Issa López Developing Fourth Installment of HBO’s “True Detective” Series with Barry Jenkins

Issa López is holding True to her at…

The Mexican producer, writer and film director is joining forces with Barry Jenkins to develop a fourth iteration of HBO’s True Detective.

Issa LópezThe WarnerMedia-owned cable network is developing True Detective: Night Country (working title), a new take on the crime drama.

The series, created and written by Nic Pizzolatto, ran for three seasons between 2014 and 2019.

López will write, executive-produce and direct the pilot with Jenkins executive-producing via his collective Pastel alongside Adele Romanski and Mark Ceryak.

Anonymous Content, which produced the first three installments will also executive produce with other True Detective EPs, so presumably Pizzolatto will be among those listed.

López is the writer and director of Mexican film Tigers Are Not Afraid (Vuelven), which won a slew of awards over the last few years and received praise from the likes of Stephen King, Neil Gaiman and Guillermo del Toro.

The latter is also working with Lopez on a haunted western about the werewolf mythology. She is also working with Noah Hawley on Searchlight’s The Book of Souls and with Blumhouse on Our Lady of Tears.

The third season of True Detective aired on HBO in 2019 and starred Mahershala Ali and Stephen Dorff, set in the Ozarks. It was the follow up to 2015’s Colin Farrell, Taylor Kitsch, Rachel McAdams and Vince Vaughn-fronted series and the first season, which starred Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson.

OWN Closes Deal for Third Season of Jessica Camacho’s Legal Drama “All Rise” Nearly Five Months After Its CBS Cancellation

Jessica Camacho will Rise again…

OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network has closed a deal for a 20-episode third season of the Warner Bros Television-produced legal drama All Rise, starring the 38-year-old actress.

Jessica Camacho

The series, led by Simone Missick, was canceled by CBS in May.

The new season is slated to air in 2022.

Streaming rights to the new episodes will be shared by WBTV sibling HBO Max and Hulu.

The bulk of the series’ cast, including Missick, Wilson Bethel, Camacho, J. Alex Brinson, Ruthie Ann Miles, Lindsay Mendez and Lindsey Gort, are set to return. Since the options on the actors had expired in June following the drama’s cancellation by CBS, they had to make new deals and all reportedly scored raises.

Not coming back is Marg Helgenberger, who in July was cast in NBC’s drama pilot Getaway. The door is reportedly open to Helgenberger and any other All Rise alums to appear on the new season subject to availability.

Dee Harris-Lawrence, who is also executive producer/showrunner on OWN/WBTV’s acclaimed series David Makes Man, is set to return as executive producer/showrunner of All Rise‘s third season.

All Rise follows the chaotic, hopeful and sometimes absurd lives of its judges, prosecutors and public defenders as they work with bailiffs, clerks and cops to get justice for the people of Los Angeles amidst a flawed legal process. It centers on Judge Lola Carmichael (Missick), a highly regarded and impressive deputy district attorney who doesn’t intend to sit back on the bench in her new role, but instead leans in, immediately pushing the boundaries and challenging the expectations of what a judge can be.

All Rise has been a great performer, achieving strong ratings and growing its share from season one to two. Featuring a strong character front and center, Judge Lola Carmichael’s story reflects our audience with powerful affirmation,” said Tina Perry, president, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. “A special thanks to Warner Bros Television and our incredible showrunner and longtime partner Dee Harris-Lawrence. We can’t wait to get started on season three and bring this show back for long-standing and new fans alike.”

Negotiations between OWN and Warner Bros Television started three months after All Rise was canceled by CBS and OWN parent Discovery days later announced its plans to merge with Warner Bros’ TV parent, AT&T-owned WarnerMedia.

“We are incredibly thrilled that All Rise will be back in court, and we are so thankful to our great partners at OWN for ruling in favor of another season of this powerful drama,” said Brett Paul, President, Warner Bros Television. “Dee Harris-Lawrence and the creative team have done an incredible job of telling important stories about timely subjects which have been brought to life by Simone Missick and the show’s outstanding ensemble cast. We can’t wait for audiences to see what the All Rise team has in store for season three. And we are also grateful to our partners at HBO Max and Hulu, without whose support this would not be possible.”

Farruko to Take Part in “Moving Our Music Pa’lante” Panel at Billboard Latin Music Week

Farruko is movin’ pa’lante

The 30-year-old Puerto Rican singer and songwriter will take part in the “Moving Our Music Pa’lante” panel discussion, which is set to take place during Billboard Latin Music Week 2021.

