Zoe Saldana’s latest project is headed to Netflix…
Netflix has won a hotly contested auction for The Bluff, a pitch that will be written as a star vehicle for the 42-year-old Puerto Rican and Dominican American actress and Guardians of the Galaxy star.
Frank E. Flowers is directing the film, while Joe Ballarini will write the script with Flowers. Several streamers were trying to acquire the film, and the upfront commitment for those scribes is seven figures.
The project is about pirates in the Caribbean. The drama is set in the Cayman Islands in the 1800s and Saldana plays Ercell, a Caribbean woman whose secret past is revealed when her island is invaded by vicious buccaneers. The intention is to blend visceral action and historical fiction to create a real action vehicle as the heroine fights against the atrocities committed by the pirates. There are strong roles for a second woman who is part of the vigilante campaign, and the nasty lead pirate.
Saldana and Flowers previously teamed in the 2004 drama Haven.
Saldana has the four Avatarsequels and is filming the untitled David O Russell-directed film alongside a cast that includes Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, Anya-Taylor Joy, Rami Malek, John David Washington and Robert De Niro.
The 42-year-old Puerto Rican and Dominican American actress has joined the ensemble cast of David O. Russell’s untitled New Regency film.
Saldana will star oppositeRami Malek, Christian Bale, Margot Robbie and John David Washington in the film.
The production, based on an original idea from Russell, is currently underway. Plot details are being kept under wraps.
Saldana will next be seen reprising her role of Neytiri in the upcoming second installment in the Avatar franchise. She’s also returning as Gamora in Disney/Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3and recently joined Jennifer Garner and Ryan Reynolds in The Adam Projectfor Netflix and Skydance.
The 42-year-old Puerto Rican and Dominican American actress and Guardians of the Galaxy star will star opposite Jennifer Garner and Ryan Reynolds in the Netflix action-adventure film The Adam Project.
Directed by Shawn Levy, Jonathan Tropper penned the script, with David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Don Granger producing for Skydance.
Plot details are being kept under wraps other than it having a time-travel element. The Adam Project marks one of a handful of films Netflix landed this year as studios like Paramount were figuring out their future slate in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Netflix felt like the perfect home as Reynolds was in the midst of wrapping his second film, Red Notice, while Levy has made Netflix his home following the massive success of his series Stranger Things.
The film will be the first project for Reynolds’ The Group Effort Initiative, a self-financed diversity and inclusion program that aims to give people of color a chance to work and learn on the actor’s productions. The Group Effort Initiative is a joint effort between Maximum Effort and B for Effort.
Saldana is known for starring roles in two of three biggest blockbusters in movie history — Avatarand Avengers: Endgame. She next will be seen reprising her role of Neytiri in Avatar 2, 3 and 4. Saldana also will star in and executive produce the limited drama series From Scratchfor Netflix.
There’s no denying Cameron Diazis a boss b$tch… And, now there’s a video to prove it.
Actress and stuntwoman extraordinaire Zoe Bell has created a full-out, virtual battle royale featuring the most badass actresses and stuntwomen of Hollywood, including the 47-year-old half-Cuban American actress.
Bell’s video is appropriately called Boss Bitch Fight Challenge.
“I’m so bored! I just want to play with my friends!” she proclaims as she tries to liven things up during her quarantine with five minutes of virtual fisticuffs.
Similar to a viral video made by stuntmen, the ladies show the men how it’s really done as Bell stitches together vignettes of an all-star, blink-and-you’ll-miss-them roster of women serving us some action-packed, fighting moves.
It starts with Bell and we quickly see actresses like Halle Berry kick some tail, as well as Scarlett Johansson and her fellow Black Widow starFlorence Pugh step into action. Margot Robbiemakes use of her Harley Quinnbat while Charlie’s Angelsalums Drew Barrymoreand Diaz jump into the brawl. Also making cameos are Xenaherself Lucy Lawless, Birds of Prey actress Rosie Perez, Guardians of the Galaxy’s Zoe Saldana, DMZstar Rosario Dawsonas well as Daryl Hannahreprising her role as Elle Driver from Kill Bill.
Here’s the full roster of boss bitchesin order of appearance:
Zoe Bell, Lucy Lawless, Tara Macken, Drew Barrymore, Juliette Lewis, Tamiko Brownlee, Rosario Dawson, Amy Johnson, Cameron Diaz, Kim Murphy, Daniela Ruah, Michaela McAllister, Kaitlin Olson, Lauren Mary Kim, Florence Pugh, Julia Butters, Angela Meryl, Sarah Irwin, Daryl Hannah, Sophia Di Martino, Tracie Thoms, Shauna Duggins, Zoe Saldana, Ming Qiu, Renee Goldsberry, Rosie Perez, Lilly Aspell, Thandie Newton, Mel Stubbs, Jessie Graff, Monique Ganderton, Halle Berry, Heidi Moneymaker, Scarlett Johansson, Dayna Grant, Margot Robbie, Renae Moneymaker, KT Tunstall and finally, to make things come full circle, Zoe Bell rounds it out.
