on DVD.

“I feel blessed by all the projects coming my way. I believe you start sowing and suddenly all those little seeds start to flower. But you can’t sit back and rest – you have to keep giving your all and opening new doors,” Romero, born and raised in Mexico City, told Efe.

Romero’s credits include El alma herida, La ley del silencio, The Eye and a guest-starring role on Entourage.