Horta Developing the Family Drama “The Divine Monster” for Television

There’s a new monster project in Silvio Horta’s horizon…

The 41-year-old Cuban American writer/producer, best known for adapting the hit Colombian telenovela Yo Soy Betty La Fea into the award-winning ABC series Ugly Betty, has teamed with producer-director Brett Ratner for The Divine Monster.

Silvio Horta

The twisty family drama is based on the Belgian series of the same name (original title Het Goddelijke Monster).

Written by Horta, The Divine Monster chronicles the fall of the wealthy Vega family of Miami, whose real estate empire is built upon decades of greed, corruption, generally bad behavior and an alarming number of curious deaths.

Horta is executive producing with Ratner.

Warner Bros. Television, where Horta is under an overall deal, is the studio, producing with Horta’s Silent H Productions and Ratner’s RatPac Television.

The project has a script commitment.

Written by Rick D’Hiet based on the novels by Tom Lanoye, the Eyeworks-produced Het Goddelijke Monster aired in 2011.

Ticotin to Star Opposite Adan Canto in “The Curse of the Fuentes Women”

Rachel Ticotin is cursed

The 56-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress has landed a lead role opposite Adan Canto in The Curse of the Fuentes Women, the NBC drama pilot written/executive produced by Silvio Horta.

Rachel Ticotin

From Warner Bros Television, the film chronicles what happens when a mysterious stranger, Salvador (Canto), washes up on Miami Beach and breathes new passion into the lives of the Fuentes women – the beautiful but lonely Lola, her ailing mother Esperanza (Ticotin), who is struggling with Alzheimer’s and has a secret magical past, and her troubled teen daughter Soledad (Sarife) whose psychic abilities are awakened by an unexpected pregnancy.

Ticotin has appeared in the films: Fort Apache, The Bronx; Total Recall and Con Air. She has appeared in the NBC legal drama Law & Order: Los Angeles.

Canto to Star in NBC’s Drama Pilot “The Curse Of The Fuentes Women”

Adan Canto is cursed

The 33-year-old Mexican actor has been cast as the make lead in NBC’s The Curse Of The Fuentes Women, the drama pilot written and executive produced by Ugly Betty mastermind Silvio Horta.

Adan Canto

The project, from Horta’s Silent H Prods. and Warner Bros. Television, chronicles what happens when Salvador (Canto), a mysterious stranger, washes up on Miami Beach and comes into the lives of the Fuentes women, reviving a link to a magical past.

Canto previously co-starred on the ABC comedy Mixology last season, as well as Fox’s first season of The Following.

He also starred in the Hollywood blockbuster X-Men: Days Of Future Past.

NBC Gives Pilot Order with Green Light to Horta’s “The Curse Of The Fuentes Women”

Silvio Horta is returning to the small screen with a new Latino-themed project…

NBC has given a pilot order with a green light to the 40-year-old Cuban American writer-producer and Ugly Betty creator’s drama The Curse Of The Fuentes Women.

Silvio Horta

Written/executive produced by Horta, The Curse Of The Fuentes Women comes from his Silent H Prods. and Warner Bros. Television.

When a magical and mysterious young man inexplicably emerges from the ocean, he breathes new passion into the lives of the Fuentes women – the beautiful but lonely Lola, her ailing mother Esperanza and her troubled daughter Soledad.

Horta received a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Comedy Series for Ugly Betty in 2007. He also won an ALMA Award for Outstanding Writing – Television Series, Mini-Series or Television Movie for the series, which was based on the hit Colombian telenovela Yo Soy Betty La Fea.

Hayek & Horta Developing “Bastards” for ABC Studios…

Salma Hayek is reuniting with her Ugly Betty cohort Silvio Horta to develop a Latino-themed dramedy for primetime television.

ABC and ABC Studios have put in development Bastards, from the 46-year-old Mexican actress and producer, who served as Ugly Betty’s executive producer and Betty creator Horta, according to Deadline.com.

Salma Hayek

Bastards, written by Horta, centers on a lively Cuban-American family who has its lives turned upside down when it’s revealed that the family patriarch had a child with the family maid more than 25 years ago. Now his wife will do anything to protect her children’s inheritance and prevent her family’s deepest and darkest secrets from ever being revealed.

Bastards originated from an idea by Hayek. She and Jose Tamez, her producing partner at their ABC Studios-based Ventanarosa, had been trying to tackle the premise for awhile.

Horta, who is of Cuban- American descent, recently received a call from Tamez and a Mark Gordon Prods executive who was once Horta’s ABC executive on Ugly Betty.

“I immediately sparked to the concept — it was fun and juicy and had the opportunity for both a lot of salacious situations and humor as well as a lot of heart and emotions, hitting that sweet spot I like to write,” said Horta.

After some quick deal-making, the team sold the project to ABC. Back in 2005, others had taken a stab at adapting the popular telenovela Ugly Betty for American audiences before Horta, but his version stuck. “I hope history will repeat itself,” he quipped.

Last season, Horta wrote and executive produced another dramedy about a Latino family for Fox. The project, based on an idea by Fox entertainment topper Kevin Reilly and executive produced by Jennifer Lopez, centered on three sisters and their interlinked lives. While it didn’t get to pilot, Fox kept the project alive and put it in redevelopment. The process kept Horta, who is under an overall deal at Sony Television, busy, so he missed the broadcast selling season and was preparing cable pitches when he got the call on Bastards. He’s now focusing on the script, which is due in a month.

In addition to Bastards, Ventanarosa has The Cisco Kid, a re-imagining of the iconic Latino character, for CBS.