Taylor Zakhar Perez Signs with Paradigm

Posted on March 26, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Taylor Zakhar Perez has new representation…

The 32-year-old part-Mexican American actor and breakout star of Amazon’s hit rom-com Red, White & Royal Blue, has signed with Paradigm for representation.

In the film from director Matthew Lopez, which adapts the New York Times bestselling novel from Casey McQuiston, Perez plays Alex Claremont-Diaz, son of the American President (Uma Thurman), whose feud with a British prince (Nicholas Galitzine) threatens to drive a wedge in U.S./British relations. Subsequently, the pair are forced into a staged truce that sparks something deeper.

Produced by Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schecter, the film premiered in August 2023 and became the No. 1 movie globally on Prime Video in its premiere weekend, remaining the platform’s most-watched film worldwide for the first three weeks after its release.

Touted by Amazon as spurring “a huge surge in new Prime membership signups,” the film is also now among Prime Video’s top three most-watched romantic comedies of all time.

Previously, Perez caught attention when he joined Netflix’s hugely popular YA film series The Kissing Booth, based on the novels by Beth Reekles, for its second and third installments. Additionally, he was featured in the first season of Max’s critically acclaimed series Minx, opposite Ophelia Lovibond, as well as Buzzfeed Studios’ 1UP, available on Prime Video.

He was recently named a SAG Awards Ambassador for the 30th annual SAG Awards, an appointment given to actors exemplifying the utmost values of the profession,

Brandon Larracuente Returning to ABC’s Medical Drama “The Good Doctor”

Posted on March 18, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Brandon Larracuente is heading back to the hospital…

The 29-year-old Puerto Rican actor is returning to ABC’s medical drama The Good Doctor.

Larracuente will be back to reprise his Season 6 character of Dr. Daniel Perez in one episode.

Meanwhile, Scandal alum Guillermo Diaz will appear in a guest spot.

Larracuente was introduced in Episode 2 of Season 6. Initially set to recur, he was quickly promoted to a series regular, with Daniel, a first-year surgical resident at St. Bonaventure Hospital, getting a major storyline involving a drug overdose that put him on probation.

Larracuente departed at the end of Season 6 after Daniel was put on pain medications following a car crash and headed back to his family in Texas for recovery treatment.

Diaz will guest star as Man/Carl/Jesus. A mysterious man shows up to the hospital to donate his kidney to a complete stranger, but his reasoning causes Jordan to question his ability to give informed consent.

Starring Freddie Highmore as Dr. Shaun Murphy and Richard Schiff as Shaun’s mentor Dr. Glassman, main cast also includes Fiona Gubelmann as Dr. Morgan Reznick, Will Yun Lee as Dr. Alex Park, Christina Chang as Dr. Audrey Lim, Spara as Lea Dilallo, Bria Samoné Henderson as Dr. Jordan Allen, Noah Galvin as Dr. Asher Wolke and Modu as Dr. Jared Kalu.

The Good Doctor is produced by Sony Pictures Television and ABC Signature, a part of Disney Television Studios. David Shore and Liz Friedman are executive producers and co-showrunners.

Known for his roles in Bloodline, 13 Reasons Why and Party of Five, Larracuente will next star in the Prime Video drama series On Call from Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television.

Known for his starring role as Scarface in the cult classic film Half-Baked, Diaz played Huck on ABC’s Scandal. He also appeared on Showtime’s Weeds, Chappelle’s Show for Comedy Central, and he recently was a series regular on ABC’s United We Fall.

Diego Boneta to Star in “El Gato,” Based on Richard Dominguez’s Comic Book Series “El Gato Negro”

Posted on February 26, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Diego Boneta has landed a purr-fect role…

The 33-year-old will lead the newly greenlit bilingual series El Gato (working title), based on the comic book series El Gato Negro by Richard Dominguez.

Production is expected to begin this spring in Mexico.

Boneta was previously attached to a project based on the same comic book titled El Gato Negro: Nocturnal Warrior from MGM Television and Mark Burnett in 2019 that stalled.

In El Gato, Boneta will play Frank Guerrero, the black sheep of his family, who finds himself at the center of a vast conspiracy when he discovers his father was the titular ‘70s vigilante. Frank, who returns home to Mexico after the death of his father and finds himself neck-deep in a nest of vipers – his estranged family – who are vying for control of his father’s business empire.

But Frank’s grief is interrupted when he learns his only inheritance, a seemingly worthless parcel of land on the border, sits atop the lair of a famous costumed vigilante. His father was “El Gato.” Now, Frank is in the crosshairs. To survive, he’ll have to solve mysteries decades in the making and unravel the truth about his father’s connections to a modern-day terror plot.

