Prime Video Renews Laz Alonso’s “The Boys” for a Fourth Season

Laz Alonso’s Boys will live another season…

Prime Video has ordered a fourth season its Emmy-nominated superhero series The Boys, starring the 48-year-old Afro-Cuban American actor.

Laz Alonso, The BoysThe announcement comes a week after the Season 3 premiere of series, which hails from Sony Pictures Television and Amazon Studios.

Eric Kripke’s adaptation of the bestselling comic by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson was a breakout hit when it launched in 2019.

However, like most of its counterparts, Prime Video doesn’t release ratings information for its shows. While still the case, Amazon has shared data on the growth in viewers for the first three episodes of each season over their first three days of release.

The entire first season of The Boys was available at launch, Seasons 2 and 3 premiered with three episodes each, followed by a weekly release of the rest.

Over the first three days since Season 3’s June 3 debut, the worldwide viewership for The Boys has grown by +17% from season two, and +234% from season one, Prime Video said.

“From our first conversation with Eric Kripke and the creative team about Season Three of The Boys, we knew the show was continuing to get even bolder—an impressive feat considering the wild success of the Emmy-nominated second season,” said Vernon Sanders, head of global television, Amazon Studios. “This stylized world of the series has incredible global reach and the viewership for opening weekend is proof of that.”

Based on The Boys‘ early success, Prime Video also has ordered two spinoff series to date, eight-episode anthology animated series The Boys Presents: Diabolical, which premiered earlier this year, and the upcoming college spinoff, which is now in production.

So, is there a possibility for a second season of Diabolical?

“There is absolutely the possibility,” Sanders said. “We were excited when we launched. We thought there was a two-fold opportunity with Diabolical. One was to get The Boys fans excited about and get it out early. But we also wanted to see if there was another bite of the apple once the mothership show returned, and we are seeing real engagement and growth of the show there. We’ve definitely had conversations with the producers about what the next installment would look like.”

The untitled Boys Spinoff, set at America’s only college exclusively for young-adult superheroes, went through a number of behind-the-scenes and in front of the camera changes en route to production, including bringing in new showrunners and recastings.

“We are thrilled, the dailies look great, we are excited about the cast that we have,” Sanders said. “It absolutely has The Boys, it’s part of the show, but I think the other thing we are excited about, it’s different in its own way. It’s definitely been a long road. I have to admit, when Eric Kripke came to talk to us about the spinoff, we were so excited about the potential of it, we told him we wanted it two years earlier than he said he could get it done. Eric has been great and brought great showrunners as well.”

The spinoff series is expected to debut next year, Sanders said.

And The Boys universe may not be done expanding.

“There’s ideas beyond the shows that we have. We want to pace ourselves,” Sanders said. “The launch of the show this season so far has really blown us away, and I wouldn’t be surprised if you heard about more but for the time being, we are focused on this next show and making sure that it lives up to everything it needs to be, and so far, we are on track.”

In addition to Alonzo, Season 3 of The Boys stars Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Dominique McElligott, Jessie T. Usher, Chace Crawford, Tomer Capone, Karen Fukuhara, Nathan Mitchell, Colby Minifie, Claudia Doumit and Jensen Ackles.

“Speaking for the cast and crew, we’re so grateful to Sony, Amazon, and most of all the fans for embracing the show and allowing us to make more,” said Kripke. “We’re thrilled to continue Butcher and the Boys’ fight against Homelander and the Seven, as well as comment on the insane world we’re living in. Also, this is the first time in history that exploding genitalia has led to further success.”

The Boys was developed by Kripke, who serves as writer, executive producer and showrunner. It’s described as a fun and irreverent take on what happens when superheroes—who are as popular as celebrities, as influential as politicians, and as revered as gods—abuse their superpowers rather than use them for good. Intent on stopping the corrupt superheroes, The Boys, a group of vigilantes, continue their heroic quest to expose the truth about The Seven and Vought—the multibillion-dollar conglomerate that manages the superheroes and covers up their dirty secrets. It’s the seemingly powerless against the super-powerful.

The Boys is produced by Sony Pictures Television and Amazon Studios with Point Grey Pictures, Kripke Enterprises and Original Film.

