Alice Braga to Star in Sci-Fi Series “Dark Matter”

Posted on September 29, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a Dark time for Alice Braga.

The 39-year-old Brazilian actress and producer will star opposite Jimmi Simpson and Joel Edgerton in Dark Matter, an adaptation of Blake Crouch’s acclaimed sci-fi novel, at Apple TV+.

Jennifer Connelly also stars in the series from Sony Television and executive produced by Edgerton.

Written and showrun by Crouch, the nine-episode series will follow Jason Dessen, (Edgerton) a physicist, professor, and family man who — one night while walking home on the streets of Chicago — is abducted into an alternate version of his life. Wonder quickly turns to nightmare when he tries to return to his reality amid the multiverse of lives he could have lived. In this labyrinth of mind-bending realities, he embarks on a harrowing journey to get back to his true family and save them from the most terrifying, unbeatable foe imaginable: himself.

Braga will play Amanda, a psychiatrist. Simpson portrays Ryan, a brilliant neuroscientist and friend of Jason’s (Edgerton).

Dark Matter is executive produced by Matt Tolmach and David Manpearl for Matt Tolmach Productions.

Crouch will write and serve as showrunner and executive producer on the series, and Jakob Verbruggen is set to direct the first three episodes.

Braga is known for her starring role as Teresa Mendoza in USA’s Queen of the South. On the film side she was most recently seen in The Suicide Squad, and soon will be seen in FX’s upcoming limited series Retreat.

Vanessa Rubio to Appear in Hollywood Documentary “Content Is King”

Posted on December 18, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Vanessa Rubio is talking content in a global pandemic…

The 37-year-old Colombian-American actress, writer and director is among the talents set for the documentary Content Is King, about how actors have adjusted their outputs during the pandemic.

Rubio, known for The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings, Cobra Kai, How To Be Single and The Hudson Tribes, joins a roster of talking heads that includes Taryn Manning, Austin Pendleton, Alexander James Rodriguez, Jeremy Luke and Anthony and James Gaudioso.

Actor-director Jaime Zevallos (Cloak & Dagger) is in production on the film, which will look at how actors are increasingly becoming multi-hyphenates and turning to social media platforms to create their own narratives.

Freddy Giorlando (Adulthood), Paul Tully (11:55) and Leila Almas Rose (Blue Bloods) join Zevallos on the producing team alongside Sony Television development executive Jason Kyle. Executive producer is Rob Simmons (Last Call).

Justina Machado Signs with United Talent Agency (UTA)

Posted on September 18, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

Justina Machado has new representation…

The 46-year-old Puerto Rican actress, who stars on Netflix’s rebooted Norman Lear series One Day at a Time, has signed with United Talent Agency (UTA).

Machado, who scored a SAG Award in 2004 as part of the ensemble cast of HBO’s Six Feet Under, has appeared on Season 4 of CW’s Jane the Virgin and USA Network’s Queen of the South, and she voices Carmen on Disney Junior’s Elena of Avalor.

Her big-screen credits include The Purge: Anarchy and The Accidental Husband. On the stage, she made her Broadwaydebut in In the Heights and also appeared in A Free Man of Color.

On One Day at a Time, which follows three generations of a Cuban-American family, Machado stars as Penelope Alvarez, a single mom and military veteran raising two strong-willed, mega-millennial children, all the while enlisting the “help” of her old-school mother and her building manager-turned-confidante. Rita Moreno, Todd Grinnell, Stephen Toblowsky, Isabella Gomezand Marcel Ruiz co-star.

The series from Lear and Sony Television is underway on shooting its third season, which will air in 2019.

She had been with APA and continues to be repped by D2 Management.

Guerrero to Star in CBS’ Comedy Pilot “Distefano”

Posted on February 15, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Diane Guerrero is preparing for a culture clash…

The 30-year-old Colombian American actress has been cast as the female lead opposite Chris Distefano in Distefano, CBS’ comedy pilot from How I Met Your Mother creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas and Sony Television.

Inspired by the Distefano — an Italian American from Brooklyn and a new dad who married a Puerto Rican woman — Distefano centers on Izzy (Guerrero) and Chris (Distefano), two twentysomethings raising their newborn daughter and merging their meddling families – one Colombian American, one Italian.

The script was originally written with Izzy as Puerto Rican, but the character is now being reworked for Guerrero’s background, as representing her community is extremely mportant to her.

Guerrero’s Izzy is the love of Chris’ life and the mother of their 3-month-old baby. Annie Potts portrays Chris’ Irish Catholic mother Helen.

Bays and Thomas wrote the script based on a story they co-wrote with Distefano, with HIMYM director/executive producer Pam Fryman directing and executive producing.

Guerrero, best known for her role on Netflix’s Orange Is the New Black, was previously attached to star and executive produce a drama series project for CBS/CBS Television about undocumented immigrants based on her memoir In the Country We Love.

