Zoe Saldana to Star in the Netflix Action-Adventure Film “The Adam Project”

Posted on November 18, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

There’s a new Project in Zoe Saldana’s future…

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 — Avatar and 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 Scratch for Netflix.

Oona Chaplin to Star in the Horror Feature “Lullaby”

Posted on February 21, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

There’s nothing soothing about Oona Chaplin’s next project…

The 33-year-old part-Chilean actress has been tapped to star in Lullaby, a horror feature from Alcon Entertainment.

John R. Leonetti, who has directed films in the same genre like Annabelle, Wish Upon, and most recently the Netflix original The Silence, has signed on to direct Lullaby, which will begin production in Toronto next month.

Based on the mythological figure Lilith, the film is rooted in folklore and follows a new mother who discovers a lullaby in an ancient book and soon regards the song as a blessing. But her world transforms into a nightmare when the lullaby (“Lilith-Abi” Hebrew for “Lilith, begone”) brings forth the ancient demon Lilith.

Chaplin, the granddaughter of Charlie Chaplin, has previously appeared on HBO’s Game of Thrones, BBC’s The Crimson Fieldand Taboo.

She’s set to appear in the forthcoming Avatar sequels.

Zoe Saldana to Star in the Olympic-Themed Drama “Fencer”

Posted on February 15, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Zoe Saldana is en garde for her next project…

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.

Zoe Saldana to Star in Fact-Based Thriller “Sabaya”

Posted on November 20, 2019 by Tom Castaneda

Zoe Saldana is ready to thrill…

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.

Sony to Release Luis Gerardo Méndez’s “Charlie’s Angels” in China on November 15

Posted on October 29, 2019 by Tom Castaneda

Luis Gerardo Méndez will be appearing in Chinese theaters…

Sony‘s reboot of Charlie’s Angels starring Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott, and Ella Balinska, with the 37-year-old Mexican actor appearing in a supporting role, has landed a China release date of November 15, which is timed exactly with the film’s domestic release.

No other Hollywood titles are opening in the PRC on that date. Charlie’s Angels will face local titles Beautiful Teacher, Hunt Down, Marnie’s Welt and Somewhere Winter.

While the film was originally scheduled to go during the first weekend in November, which is where the first 2000 movie bowed, Terminator: Dark Fate elbowed its way on to that date.

Sony moved Charlie’s Angels to November 15 domestic release date for various reasons: better access to premium screens, aiming to stoke Stewart’s Twilight fanbase (that film also launched in mid-November), plusa China release date.

And this $48M production is going to need China with its global start after landing on domestic tracking last week with a $16M projection to Fox/Disney’s Ford v. Ferrari‘s $23M-$30M forecasted opening. The second movie from Sony Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle made just over $2M in a nascent China exhibition market before the Avatar 3D/Imax boom in the PRC. Ford v. Ferrari will play most of the IMAXglobal network on the Nov. 15-17 weekend, but Charlie’s Angels will be booked on select IMAX domestic screens and in some offshore markets.

Mendez portrays The Saint in the film, which also features Noah Centineo as Langston.

Michelle Rodriguez to Star in the Dramatic Thriller “Dreamland”

Posted on March 1, 2019 by Tom Castaneda

Life is but a dream(land)for Michelle Rodriguez…

The 40-year-old Puerto Rican and Dominican American actress will star in Dreamland, Nicholas Jarecki’s dramatic thriller revolving around the opioid crisis that is being toplined by Gary Oldman, Armie Hammer and Evangeline Lilly. Greg Kinnear, Veronica Ferres and Lily-Rose Depp also star.

The film, which was unveiled at the European Film Market earlier this month, is now shooting in Montreal.

The film written and being directed by Jarecki follows three colliding stories: a drug trafficker (Hammer) arranges a multi-cartel Fentanyl smuggling operation between Canada and the U.S.; an architect (Lilly) recovering from an OxyContinaddiction tracks down the truth behind her son’s involvement with narcotics; and a university professor (Oldman) battles unexpected revelations about his employer, a drug company with deep government influence bringing a new “non-addictive” painkiller to market.

