Eva Longoria has lined up her next directorial project…
The 45-year-old Mexican American actress/producer will direct and executive produce The Gordita Chroniclespilot at HBO Max.
The single-camera family comedy hails from Josh Berman’s Osprey Productions, Zoe Saldana’s Cinestar Pictures, and Sony Pictures Television, where Berman’s Osprey Prods is under a deal.
Written by Claudia Forestier, The Gordita Chronicles centers on a willful, chubby, 12-year-old Dominican who struggles to fit into hedonistic 1980s Miami as her family pursues the American Dream.
Brigitte Munoz Liebowitz serves as executive producer and showrunner. Longoria executive produces via her UnbeliEVAble Entertainment. Zoe Saldana, Mariel Saldana and Cisely Saldana executive produce for Cinestar Pictures.
Sony Pictures Television is the studio.
Longoria will be making her film directorial debut with Searchlight’s Flamin’ Hot, an inspiring biopic about the janitor turned executive who created the flaming hot Cheetos snack. She’ll also direct the workplace comedy 24/7and star alongside Kerry Washington for Universal and direct the action comedy Spa Dayfor Sony.
The former Desperate Housewivesstar made her television directing debut onDevious Maidsin 2014. Her television producing/directing credits also include ESPN 30 for 30 documentaryVersus, and episodes of Black-ish, The Mick andTelenovela.
Longoria made her pilot directing debut with the CW’sGlorious.
Christy Turlington will be sashaying her way onto Apple TV+…
The 51-year-old half-Salvadoran American will be appearing in the streamer’s latest documentary series The Supermodels.
Hailing from Imagine Documentaries and directed by Barbara Kopple, the series will feature access to and interviews with Turlington, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford and Linda Evangelista, who will all executive produce alongside Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Sara Bernstein, Justin Wilkes and Kopple.
The Supermodels will revisit the quartet’s modelling careers and how they disrupted the 90s’ fashion scene.
The series comes out of Imagine Documentaries first-look agreement with Apple.
Director Kopple has previously won two Academy Awards in 1976 for Kentucky miners’ strike film Harlan County, USAand in 1991 for American Dreamabout the Hormel strike in Austin, Minnesota.
Campbell said it was a “dream come true to bring it to life”. “We hope our journey seen in the docuseries will encourage, motivate and inspire young people around the world. We look forward to this great adventure ahead with director Barbara Kopple,” she wrote on Instagram.
Crawford added that the series plans to “explore the dynamic personalities” and “shifts in media and culture that helped shape and define this iconic era”. “I’m excited to reunite with my friends to both celebrate and examine the way supermodels transcended the traditional perceptions and limits of modeling in the fashion industry through time,” she added on the social media app.
The Peruvian actor and writer has been cast alongside Zachary Laoutides and Alexander James Rodriguez in Where Sweet Dreams Die, the Ave Fenix Pictures Studios dramatic thriller being directed by Mirza Esho.
The filn follows an Italian American man on the verge of losing his restaurant and wife to cancer. He becomes obsessed with a Middle Eastern immigrant looking to take over the restaurant on the path to achieve the American Dream.
Marius Iliescu and Emmanuel Isaac co-star in the movie, the latest from the Monica Esmeralda Leon-founded Ave Fenix.
Production is now set to get underway in November in Chicago and New York with COVID-19 protocols in place.
The 30-year-old Mexican actress has been cast opposite Marc Menchaca in the film adaptation of Adam Nevill’s horror novelNo One Gets Out Alive.
The project hails from Netflix and Andy Serkis and Jonathan Cavendish’s Imaginarium Productions.
Rodlo, who starred in Miss Bala, and Menchaca, who appeared in The Outsider, have been set as leads in the story of an immigrant in search of the American Dream who, after being forced to take a room in a boarding house, finds herself in a nightmare she can’t escape.
Jon Croker and Fernanda Coppel penned the script and Santiago Menghini has been sent to helm, his directing debut.
Filming is scheduled to begin this month in Bucharest, Romania.
Rodlo’s previous credits include the television series’ 68 Whiskey, El Vato and Too Old to Die Young.
Menchaca’s previous credits includethe television series’ Ozark, The Sinner and Manifest.
Eva Longoria’s hoping to bring the Chicano story and struggle to the small screen.