Farruko

The event will return to Miami with a weeklong (September 20-25) event that unites the top Latin hitmakers, influencers and industry leaders, and features live performances and conversations with superstars.

Presented by HBO Max and moderated by Billboards Leila Cobo, the panel will explore how HBO Max creates and markets its slate of acquired Latin music films and documentaries, sharing their creative process and the strategies they use to deliver compelling content that resonates with fans across the U.S. and Latin America.

Panelists include Farruko; Edgar Martinez, svp entertainment, Loud and LiveJessica Vargas, director of multicultural marketing, HBO Max/HBO; and Leslie Cohen, senior vp content acquisitions for WarnerMediaHBO Max/HBO.

Other recently announced panels include “Mano a Mano” with Rauw Alejandro and Myke Towers, during which both chart-topping artists will discuss new projects, upcoming tours and the challenges and advantages for the new wave of reggaetón artists; “Making the Hit, Live” masterclass with Lunay and his longtime producers Chris Jedi and Gaby Music; and the “Coming Out Latin” panel with Raymix, Esteman, Erika Vidrio and Jhonny Caz of Grupo Firme for an insightful and heartfelt conversation on the challenges and rewards of coming out as a Latin music act.

Under the slogan “The Beat of Latin Music,” making its mark as the longest running and biggest Latin music industry gathering in the world, this year’s event will continue through the end of the week as Billboard launches its En Vivo concert series.

The 2021 Latin Music Week will take place from September 20 to 25 at the Faena Forum in Miami, and coincides with the 2021 Billboard Latin Music Awards broadcasting live via Telemundo on Sept. 23.

To register and for more information, visit BillboardLatinMusicWeek.com.

Luis Ubiñas Named to AT&T Board of Directors

Luis Ubiñas has joined the board…

WarnerMedia parent AT&T has elected the 58-year-old Puerto Rican and Dominican American investor, businessman and nonprofit leader to its board of directors, effective immediately.

Luis Ubiñas

Ubiñas has had a career spanning business, government and the nonprofit sector.

He served as a senior partner at McKinsey & Company, as President of the Ford Foundation, and as an appointee to both the U.S. Competitiveness Committee of the Export-Import Bank and the International Trade Commission. Over the last several years, he has been an investor, advisor and board member.

He was president of the Ford Foundation, the second largest foundation in the U.S., from 2008 to 2013.

Prior to that, he spent 18 years at McKinsey & Company, including as a senior partner and leader of the firm’s West Coast media practice.

Ubiñas is currently the lead director of Electronic Arts; serves on the board of Tanger, the publicly traded REIT; and advises several private and pre-IPO companies.

“Luis is an accomplished executive and a terrific addition to our board,” said Bill Kennard, chairman of AT&T’s board of directors. “His leadership experience and expertise across broadband and wireless, government and the nonprofit sector align with our priorities to serve customers, investors and our communities.”

Ubiñas brings the number of directors on AT&T’s board to 13. He will serve on the board’s Public Policy and Corporate Reputation committee.

AT&T plans to spin off WarnerMedia and merge with Discovery but the deal is not expected to close until the middle of next year.

HBO Max Developing Original Spanish Series Based on Santiago Garcia & Luis Bustos’ Graphic Novel “Garcia”

Santiago Garcia & Luis Bustos’ graphic novel will be getting the television treatment.

HBO Max has given the green light to the Spanish-language original series García based on the graphic novel of the same name by the Spanish authors.

Garcia

Sara Antuña and Carlos de Pando are co-creators and writers for the series and Eugenio Mira will direct all six episodes.

“When I read the first episode of “García!” I really enjoyed identifying with elements I’ve always loved, but what won me over was the way the script combined those references with something totally new. Being able to experiment with such great original material, a rich universe and ever-evolving characters, not to mention keeping track of the constant cliff-hangers and revelations, is a great technical and artistic challenge for me, and a huge privilege,” explained director Mira.

The story is set in present-day Spain, which is on the brink of political chaos and follows young investigative reporter Antonia (Veki Velilla) who stumbles on a decades-old conspiracy: the existence of a cryogenically-frozen super-agent García (Francisco Ortiz), created in a laboratory in the 1950s by General Franco’s fascist secret services.

The cast includes Emilio Gutiérrez Caba, Francisco Reyes, Nico Romero, Helio Pedregal, Mario Pardo, Miki Molina, Marina Gatell, Pepe Ocio and Silvia Abascal.