“The Boys producers and cast have proven year after year that there is no bar they can’t jump over,” said Jeff Frost, President, Sony Pictures Television and Jason Clodfelter, co-President, Sony Pictures Television. “We are incredibly proud of this brilliant and subversive genre bending series. Our relationship with Prime Video is much more than a partnership, it’s more like extended family. Everyone here at Sony Pictures Television is thankful to join Prime Video and Eric Kripke for another successful season.”

Julieth Restrepo to Star as Colombian Women’s Rights Pioneer & Politician Esmeralda Arboleda

Julieth Restrepo is taking on the old boy network…

The 35-year-old Colombian actress and Loving Pablo star will portray Colombian politician and women’s rights pioneer Esmeralda Arboleda in the Spanish-language feature Estimados Señores.

Julieth RestrepoArboleda, was a Colombian politician and the first woman elected to the Senate of Colombia, serving from 1958-1961. A leader of the women’s suffrage movement in the country, she played an intrinsic role in achieving universal voting rights for women in the 1950s.

The new film will chart how Arboleda managed to convince 70 of the most powerful men in Colombia to approve the vote for women, despite the powerful influence of the country’s religious right.

Restrepo, also known for her work in the Amazon and AGC series Noticia de un Secuestro with Juan Pablo Raba and Netflix miniseries Griselda with Sofia Vergara, is due to star with Elkin Diaz and Claudio Cataño in the film.

Agora Films and El Circo Film are producing. Actress, producer and writer Patricia Castañeda will make her feature directorial debut based on her script.

Featured in the Ventana Sur works in progress market of 2020, the project is now lining up to shoot next month in Bogota.

Director Castañeda says the project has particular resonance right now given that Colombia earlier this year voted to decriminalize abortion during the first 24 weeks of pregnancy, marking a major victory for reproductive rights in the country. This follows a string of similar victories in other Latin American countries.

Christian Nodal Helps Launch Amazon Music’s “GEN MEX” Project

Christian Nodal is helping spotlight on the next generation of Regional Mexican music…

Amazon Music has launched “GEN MEX: Your Generation of Música Mexicana” with an assist from the 23-year-old Mexican singer.

Christian NodalThe project includes new music programming and editorial, including Amazon Originals, videos, livestreams, and a new video featuring Nodal where he introduces fans to Amazon’s new home of Música Mexicana.

Additionally, GEN MEX launches with more than 80 playlists and with Yahritza Y Su Esencia as the newly-named ROMPE artist.

“GEN MEX is a celebration of one of the fastest growing music categories within Latin music in the past few years, one that continues to transcend borders across Latin America, the U.S. and beyond,” said Rocio Guerrero, head of global Latin, Amazon Music. “To look ahead, you have to honor the legends that have passed down their traditions. GEN MEX will honor those roots, while helping to redefine its future, connecting fans across borders and generations and elevating the voices of those driving the culture forward.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CdvuGlxFHCK/

Carlos Santos to Star in Amazon’s Freevee Project From Shea Serrano, Formerly Titled “Primo”

Carlos Santos has landed a primo role…

The 36-year-old Puerto Rican actor and comedian has joined the cast of Amazon’s Freevee project from Shea Serrano, formerly titled Primo.

Carlos SantosSantos is among a list of new series regulars that includes Ignacio Diaz-Silverio, Martin Martinez, Johnny Rey Diaz, Henri Esteve, Jonathan Medina, Nigel Siwabessy, Christina Vidal, Efrain Villa and Stakiah Washington. 

The single-camera series hails from Serrano and The Good Place creator Mike Schur.

Inspired by Serrano’s life growing up in San Antonio, the project follows a teenager balancing college aspirations, societal expectations, and a hectic home life, anchored by his single mom and five uncles.

Diaz-Silverio will portray Rafa, a 16-year-old high school junior who must balance his mom and five uncles’ opinions after finding out that he has the chance to be the first person in his family to ever attend college.

Rey Diaz will portray Rollie, one of Rafa’s uncles and the middle child of his brothers. He’s the wildman of the family. He is regularly in minor trouble with the law. Though he’s feared as a brawler in the neighborhood, he’s also the most sentimental of the group.

Esteve will portray Mike, the second youngest of Rafa’s uncles. He is a fit, disciplined, military man who acts extremely alpha male-y all the time, though nobody in the family buys it.

Martinez will portray Miguel, one of Rafa’s closest friends who is a bit of a smart aleck.