The 45-year-old Mexican American actress and former Desperate Housewives star has joined forces with Natalie Chaidez and Forest Whitaker to develop the family drama Chicano, inspired by Richard Vasquez’s novel of the same name, for ABC.
Written by Chaidez, known for her work on 12 Monkeys, HuntersandThe Sarah Connor Chronicles, the drama is a multi-generational saga about the Sandovals, a Mexican-American family that immigrates to Los Angeles in pursuit of the American Dream.
It will follow the struggles and triumphs of the Sandoval family from 1920 through present and explores the question of what it means to be American.
20th Century Fox Television is the studio on the project, which is being produced in association with Longoria and Ben Spector’s UnbeliEVAble Entertainment and Whitaker and Nina Yang Bongiovi’s Significant Productions.
ABC has handed the project a script and additional development material plus penalty commitment. Chaidez, Longoria, Spector, Whitaker, Yang Bongiovi serve as executive producers.
It’s the latest ABC project for UnbeliEVAble Entertainment, which is currently under a deal at 20th Century Fox Studios Television. The company previously produced Grand Hotel.
Development of the project began with one of the executive producers, Doug Pray, working with Sylvia Vasquez, daughter of Chicano author Richard Vasquez, while Chaidez is a third generation Mexican-American whose own family’s immigration journey closely parallels the story told in Chicano.
“Chicano is just the first of many projects that we expect from Eva and Ben as we look to ramp up our slate of Latinx programming. As part of our studio family, they are valuable partners in helping us expand our commitment to compelling stories for underrepresented communities,” said Karey Burke, president, ABC Entertainment. “With Forest, Nina, Natalie and Doug also at the helm of this project, we know we have the perfect powerhouse team to bring this Mexican-American family’s story to life and cultivate the next generation of Latinx storytelling.”
The project includes the participation of famed photographer Estevan Oriol and iconic Los Angeles-based artist Mister Cartoon aka Mark Machado.
Michael Connolly, under his Mad Hatter Entertainment banner, brought the elements together.
Lopez is in final talks to star and executive produce the project through his Travieso Productions, with Javier Rodriguez writing the pilot. Oriol and Cartoon will executive-produce.
“I’m thrilled to be teaming up with Cartoon, Estevan, Jada and Michael for this series and developing a show with STXtv,” Lopez said. “Cartoon and Estevan are the DaVincis of our community; they have been the street chroniclers of our uniquely Chicano story … our American story. I’m looking forward to working with them and the rest of the team to expand their canvas to capture the diverse stories and people that make our culture and community so amazing, colorful and vibrant.”
This authentic L.A.-based series examines a family coming to terms with the falsehoods of the American Dream and their ability to defy expectations.
“I want to create a vision of Los Angeles inspired by my tattoos and murals that enriches and showcases the culture, opening it up to new audiences,” Cartoon said. “Putting together the dream team of Latino street culture and a collection of creative minds headed up by George Lopez, who is born and raised in L.A. and is an icon of our community. George’s experience and sense of humor acts as a foundation for this team.”
The pilot will be directed by Ricardo de Montreuil, who helmed Eva Longoria and Demián Bichir in the Blumhouse/Imagine East L.A.-set drama, Lowriders.During that production, he worked closely with Oriol and Cartoon, who were also involved in the production.
Oriol and Cartoon’s longtime collaborators Mark Suroff and Marco Valadez, who produced LA Originals, also will serve as executive producers with Connolly.
“I’m looking forward to developing this with Cartoon, George, Jada and Michael,” said Oriol. “STXtv truly gets what it takes to develop a real show that can only be made in LA. This is the dream team. Period. It doesn’t get more authentic than this and I’m proud and privileged to be invited on this ride.”
He previously starred in Lopez for TV Land and Saint George for FX. And he had a talk show that ran from 2009-11. While his hit comedy George Lopez, whichended in 2007, ran on ABC, STXtv will zero in on buyers in the cable and streaming markets.
Cartoon is L.A.’s legendary tattoo artist, designer and cultural icon whose stylish and influential global work has been featured on countless celebrities including Kobe Bryant, Eminem, Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, Beyoncé, Lewis Hamilton, Snoop Dogg and many others. Cartoon also designed the logos for Cypress Hill and Eminem’s Shady Records, and his résumé includes cutting-edge designs for Nike, the LA Clippers and T-Mobile and others.