She’s also had a recurring role as best friend Lina on the CW/CBS Television Studios dramedy Jane the Virgin, teamed with Jane exec producers Jennie Snyder Urman, Ben Silverman and Paul Sciarrotta.

Guerrero and her OITNB castmates recently picked up their third straight Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.

Martinez Promoted to Series Regular on Amazon’s Comedy “The Tick”

Posted on February 8, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

There’s a big uptick in Yara Martinez’s future…

The 37-year-old Puerto Rican actress has been promoted to series regular on Amazon’s upcoming comedy series The Tick.

Martinez, who stars on the CW’s Jane the Virgin, originally guest starred in the pilot for the series.

The Tick, a co-production with Sony Television, centers on an underdog accountant with zero powers who comes to realize his city is owned by a global super villain long-thought dead. As he struggles to uncover this conspiracy, he falls in league with a strange blue superhero.

Martinez, who will reprise her role from the pilot as Ms. Lint, will co-star alongside Peter Serafinowicz, Griffin Newman, Jackie Earle Haley, Valorie Curry and Brendan Hines.

Martinez has been recurring on the CW’s Jane the Virgin as Rafael’s unstable sister, Dr. Luisa Alver. She also recurs on the upcoming Amazon comedy series I Love Dick.

Hernandez to Write Paramount Pictures’ “The Villas,” Inspired by Neil Simon’s “Plaza Suite”

Posted on February 4, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Dan Hernandez is livin’ the suite life…

Paramount Pictures has selected the Cuban American writer and Benji Samit to pen The Villas.

The project, produced by Atlas Entertainment, is loosely inspired by Neil Simon’s play and 1971 film Plaza Suite.

Similarly, the film centers on several relationship stories all taking place in a hotel. This time, though, the location is a group of neighboring high-roller villas in Las Vegas, similar to The Mansion at the MGM Grand.

Hernandez and Samit recently wrote and produced on the first season of Netflix’s One Day At A Time, and are currently writing on the ABC/Sony Television pilot Come Together.

The scribes started writing together as undergraduates at Brown University.

Diaz to Serve as Producer on CBS’ Comedy “Bad Teacher”

Posted on September 12, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Cameron Diaz is officially a bad producer… The 41-year-old half-Cuban American actress will serve as a producer of CBS’ midseason comedy Bad Teacher, which is based on her hit 2011 Columbia Pictures film of the same name. Diaz reunites with the film’s writers Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg, who serve as executive producers on the series. The single-camera Bad Teacher centers on hot, fearless and unapologetic former trophy wife Meredith Davis (Ari Graynor) who masquerades as a teacher in order to find a new man after her wealthy husband leaves her penniless. The role was played by Diaz in the movie where the character was named Elizabeth Halsey. Diaz will next star in Ridley Scott’s The Counselor and she’s currently filming Columbia Pictures’ Sex Tape. Her upcoming projects include The Other Woman and Annie. Her first foray into television producing was Trippin, a 10-episode environmental adventure series for MTV, which premiered in 2004. Bad Teacher is being produced by Sony Television, CBS Television Studios and Mosaic.

Guido Cast in NBC’s Comedy Series “Welcome to the Family”

Posted on July 2, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Fabrizio Guido is being welcomed into the family…

The 13-year-old Mexican and Italian American actor, who recently made his film debut in the Brad Pitt-starring blockbuster film World War Z, has been cast in NBC’s Welcome to the Family.

Guido will portray the younger brother of the series’ male lead, Awkward’s Joey Haro, on the single-camera comedy from Mike Sikowitz and Sony Television.

He replaces Aramis Knight, who was originally cast in the role.

Guido’s other credits include the Italian film Miele, which was screened at the Cannes Film Festival.

Welcome to the Family will premiere on NBC on October 3.

Colon to Star in CBS’ “Jacked Up” Pilot

Posted on March 6, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Ziah Colon is all jacked up for her next Hollywood project…

The Puerto Rican actress has landed a role in CBS’ comedy pilot Jacked Up.

Colon, who had a breakout role in the 2011 Footloose remake, will star opposite Patrick Warburton in the Sony Television project.

Direct by Fred Savage and written by Greg Malins, Jacked Up revolves around Jack (Warburton) a beloved, recently retired baseball player who finds that adjusting to retirement isn’t as easy as he thought it’d be.

Colon will portray Myra, Jack’s recently hired housekeeper. Having lived life on the road for 20 years, Jack doesn’t know how to lead a normal life, so he often asks for Myra’s insight and advice.

Colon, who starred in last year’s Joyful Noise, has previously appeared in guest-starring roles on Drop Dead Diva and Army Wives.

Hayek & Horta Developing “Bastards” for ABC Studios…

Posted on December 8, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

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.

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.

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