Medina will portray Jay, the eldest of Rafa’s uncles. He has worked at a full-time, labor-intensive job since he was 17. He moves through life in the most straightforward way possible. He is the ultimate pragmatist.

Santos will portray Ryan, the youngest of all Rafa’s uncles. He works as a mid-level bank teller, but he tells everyone he works in finance.

Siwabessy will portray Harris, another one of Rafa’s closest friends, who has plenty of swagger and no use for college, as he intends to inherit his parents’ corner store.

Vidal will portray Drea, Rafa’s mom and the third eldest among her and her brothers. She’s the beating heart of the family. She’s insightful, clever, and resourceful.

Villa will portray Mondo, the second oldest of Rafa’s uncles and a cosmic wanderer. His advice usually has a bizarrely comforting philosophical hue to it that rarely translates to practical application.

Washington will portray Mya, Rafa’s friend who also happens to be his secret crush. She comes from a well-educated family for whom attending college is not an accomplishment but an expectation.

Production for the series will begin later this month in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Peter Murrieta serves as an executive producer. The series is produced by Amazon Studios and Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group.

Diego Boneta Signs Overall Deal with Prime Video

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.

Diego BonetaAs 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.

Justina Machado to Star in Mario Garcia’s Indie Comedy “The Throwback”

It’s throwback time for Justina Machado.

The 49-year-old Puerto Rican actress will star opposite Will Sasso in The Throwback, an indie comedy marking the feature directorial debut of Mario Garcia.

Justina MachadoThe project will be heading into production in Tampa next month.

The film follows a married couple (Machado and Sasso) in full-blown midlife crisis who are thrown into further turmoil when the wife (Machado), an underappreciated and stressed ‘supermom,’ suffers a post-traumatic breakdown during the holiday season, causing her to regress to her 19-year-old college party-girl self.

Garcia wrote the script and will produce via his company Garcia Interactive, alongside Michael A. Alfieri of Miantri Films and Doug Fox. Machado and Sasso’s longtime manager, Danielle Del, will executive produce alongside Machado and Sterling Macer Jr.

Machado recently starred as Penelope on Sony Picture Television’s revival of One Day at a Time. She will next be seen in the Blumhouse-produced Amazon series, The Horror of Dolores Roach.

The actress has also been seen on series like Queen of the South, Jane the Virgin and Six Feet Under, among many others.

Her additional film credits include All Together Now, The Purge: Anarchy, The Call and The Accidental Husband.

Epix Renews Catalina Sandino Moreno’s Contemporary Sci-Fi Series “From” for Second Season

There’s more from Catalina Sandino Moreno on the way…

Epix has renewed the contemporary sci-fi horror series From, starring the 41-year-old Colombian Oscar-nominated actress, for a 10-episode second season.

Catalina Sandino MorenoCreated/executive produced by John Griffin and executive-produced by Jack Bender and Jeff Pinkner, the series unravels the mystery of a nightmarish town that traps all those who enter.

Production will begin this summer in Halifax, Nova Scotia, with an expected air date in 2023.

The series premiere of From is Epix’s most viewed original series premiere in the history of the Amazon-owned network following the acquisition of MGM and current performance analytics track that the entire series is on pace to be Epix’s second most-watched original behind Emmy winning series Godfather of Harlem.

“The first season of From mystified, enthralled, and terrified fans and critics alike with its haunting world, vivid characters and thrilling scares,” said Michael Wright, president of Epix. “We have been delighted by the social conversation generated by the From community and can’t wait to unravel more of this mysterious story with our passionate fans in season two.”

In season two, hidden truths about the nature and terrifying origins of the town begin to emerge, even as life for its residents is plunged into chaos by the arrival of mysterious newcomers.

In addition Sandino Moreno, the series also stars Harold Perrineau, Eion Bailey, Hannah Cheramy, Simon Webster, Ricky He, Chloe Van Landschoot, Corteon Moore, Pegah Ghafoori, David Alpay, Elizabeth Saunders, Elizabeth Moy and Avery Konrad.

“On behalf of the producers, writers, and our insanely talented cast and crew, we are thrilled and grateful to both EPIX and our audience for the opportunity to continue exploring the world of From,” said Pinkner.

From is a co-production between Epix Studios and MGM International Television Productions.