Oriol is an internationally celebrated photographer, director and urban lifestyle entrepreneur. Beginning as a tour manager for Cypress Hill and House of Pain, he developed a passion for photography as he documented life on the road to become hip-hop’s best-known chronicler; his work has been showcased in bestselling books, select galleries, and institutions, including the Smithsonian Center for Latino Initiatives,Mesa Contemporary Art Center, Petersen Automotive Museum, and The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles’ and New York’s Art in the Streets exhibit. He has photographed Eminem, Kim Kardashian, Cypress Hill, Dennis Hopper, Blink-182, Forest Whitaker, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Kendrick Lamar, 50 Cent, and Danny Trejo, among many others. He most recently executive produced the film Lowridersand directed the hit Netflix documentary L.A. Originals.
L.A. Originalswas critically acclaimed and extremely successful, introducing new fans to the world to Oriol and Cartoon.
Selena Gomez is shining a light on the issue of immigration…
The 26-year-old Mexican American singer/actress’ latest project, Living Undocumented, has been picked up by Netflix.
The documentary series, which will premiere on the streaming giant on October 2, counts Gomez among its executive producers. It follows eight families who agreed to let film crews chronicle their lives as they faced potential deportation. Their stories range from harrowing to hopeful and illuminate and humanize the complex U.S. immigration system, while the families endure in their quest to pursue the American Dream.
Aaron Saidman and Anna Chai co-direct the series.
“I chose to produce this series, Living Undocumented, because over the past few years, the word ‘immigrant’ has seemingly become a negative word,” said Gomez. “My hope is that the series can shed light on what it’s like to live in this country as an undocumented immigrant firsthand, from the courageous people who have chosen to share their stories.”
Added Saidman, “Living Undocumented is designed to illuminate one of the most important issues of our time. But rather than discussing this issue with only statistics and policy debates, we wanted viewers to hear directly from the immigrants themselves, in their own words, with all the power and emotion that these stories reflect.”
Living Undocumented joins a roster of docuseries at Netflix that includes Our Planet, Chef’s Table, Diagnosis, Ugly Delicious and Explained, among others.
Diana-Maria Rivais ready for the Sunnysideof life…
NBC has picked up to series the Queens immigrant comedy Sunnyside, starring the 49-year-old Dominican American actress.
Co-written and executive produced by Kal Penn and Matt Murray and executive produced by Michael Schur, Sunnyside stars Penn as former New York City Councilman Garrett Shah, who finds his calling when faced with six recent immigrants in need of his help and in search of the American Dream. In keeping the authenticity of the project, the producers assembled a cast of predominantly immigrant actors to star opposite Penn, a rarity on broadcast television.
In addition to Riva and Penn, the cast includes Joel Kim Booster, Kiran Deol, Poppy Liu, Moses Stormand Samba Schutte.
Sunnyside is produced by Universal Televisionin association with Fremulonand 3 Arts Entertainment.
Riva previously starred on the short-lived NBC series Telenovela, as well as CBS’ Man with a Plan.
The 32-year-old Mexican-American actor has been cast in the 10-episode half-hour Latinx dramedy Gentefied.
Soria joins a main cast that includes Karrie Martin, Carlos Santos and Joaquín Cosio.
The project hails from Gente-fied: The Digital Series creators Marvin Lemusand Linda Yvette Chávez, showrunner Monica Macer, America Ferrera, Teri Weinbergand Macro.
Written by Lemus and Chávez, Gentefied is adapted from the web series which premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival.
Described as a badass bilingual series about family, community, brown love, and the displacement that disrupts it all, Gentefiedis about three Mexican-American cousins (Martin, Soria, Santos) who struggle to chase the American Dream, even while that same dream threatens the things they hold most dear: their neighborhood, their immigrant grandfather (Cosio), and the family taco shop. Set in a rapidly changing Los Angeles, the Spanglish dramedy will navigate important themes like identity, class, and balancing insta-fame with translating memes for their parents. But most importantly,Gentefiedwill settle once and for all how to pronounce Latinx.
Martin will play Ana Morales, a sarcastic, woke, blunt, and endearing, queer artist. Ana is a Chicana who leads with her heart and fights for her art with untethered conviction. She loves her abuelo and her entire family almost to a fault.