Eric Carrasco created the series and will showrun and executive produce along with co-showrunners Turi Meyer and Alfredo Septién.

“This is a pulp thriller,” Carrasco said in a statement. “It’s a family drama, it’s everything I love about spies and masks and secret identities. A lot of us on this team – Diego, Andrew Mittman, Steve Stark and Carla Gonzalez Vargas, and I – have been at this for a long time now, and it’s a genuine thrill to finally make the show with MGM Television and Prime Video.”

“Sharing El Gato with audiences around the world is a dream come true,” Boneta shared. “This has been a passion of mine since I started Three Amigos. Eric Carrasco and the entire team have built a character and universe that honors the superhero genre and still feels completely epic and original. It is an absolute honor to play Frank and produce this with my amazing partners at Amazon, MGM, and all other producers on this epic story. Get ready for a wild ride.”

In addition to Carrasco, the series is executive produced by Boneta, Meyer, Septién, Steve Stark of Toluca Pictures, Mittman of 1.21, and Gonzalez Vargas; and co-executive produced by Kai Dolbashian, Marilu G. Carranza and Joel Novoa–Schneider. The series is being produced by MGM Television, a division of Amazon MGM Studios.

Boneta and his company Three Amigos, under an overall deal with Prime Video, are currently in production on the upcoming film Follow, directed by Gonzalo Tobal and starring Boneta and Martha Higareda for Prime Video. This is the first project under Three Amigos’ overall deal with Prime Video.

Last year, Boneta starred in two limited series for Prime Video – Stanley, directed by Beto Hinojosa and La Liberación directed by Alejandra Márquez Abella.

Diego Boneta Starring in the New Erotic Thriller Film “Follow”

Posted on January 22, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Diego Boneta has lined up his next project…

The 33-year-old Mexican actor/singer will star opposite Martha Higareda in the new erotic thriller film Follow, a project they will also produce.

For Amazon Studios, the project hails from award-winning collaborators Fred Berger and Brian Kavanaugh-Jones and Piano’s Julio Chavezmontes and Gabriela Maire.

This is the first project from Boneta’s production banner Three Amigos’ overall deal with Amazon Prime.

Gonzalo Tobal will direct the film from a screenplay by Hipatia Argüero Mendoza. The film – in collaboration with Range Media Partners, Piano and Three Amigos – is set to begin filming in late January.

The film follows Sebastián (Boneta) a young, handsome and incredibly charming guy with an impeccable sense of style. He has used these weapons to become a master scammer, who preys on some of the richest and most famous women in Mexico. Alongside his faithful henchman Maclo (Alejandro Speitzer), Sebastián carries out his plans with great cunning. Before he can put an end to his bright career as a scammer, Carolina (Higareda), an enigmatic woman crosses his path. Captivated by her, Sebastian puts his retirement plans on hold to carry out one last scam.

Follow also stars Ofelia Medina (El sueño de ayer), Alberto Guerra (Griselda), Stephanie Sigman (Murder City) and Regina Nava (Pacto de Sangre).

“Follow has been a true passion project and I cannot wait to bring this iconic sexual thriller to life. As the first Three Amigos production through our Amazon deal, working with the entire Amazon team has been an absolute pleasure. We really built an incredible family of talented individuals that have made this movie possible. From our brilliant writer Hipatia Argüero, our irreplaceable producing partners Fred Berger and Julio Chavezmontes, to our captain and director Gonzalo Tobal. I cannot think of a better group of filmmakers to have on this project,” Boneta said in a statement.

Higareda added, “Having produced many comedy films, I was looking to explore a different angle on storytelling that can also be very appealing to the audiences while diving deeper into substance, and we trust that Follow will do both.”

“Follow is a love letter to the golden era of erotic thrillers in the 90s, rejuvenated with the most seductive stars of our generation including Boneta, Higareda, Speitzer, Guerra and Sigman, not forgetting the cinematic icon that Ofelia Medina represents. With the experienced guidance of Julio Chavezmontes, Fred Berger, Josh Glick, Natalia Boneta, and the pen of Hipatia Argüero, we are eager to begin and share this exciting story with the world,” said Alonso Aguilar, Head of Prime Video for Original Productions in Mexico.

Boneta’s credits include Luis Miguel: The Series, At Midnight, Rock of Ages and Father of the Bride.

Gael Garcia Bernal to Preside Over Jury at Rome Film Festival

Posted on October 4, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Gael Garcia Bernal is taking a special lead role in Italy…

The 44-year-old Mexican actor and producer will preside over the jury of the upcoming Rome Film Festival.

Garcia Bernal, who currently stars in the Amazon Prime film Cassandro, will be judging entries and bestowing prizes in the rebooted fest’s main section, which is now known as Progressive Cinema.