 

The novel, published by Astiberri Ediciones, plays on cultural and social uncertainty in a country still struggling with the ghosts of its dictatorial past, where old sentiments are reemerging, and political divides are deepening.

The series is produced by Zeta Studios for WarnerMedia in Spain and will bow on HBO Max in 2022.

Rosie Perez Appears in WarnerMedia’s COVID-19 Vaccine PSAs

Rosie Perez is helping to raise awareness about the COVD-19 vaccine…

WarnerMedia is debuting a number of coronavirus vaccine PSAs featuring stars from their series, including the 56-year-old Puerto Rican actress, choreographer and community activist.

Rosie Perez

The public service announcements were created in partnership with the Ad Council, in support of their ongoing COVID-19 Vaccine Education campaigns.

The “It’s Up To You” campaign will air across all WarnerMedia and AT&T-owned cable, digital, streaming and social platforms starting next week.

Meanwhile, the Ad Council will be sharing the PSAs across their own network of distribution platforms.

The PSAs were written and directed by the internal creative team at Warner Media’s 10th Street Studios, which previously created the “Mask Up America” campaign.

In support of COVID-19 safety precautions, each of the campaign’s videos, which include Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Daveed Diggs, was produced remotely.

“WarnerMedia is proud to work with the Ad Council to continue to grow awareness and drive vaccine adoption,” said Dennis Williams, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility, WarnerMedia. “Having Sanjay, Rosie, and Daveed help us create and build a conversation around getting vaccinated will not only inspire action, but also save lives.”

“We continue to be so grateful to the WarnerMedia team for their commitment to educating Americans on protecting themselves and their families from COVID-19,” added Heidi Arthur, Chief Campaign Development Officer, Ad Council. “We know that many Americans have questions about the vaccine, and are so thankful to Sanjay, Rosie, and Daveed for helping educate and inspire Americans to get the answers to their questions so they can make an informed choice about vaccination for themselves and for their families.”

Tessa Thompson Launches Production Company ‘Viva Maude’

Tessa Thompson is expanding her Hollywood reach…

The 37-year-old part-Panamanian and part-Mexican American actress is moving into the production arena with a new production company, a first-look deal at HBO and HBO Max and executive-producing two big book adaptations – Who Fears Death and The Secret Lives of Church Ladies.

Tessa Thompson,

Thompson, who stars on HBO’s Westworld, has launched Viva Maude with a two-year deal at the WarnerMedia-owned cable network and streaming service.

“I’m beyond thrilled to officially launch my production company, Viva Maude, which has been a real passion project and labour of love over the last few years,” said Thompson. “I’m elated to begin this partnership and to bring entertaining and impactful television projects to my friends and collaborators at HBO and HBO Max. Together we are committed to developing interesting and inclusive stories with inventive creators and to discover new voices and visionaries.”

Thompson, who stars in and executive produced the Amazon Studios feature film Sylvie’s Love, will exec produce the two projects in development at HBO and HBO Max as part of the deal.

Who Fears Death is an adaptation of Nnedi Okorafor’s eponymous book. In the works at HBO since 2017 with Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin as one of the exec producers, Aïda Mashaka Croal, a writer on Jessica Jones and Luke Cage, has also come board as showrunner, writer and exec producer.

Who Fears Death tells the coming of age tale of Onyesowu in post-apocalyptic North Africa where her story makes her an outcast.  She must go on a journey from self-reproach to love, but to do so she’ll have to overcome untold obstacles—defeating her hated sorcerer father and becoming the instrument of prophetic deliverance for a land of oppressed people, all the while fighting to master the terrifying powers growing inside her.

At HBO Max, Thompson is also exec producing an adaptation of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies. The short story collection, written by Deesha Philyaw, was published in September and was a finalist for the 2020 National Book Award for Fiction. It contains nine stories about Black women, church, and sexuality.

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies explores the raw and tender places where Black women and girls dare to follow their desires and pursue a momentary reprieve from being good. Different generations of women characters grapple with who they want to be in the world, caught as they are between the church’s double standards and their own needs and passions. With their secret longings, new love, and forbidden affairs, these church ladies are as seductive as they want to be, as vulnerable as they need to be, as unfaithful and unrepentant as they care to be, and as free as they deserve to be.

Thompson will exec produce with author Philyaw, who is also writing the adaptation.

Thompson’s other credits include Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Endgame, Annihilation, Sorry to Bother YouSelmaand Dear White People and she co-stars alongside Ruth Negga in Rebecca Hall’s directorial debut feature film Passing as well as Creed III and Thor: Love and Thunder.