Edwin Castro Signs with Creative Artists Agency (CAA)

Edwin Castro has new representation…

The 30-year-old Mexican American Twitch streamer has signed with Creative Artists Agency (CAA) for representation in all areas.

Edwin CastroCastro is best known for his soccer-themed content including FIFA.

He averages 30,000 concurrent live viewers on the Amazon-owned platform and has over 3.5 million followers.

Castro is also active on YouTube and social media channels.

A sports enthusiast, Castro attends major sporting events annually such as WWE, F1, NFL, NBA and MLB.

Among his work with brands, Castro has collaborated with 7-Eleven, Gillette, Electronic Arts and Turtle Beach. Earlier this year, he was seen in a McDonald’s Super Bowl commercial.

Sebastián Zurita to Appear in Prime Video Series “The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart”

Sebastián Zurita has a blooming new role…

The 35-yea-old Mexican actor has landed a recurring role in Prime Video’s The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, based on the novel of the same name by Holly Ringland.

Sebastián ZuritaZurita joins previously announced star and executive producer Sigourney Weaver, Alycia Debnam-Carey, Alyla Browne, Leah Purcell, Asher Keddie, Frankie Adams, Alexander England, Tilda Cobham-Hervey and Charlie Vickers.

The 7-part drama series set in Australia tells the story of a young girl, Alice Hart (played by Browne as a youth and Debnam-Carey as an adult), whose violent childhood casts a dark shadow over her adult life. After a family tragedy in which she loses both her abusive father and beloved mother in a mysterious fire, 9-year-old Alice is taken to live with her grandmother June (Weaver) on a flower farm, where she learns that there are secrets within secrets about her and her family’s past.

The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart comes from Amazon Studios and is produced by Made Up Stories and Endeavor Content.

Kirsty Fisher and Kim Wilson are on-board as writers. Glendyn Ivin will direct all 7 episodes.

The series will be produced by Barbara Gibbs and co-executive produced by Made Up Stories’ Lucinda Reynolds.

Up next for Zurita is the April 15 premiere of Prime Video’s Como Sobrevivir Soltero’s second season, a series he stars in and co-created alongside his brother Emiliano Zurita. The project has been renewed for a third season.

He previously starred in El Juego De Las Llaves for Prime Video and Pantaya, and Crackle’s The Oath.

U.S. Senate Advances Alvaro Bedoya’s Nomination to the Federal Trade Commission

Alvaro Bedoya is one step closer to being Commission-ed…

The U.S. Senate has narrowly advanced the nomination of the 40-year-old Peruvian attorney and director of the Center on Privacy and Technology at the Georgetown University Law Center to the Federal Trade Commission.

Alvaro Bedoya

Democrats are seeking to end a deadlock on the commission and advance an agenda likely to take a harder line on corporation consolidation and tech giants.

The vote this week was 51-50, with Vice President Kamala Harris breaking a tie. The Senate Commerce Committee split 14-14 earlier this month on the nomination, meaning that Democrats needed to use a more complicated legislative maneuver to move it forward via what is called a discharge petition.

Bedoya now faces additional Senate votes before confirmation, but that can happen if all members of the Democratic caucus stick together.

The FTC under chair Lina Khan did not challenge Amazon’s acquisition of MGM before the two companies closed the transaction, disappointing some union and public interest groups that had urged the agency to take a harder line. But any effort to challenge the merger likely would have been complicated by the lack of a Democratic majority on the FTC given the expectation that two Republican commissioners were expected to vote against a challenge to the transaction.

Still, the Writers Guild of America, Teamsters and other groups have urged the FTC to still challenge the transaction even post-merger.

An FTC spokesperson also did not rule out such a scenario.

“The FTC does not comment on any particular matters. However, we reiterate that the Commission does not approve transactions and may challenge a deal at any time if it determines that it violates the law,” the spokesperson said.

Republicans opposed the Bedoya nomination by arguing that he would be too partisan for the agency, pointing to some of his past social media posts.

Bedoya is the founding director of the Center on Privacy and Technology at Georgetown Law.

The FTC is expected to move to pass a comprehensive set of privacy rules for internet companies. The FTC and the Justice Department’s antitrust division are in the midst of a review of merger guidelines, with the expectation that they will lead to stricter enforcement.