Films competing for Rome prizes include Spanish director Isabel Coixet’s Un Amor, about a young woman socially and sexually exploited by a rural patriarchy; Iranian director Farhad Delaram’s Achilles, in which a former filmmaker turned medic decides to help a female political prisoner escape from a psych ward; and French director Mehdi Fikri’s After The Fire, which turns on a French woman of North African descent who seeks justice after her younger brother dies suspiciously after being stopped by the police.

The Eternal City event’s upcoming 18th edition – which will run October 18-29 – will be the second since the appointment of RAI Cinema executive Paola Malanga as the fest’s artistic director and Gian Luca Farinelli, who heads the Bologna film archives, as president.

They have reshaped the Rome fest – which over the years has had it’s ups and downs – as a competitive event that has at its core a mix of mostly auteur titles, many with political themes, plus a panoply of more crowd pleasing films of different types screening out-of-competition.

Prime Video Releases Trailer for Gael García Bernal’s Gay Lucha Libra Luchador Film “Cassandro”

Posted on August 26, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Gael García Bernal is wrestling with his future…

Amazon Prime has released the official trailer for Cassandro, starring the 44-year-old Mexican actor/producer and Bad Bunny.

The film is based on the life of the wrestling and queer icon Cassandro, also known as the Liberace of Lucha Libre.

In the two-minute clip, the audience is introduced to Saúl Armendáriz (García Bernal) from El Paso, Texas, who dreams of becoming professional luchador after his father first introduced him to the sport. In the process, he transforms into Cassandro, an “exótico” who wrestles in drag.

“Are you a wrestler?” Bad Bunny asks García Bernal in the film’s new trailer. “Yes,” the Mexican actor responds. That’s the first interaction between the two in the teaser. Later in the clip, they are dancing, and there’s a first look at Bad Bunny as one of Cassandro’s love interests.

Roberta Colindrez, Perla de la Rosa, Joaquín Cosío and Raúl Castillo round out the biopic’s cast.

The world of wrestling is familiar to Bad Bunny. In 2021, the Grammy-winning Puerto Rican superstar ventured into the wrestling world by jumping off the top rope at the 2021 Royal Rumble. Most recently, the “Me Porto Bonito” singer defeated Damian Priest in a San Juan Street Fight at WWE’s premium live event Backlash in May.

After making its world premiere at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival in January, Cassandro is set to hit theaters on September 15, and will premiere on Prime Video Sept. 22.

Taylor Zakhar Perez’s “Red, White & Royal Blue” Becomes Prime Video’s No. 1 Film Globally in Its Premiere Weekend

Posted on August 17, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Taylor Zakhar Perez’s latest project is a Primetime hit…

The 31-year-old half-Mexican American model and actor’s romantic comedy Red, White & Royal Blue, an adaptation of Casey McQuiston’s bestselling novel, has become the No. 1 film globally on Prime Video in its premiere weekend.

The film, which launched on Amazon Prime Video on August 11, is now among Prime Video’s top three most-watched romantic comedies of all time, according to Amazon, which wouldn’t disclose the two other films Red, White & Royal Blue would be joining in the top

Amazon is also touting “a huge surge in new Prime membership signups” due to the film’s release. The company didn’t say how they determined this, though this generally measured as the title was the first one an account watched after subscribing to a streaming service.

“The phenomenal debut of Red, White & Royal Blueis a true testament to the entertaining and inspired storytelling led by the creative minds behind it. Matthew López, McQuiston, Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter and the entire talented filmmaking team hit it out of the park,” said Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon MGM Studios. “We are so proud of this delightful, heartwarming film and could not be more thrilled with the response from fans–existing and new.”

Red, White & Royal Blue centers around Alex and Prince Henry who have a lot in common: Stunning good looks, undeniable charisma, international popularity … and a total disdain for each other. Separated by an ocean, their long-running feud hasn’t really been an issue, until a disastrous—and very public—altercation at a royal event becomes tabloid fodder, driving a potential wedge in U.S./British relations at the worst possible time.

Going into damage-control mode, their families and handlers force the two rivals into a staged “truce.” But as Alex and Henry’s icy relationship unexpectedly begins to thaw into a tentative friendship, the friction that existed between them sparks something deeper than they ever expected.

The film adaptation is directed by López who also co-wrote the screenplay alongside Ted Malawer.

Red, White & Royal Blue also stars Clifton Collins Jr., Sarah Shahi, Rachel Hilson, Stephen Fry, Ellie Bamber, Thomas Flynn, Malcolm Atobrah, Akshay Khanna, Sharon D Clarke, Aneesh Sheth and Juan Castano.