She is also a producer on QCode’s fiction podcast The Left Right Game, which Amazon purchased the rights to adapt into a television series, with Thompson exec producing the series.

Salma Hayek Executive Producing the TV Adaptation of Elizabeth Wetmore’s Novel “Valentine” for HBO

Salma Hayek has found a new Valentine

HBO is developing an adaptation of Elizabeth Wetmore’s novel Valentine, with the 54-year-old Mexican American actress/producer and Jennifer Schuur executive producing the project.

Salma Hayek

HBO reportedly won the rights to the book, which is set in 1976 in a West Texas oilfield town, in a competitive situation after it was published in March and debuted at number two on the New York Times’ Bestsellers list at the start of the global pandemic. It’s being developed as a limited series.

Schuur, who was a writer and producer on Netflix’s Unbelievable and is co-showrunner of HBO’s upcoming version of In Treatment, will write the pilot and will exec produce with Hayek and Jose Tamez, who runs Hayek’s Ventanarosa Productions, and author Wetmore.

It’s Ventanarosa Productions’ latest partnership with WarnerMedia after the company, which produced Frida and Ugly Betty, struck a first-look deal with HBO Max in June.

The book begins on Valentine’s Day, 1976 in the West Texas oilfield town of Odessa. It’s told through a network of women whose lives all change when a 14-year-old Mexican girl is beaten and raped by a white oil-worker. It is Wetmore’s first book.

Jennifer Schuur said, “Crimes against women and certainly against women of color are nothing new, but Elizabeth Wetmore has given us a story that explores this truth in a way that is profoundly intimate while also being an undeniable social and cultural critique. To be able to walk that entire landscape alongside partners in HBO and Salma Hayek who so deeply connect to the material as well is more than I could’ve hoped for when I first fell in love with Valentine.”

Salma Hayek added, “What a thrill to be working with HBO and Jennifer Schuur, whose powerful voicing of the female spirit has captivated me in all her previous work. Valentine is set in the 70’s but it couldn’t be more relevant today, as it centers around finding the courage to stand up for the truth, even when it means facing the outrage of your own kind.”

HBO Max Acquires Leticia Dolera’s Spanish-Language Original “Perfect Life,” Plans to Co-Produce Second Season

Leticia Dolera’s perfect life is getting more attention…

HBO Max has acquired the 39-year-old actress, writer and director’s Spanish-language original Perfect Life (Vida Perfecta) and has committed to co-producing a second season alongside Telefónica’s local streamer Moviestar+.

Leticia Dolera

The WarnerMedia streamer will debut Perfect Life on January 21, following the lives of Maria, Cristina, and Esther, who are in search of their place in the world as they navigate the humiliations and celebrations that come with being a thirty-something millennial.

The series was created by Dolera, who stars as Maria. It was produced by Movistar+ along with Corte y Confeccion de Peliculas in association with Beta Film, which handles international sales. Season 2 has just wrapped in Spain.

Crowned Best Series at the Canneseries Festival, the story centers on Maria, Cristina, and Esther as they realize that the plans they had made for themselves haven’t really gotten them the long-promised happiness they yearned for. Together, they will find unexpected alternatives.

The series also stars Celia Freijeiro and Aixa Villagran.

Perfect Life will feature on the new International Genre page on HBO Max.

 

HBO Max Launches 60 Episodes of Lynda Carter’s Original “Wonder Woman” Series

Lynda Carter is spinning her way onto the Max

The original Wonder Woman television series, starring the 69-year-old half-Mexican American actress/singer, has launched on HBO Max – just days before the latest Gal Gadot-fronted feature film drops on the streamer.

Lynda Carter x Wonder Woman

The WarnerMedia-owned platform launched 60 episodes of the 1970s series on Wednesday December 23. It features The New Original Wonder Woman television movie pilot that aired in November 1975 before the series started properly in April 1976.

It starred Carter, who also stars in The CW’s Supergirl and has a small cameo in the upcoming WW84 film, as the Amazonian princess, initially rescuing fallen American pilot Major Steve Trevor, played by Lyle Waggoner.

The pilot and the 13-episode first season aired on ABC, while Seasons 2 and 3 moved to CBS. The first season was set in the 1940s during World War II, while Seasons 2 and 3 are set in the 1970s and known as The New Adventures of Wonder Woman with a new cast apart from Carter and Waggoner.

It comes as Wonder Woman 1984, directed by Patty Jenkins based on a script she wrote with Geoff Johns and David Callaham, launches on HBO Max in the U.S. on December 25 (at noon ET).

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