Soria will portray Erik, a wisecracking, well-read, charismatic, but tough homie with a heart of gold. He’s a high school dropout, but there isn’t a book in the local library Erik hasn’t read. He’s a reluctant dreamer trying to find his way back to himself. But his loyalty to his grandfather who took him in keeps him from putting time into himself or Lidia, the love of his life.
Santos is Chris, the prodigal grandson, a fun-loving, know-it-all, chef-in-training. Chris is a homegrown Boyle Heights boy who moved to Idaho at a young age and was abruptly introduced to Weezer and cow-tipping. His cousins call him guero for acting and looking like a white boy, which always leaves him wondering if he’ll ever be Mexican enough for anyone.
Cosio is Pop, a hard-working, stoic, but warm, old-fashioned ranchero and the rock of the Morales family. Though gruff with his Tejanaand potty-mouth (“cabron” is his favorite word!), Pop has a huge heart, but that also means a lot of heartache trying to protect them.
“We are thrilled to have gathered a lead cast that captures the unique nuance of the chisme, chistes, and chingaderas that we grew up with in our multi-generational, bilingual, immigrant families,” said Lemus and Chavez. “Joaquin, JJ, Carlos, and Karrie are the abuelo, primos, y prima we shot the shit with as kids, the cousins we partied with, and the grandpa we cried with. They are the Morales family and we can’t wait for everyone to start sending them invites to the carne asada!”
Lemus directs the Netflix production.
A love letter to the Latinx and Boyle Heights communities, creators Lemus and Chavez hope Gentefiedwill let their little cousins rocking Adidas, hoops, and big dreams see themselves on the big screen in ways they only dreamed of growing up.
Martin has co-starred on shows like Pretty Little Liars, The Arrangement, The Purgeand will soon be appearing in David Ayer’s film The Tax Collector.
Soria most recently appeared in the series regular role of Pete Ramos on Crackle series The Oath, and has recurred on TNT’s Animal Kingdom and Freeform’s The Fosters. On the film side, Soria can next be seen in the indie John Henry alongside Terry Crews.
CBS Diversity Showcase alum Santos has appeared on CBS’ 2 Broke Girls, truTV’s Adam Ruins Everything and Seeso’s Bajillion Dollar Properties. He also was the lead in the 2013 Slamdance comedy horror feature Ghost Team One and guest-starred on Fox’s The Last Man on Earth.
Cosio’s credits include the role of Angel de Plata on FX’s The Strain and Don Neto in Narcos: Mexico.He’s returning for Season 2 of Narcos: Mexicoand will be seen in a starring role in Amazon’s new series CDMX.On the film side, he’ll next be seen in Emilio Portes’ horror thriller Beelzebuth,as well as the sequel to Matando Cabos, where he’ll return to portray the title character.
Diana Maria Riva is looking at the sunnyside of life…
The 49-year-old Dominican American actress has been cast opposite Kal Penn in NBC’s comedy pilot Sunnyside(formerly Untitled Kal Penn/Matt Murray).
Riva joins a cast that includes Kiran Deol, Moses Storm, Samba Schutte, Poppy Liu, Joel Kim Booster and Tudor Petrut.
Co-written by Penn and Matt Murray, Sunnyside is named after the neighborhood in the historically diverse Queens borough of New York where the show is set. It centers on former New York City Councilman Garrett Shah (Penn), who finds his calling when faced with seven recent immigrants — five of them played by immigrant actors — in need of his help and in search of the American Dream.
The single-camera comedy is being executive produced by Penn, writer-producer Murray,The Good Place creator/executive producer Michael Schur and Universal Television.
The seven recent immigrants are Jin Hao, played by South Korea-born Booster; Mallory, played by UK-born Deol; Mei Lin, played by China-born Liu; Drzen, played by Romania-born Petrut; Hakim, played by Africa-born Schutte; Griselda, played by Riva, a first generation Dominican; and Brady, played by Storm.
Directing the pilot is another immigrant, Oz Rodriguez. The ensemble was put together by casting director Allison Jones who also has worked with Schur on his other shows,Parks and Recreation, Brooklyn Nine-Nine and The Good Place.
Riva was last seen in the CBS sitcomMan with a Plan and NBC’s Telenovela. She’ll next appear in the Netflix seriesDead to Me and the Appledrama seriesMorning Show.