Claudia Forestieri is getting personal on her next project…
HBO Max has put in development The Gordita Chronicles, a coming-of-age kids and family comedy from the half-Dominican writer, Josh Berman’s Osprey Productions, Zoe Saldana’s Cinestar Pictures and Sony Pictures Television, where Osprey is under a deal.
Written by Forestieri, The Gordita Chronicles, loosely inspired by Forestieri’s life, centers around a Latina reporter looking back on her childhood as a chubby, willful and reluctant Dominican immigrant growing up with her eccentric family in 1980s Miami.
Berman and Chris Kingexecutive produce for Osprey Productions. Zoe Saldana, Mariel Saldanaand Cisely Saldanaexecutive produce for Cinestar Pictures. Forestieri is co-executive producer. Sony Pictures Television is the studio.
Forestieri was a producer for Telemundo’s L.A. affiliate where she earned five local Emmys and a GLAAD Media award for her work covering the Latino community. She is an alumnus of HBO’s Access Writing Fellowship, NALIP’s Latino Writers Lab and NBC’s Writers on the Vergeprogram. Forestieri is a writer on the upcoming Selena: The Seriesfor Netflix and previously wrote on Freeform’s Good Trouble.
Saldana is next set to star and executive produce From Scratch, a limited series from Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshinefor Netflix.
The 41-year-old Puerto Rican and Dominican American actress is set to star in writer-director Jasmine McGlade’s drama Fencer, which
HanWay Films will sell at the European Film Market (EFM).
Set in the competitive world of fencing, Saldana is attached to play Mae, an ambitious female athlete facing personal demons and childhood rivals as she vies for a spot on the U.S. Olympicteam.
The film is inspired by McGlade’s own experiences as a national champion fencer. McGlade capped her tenure at Harvardby leading her team to the school’s first-ever NCAA Championshiptitle.
Casey Affleck is producing with Whitaker Lader.
Imagine Entertainmentwill executive produce. UTA Independent Film Group and CAA Media Financeare co-repping the U.S.
McGlade commented, “As a writer and filmmaker I seek to tell brazen, character-driven stories about people who are flawed, and thus real. Especially women. Characters who are their own worst enemies and yet incredibly resilient. Fencer is a celebration of perseverance and sacrifice, while also a cautionary tale about the dangers of getting one’s sense of worth and security solely through achievement and external validation. Fencer will provide one of the screen’s first realistic glimpses into the thrilling world of fencing, much more demanding and diverse than stereotypes may suggest, and an intimate and intense look into the minds and lives of female athletes. It is a dream come true to get to work with Zoe on Fencer, and to marry my two greatest passions: filmmaking and fencing.”
Saldana’s credits include the Star Trek franchise, the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, Avatar and its upcoming sequels, and Colombiana.
The 41-year-old Puerto Rican and Dominican American actress will star in Sabaya, a fact-based thriller that Reed Morano will direct based on a William Monahan script about the unlikely circumstances that made possible a 2015 U.S. Special Forces raid that killed a top ISIS leader and started the downfall of the radical Islamic State.
Saldana will play a female CIAofficer who befriended a recently escaped ISIS sex slave, or “sabaya.” The 15-year-old Yazidi girl can neither read nor write, but as she works with the teen to piece together her harrowing odyssey out of Syria, the CIA officer finds that the abused girl has pinpointed the nerve center of the Caliphate. The subsequent dramatic raid on the site of the young woman’s captivity results in the capture of intelligence that would spell the end of the Islamic State.
The story comes from Spycraft Entertainment, a production company headed by Grant Verstandig and former CIA officers John Sipherand Jerry O’Shea, who work with retired members of the intelligence community to create and develop content based on their true stories.
“It is an honor to be a part of the telling of this story,” said Saldana. “This young woman’s journey is one for the books, and I am beyond grateful we will get to immortalize it on the silver screen.”
Morano has called Sabaya “a larger than life epic but it’s also an intimate, raw portrait of a young girl’s determination and the bond that forms between these two women. I’ve not seen such a mind-blowing adventure that is simultaneously so emotionally transcendent, from these perspectives before. I’m thrilled to be telling this powerful story with the incredible Bill and Zoe.”
Monahan called Sabaya “the best material for an emotionally powerful theatrical war film that I have seen in ages and I don’t say that lightly. It’s a story of doing the right thing against desperate odds, and if you think about it, no film that’s any good is about anything else whatsoever. Sabaya is what the big screen is for, and this dream team we’ve got is all out for [it].”