Rodriguez plays a DEAsupervisor who clashes with Hammer’s drug trafficker.

Rodriguez’s credits include starring as Letty Ortiz in the Fast & Furious franchise, as well as roled in Resident Evil, S.W.A.T.and Avatar.

Rodriguez to Star in New Regency’s Heist Thriller “Widows”

Posted on February 18, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Michelle Rodriguez is turning to a life of crime…

The 38-year-old Puerto Rican and Dominican-American actress has joined the cast of New Regency’s heist thriller Widows from British helmer Steve McQueen.

Rodriguez will join Oscar-nominated actress Viola Davis, as well as Cynthia Erivo.

Gone Girl scribe Gillian Flynn co-wrote the script with McQueen, based on the 1983 British miniseries penned by Lynda LaPlante (Prime Suspect).

The story begins when four armed robbers are killed during a failed heist and their surviving widows join forces and resolve to pull off the next raid themselves.

Widows marks McQueen’s first feature since winning the Best Picture Oscar for 12 Years a Slave in 2014.

Rodriguez, who made a name for herself with roles in Universal Pictures’ hit Fast and Furious franchise, has starred in Avatar, Resident Evil and Resident Evil: Retribution. Her other credits include Girlfight, S.W.A.T. and Battle: Los Angeles.

Saldaña to Star in the Film Adaptation of the Graphic Novel “I Kill Giants”

Posted on September 11, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Zoë Saldaña has landed a giant role…

The 37-year-old half-Dominican/half-Puerto Rican American actress will star in I Kill Giants, the film adaptation of the graphic novel by Joe Kelly that’s being produced by Chris Columbus.

Anders Walter will direct the project, which has also found a lead in rising young actress Madison Wolfe.

I Kill Giants centers on a young misfit girl named Barbara battling both real and imaginary monsters in her life.

Wolfe will play the girl, while Saldaña is a school psychologist who plays a key role by helping Barbara face both internal and external threats, forming an inspiring bond with her in the process.

Kelly, who wrote the award-winning graphic novel he created with illustrator Ken Niimura, has also written the screenplay adaptation.

Saldana is already one this decade’s genre queens, starring in Guardians of the Galaxy, Avatar and Star Trek movies.

Saldaña to Serve as a Presenter at This Year’s Academy Awards

Posted on February 10, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Zoë Saldaña is ready to take the Oscars stage…

The 36-year-old half-Dominican/half-Puerto Rican American actress has been added to the list of presenters for the 87th Academy Awards.

Following breakthrough roles in Center Stage and Crossroads, Saldaña went on to star in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. In recent years, she earned acclaim for portraying Nyota Uhura in Star Trek and its sequel Star Trek Into Darkness, as well as for her role as Neytiri in James Cameron‘s Avatar. Last year, she portrayed Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy.

Other presenters include Oscar winner Octavia Spencer, Scarlett Johansson and Josh Hutcherson.

The Oscars will take place on February 22.

Full-Length Trailer Released for Escarpeta’s Tornado Thriller “Into the Storm”

Posted on June 29, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Arlen Escarpeta is ready to superstorm his way into a movie theater near you…

Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema have released a full-length trailer for their tornado thriller Into the Storm, starring the 33-year-old Belizean actor.

The film centers on a group of high school students who document the events and aftermath of a devastating tornado in their small town.

Into the Storm is being heralded as one of the more underrated spectaculars on this summer’s release schedule. Clips were shown at Wondercon, and the film, helmed by Avatar VFX supervisor Steven Quale, literally puts the audience in the middle of the film’s small town, Silverton, that’s being beaten up by a series of twisters.

Richard Armitage portrays a single father trying to shield his teenage son from this bad weather day. Matt Walsh plays an obsessed stormchaser who, along with his meteorologist associate (portrayed by Sarah Wayne Callies), cuts through the puddles like butter in their armored Titus vehicle as seen in the trailer.

Escarpeta portrays Daryl in the film, which lands in theaters on August 8.

Hispanically Yours

Celebrating the Latino Influence

Tag Archives: Avatar