Amazon Prime Releases Trailer for Justina Machado’s New Series “The Horror of Dolores Roach”

Posted on June 12, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Justina Machado is bringing the Horror…

Amazon Prime has released the official trailer for its new series The Horror of Dolores Roach, starring the 50-year-old Puerto Rican actress, premiering on July 7.

The trailer for the eight-episode series previews the capabilities of Dolores Roach’s “magic hands.”

The Amazon Original based on the Spotify podcast of the same name and created by Aaron Mark’s one-woman play Empanada Loca, is a contemporary Sweeney Todd-inspired story.

Machado plays Dolores Roach, a woman just released after an unjust 16-year prison sentence, and she returns to a gentrified Washington Heights.

Dolores reunites with an old stoner friend, Luis (Alejandro Hernández), who lets her live and work as a masseuse in the basement under his empanada shop. When the promise of her newfound stability is quickly threatened, “Magic Hands” Dolores is driven to shocking extremes to survive.

Mark created, wrote and directed the original podcast and penned the series’ pilot script.

The new series comes from Mark, who also serves as co-showrunner and executive producer with Dara Resnik, alongside executive producers Daphne Rubin-Vega; Jason Blum, Chris McCumber, Jeremy Gold, and Chris Dickie for Blumhouse Television; Dawn Ostroff, Mimi O’Donnell, and Justin McGoldrick for Spotify; Gloria Calderón Kellett for GloNation Studios; and Roxann Dawson, who directed the pilot.

The Horror of Dolores Roach also stars Kita Updike, K. Todd Freeman, Jean Yoon, Marc Maron, Judy Reyes and Jeffery Self.

Maron is set to play “Gideon Pearlman”, Luis and Dolores’ Long Island-based landlord who is the new owner of the building where they reside and is the home of Empanada Loca. Yoon will play “Joy,” who has owns the laundromat next door, while Reyes will play “Marcie,” who runs the neighborhood weed business and becomes Dolores’ nemesis.

Amazon Prime Video Releases Trailer for “All or Nothing,” Featuring Mikel Arteta

Posted on July 19, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

It’s all or nothing for Mikel Arteta…

Amazon Prime Video’s latest All or Nothing soccer series will feature the 40-year-old Spanish professional football manager and former player and his Arsenal team are in the spotlight again.

Super-fan Daniel Kaluuya narrates. The full trailer.

The first three episodes will launch August 4 following a premier in North London that week, with episodes four to six coming a week later and seven to eight on August 18.

Producer 72 Films’ cameras follow Arsenal at a crucial juncture as they focus on challenging for domestic titles and returning to elite European competitions, capturing the highs, lows and daily challenges experienced by the likes of stars Bukayo Saka, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Martin Ødegaard.

Arsenal is the third team to be spotlighted by All or Nothing, following Tottenham and Manchester City, while Amazon has also made shows on Paul Pogba, Wayne Rooney and Sir Alex Ferguson.

Diego Boneta Signs Overall Deal with Prime Video

Posted on April 25, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Diego Boneta is bringing his amigos to Amazon Prime Video…

The 31-year-old Mexican actor, singer and producer and his production company Three Amigos have signed an overall deal with Prime Video.

As part of the deal, Boneta will produce and star in a full slate of shows in development while also creating movies, series, and reality shows coming to the streaming service beginning in 2023.

All new productions launched as part of this partnership will join Prime Video’s growing slate of Mexican Amazon Originals, along with the thousands of television shows and movies from Hollywood and around the world in the Prime Video catalog.

“We are excited to expand our relationship with Diego Boneta and the entire Three Amigos team,” said Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios, in a statement to Deadline. “We can’t wait for our customers to see what’s in store from Diego and Three Amigos as we work to bring compelling new content to Prime Video’s audiences across Mexico and all around the world.”

“As a leading streaming service, Prime Video empowers the incredible creators we work with, and we could not be more excited to begin building new stories with Diego and his team,” said Alonso Aguilar, head of local Amazon Originals, Prime Video Mexico.

Boneta most recently wrapped a successful three-season run on the Telemundo/Netflix bio-series Luis Miguel: The Series, portraying the titular multi-Grammy-winning singer.

He also appeared in Rebelde, 90210, Pretty Little Liars, Underemployed and Scream Queens.

His feature film debut was in 2012’s Rock of Ages from Adam Shankman. Other big-screen credits include The Titan, Terminator: Dark Fate, Love, Weddings, & Other Disasters, and Die in a Gunfight.

Up next, Boneta will star opposite Andy Garcia, Gloria Estefan, Isabela Merced, and Adria Arjona in The Father of the Bride by director Gaz Alazraki. The film premieres on June 16, 2022.

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