Saldana’s previous credits include the Guardians of the Galaxy/the Avengers franchise films, the Avatar franchise, and the Star Trek franchise films.
The 35-year-old Honduran American actress and former Ugly Betty star is among the A-list celebrities who’ve signed a letter to support the Latino community in light of recent deadly attacks and political targeting.
Ferrera is among 200 actors, musicians, artists, activists, and labor and civil rights leaders that have signed the letter, which has been published in newspapers including The New York Times, El Nuevo Herald, La Opinión and El Diario.
Other top names include Eva Longoria, Diane Guerrero, Alex Martinez Kondracke, Mónica Ramírez and Olga Segura, along with Jennifer Lopez, Gina Rodriguez, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Carmen Perez, Anthony D. Romero, Wilmer Valderrama, Zoe Saldana, Salma Hayek Pinault, Ricky Martin, Rosario Dawson, Diego Luna, Dolores Huertaand Sandra Cisneros.
This comes amid a raft of incidents including the mass shooting in El Paso, Texas that left 22 individuals dead and injured 24 others, the sweeping ICE raids that took 680 individuals into custody in Mississippi, the continued separation of families, and the inhumane living conditions of those detained.
Over 200 Latinx leaders have come together to send a message of love and solidarity to our community during these dark times and to call on all of us to speak out & fight for the humanity of all people. Read the letter, share the love and declare yourself an ally. #QueridaFamiliapic.twitter.com/w6cIDuD0BX
“As a Latina, my heart breaks with every attack on our dignity, humanity and lives. And as an American, I fear for the future of my country when our culture and policies lack a basic decency and respect for human life,” said Ferrera. “We all have a responsibility to show up in this moment and demand decency for one another and for our country.”
“We’re facing a moral crisis in our country, and we chose to use this moment to raise our voices, and speak up,” said Longoria. “Integrity starts with looking in the mirror and this letter calls on everyone, not just our community, to choose humanity and decency over hate and violence.”
“This piece is to remind us of our shared humanity,” added Orange Is The New Black star Guerrero.
“We don’t have to look far to see what family separation and hateful rhetoric is doing to the people in our country. If we do not act, we will be complicit in one of history’s greatest tragedies.”
The nominations for Nickelodeon‘s 2019 Kids Choice Awards are in, with the 26-year-old Dominican American rap sensation earning the most nods of any Latina/o artist.
Cardi B earned four nominations, including Favorite Female Artist, where she’ll face off against fellow Latinas Selena Gomez and Camila Cabello.
She’s also up for Favorite Breakout Artist for the second year in a row, as well as Favorite Collaboration for two of her chart-topping songs: “Girls Like You” (Maroon 5) and “I Like It” (Cardi B, Bad Bunny, J Balvin).
Zoe Saldanaearned two nods.
The 40-year-old half-Dominican/half-Puerto Rican American actress is up for Favorite Movie Actress and Favorite Butt-Kicker for her role as Gamorain Avengers: Infinity War.
Other nominees include Noah Centineo, Jennifer Lopez and Bruno Mars.
DJ Khaled will host this year’s awards show, which will be broadcast live on Saturday, March 23.
Here’s a look at all the nominations:
TELEVISION:
Favorite Funny TV Show
The Big Bang Theory
BUNK’D
Fuller House
Henry Danger
Modern Family
Raven’s Home
Favorite TV Drama
A Series of Unfortunate Events
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
The Flash
Riverdale
Stranger Things
The Walking Dead
Favorite Reality Show
America’s Got Talent
American Idol
American Ninja Warrior
Dancing with the Stars: Juniors
Double Dare
The Voice
Favorite TV Host
Ellen DeGeneres (Ellen’s Game of Games)
Kevin Hart (TKO: Total Knock Out)
Liza Koshy & Marc Summers (Double Dare)
Nick Cannon & JoJo Siwa (Lip Sync Battle Shorties)
The latest trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, starring the 38-year-old Puerto Rican and Dominican American actress was unveiled by Saldana’s co-star Chris Pratt on Tuesday night’s Jimmy Kimmel Live.
The video features a handful of the same scenes that have been seen in previous trailers and promos, with the superhero team assembling to save the galaxy for a second time, as well as continuing the team’s adventures as they unravel the mystery of Peter Quill’s true parentage.
“Sometimes, the thing you’re searching for your whole life in right there by your side all along,” Pratt’s Star-Lord says in the trailer.
He doesn’t have to wait that long to find the thing he’s been searching for his whole life, as audiences are finally introduced to Star-Lord’s father Ego, played by Kurt Russell.
In addition to Saldana and Pratt, Guardians of the GalaxyVol. 2, directed by James Gunn, also features Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel as Baby Groot.
