Bella Thorne Starring in Dark Comedy “The Trainer”

Posted on April 8, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

There are several train(er)ing days for Bella Thorne.

The 24-year-old half-Cuban America actress/singer has been cast in the dark comedy The Trainer, directed by Tony Kaye from a script by star Vito Schnabel and Jeff Solomon.

Thorne is part of a roster of new cast additions that includes Soo Joo Park, Brock O’Hurn, Laird Hamilton and Duke Nicholson.

The film currently in production, after nearly a decade in development, is based on an original story by Schnabel.

Unfolding over eight days of sleep-deprived chaos, it follows Jack (Schnabel), a down-on-his-luck fitness expert living with his mother in Los Angeles, who takes a maniacal swing at fame and fortune, trying to realize his version of the American dream.

Julia Fox, Steven Van Zandt, Taylour Paige, Stephen Dorff, John McEnroe, Gina Gershon and Luka Sabbat are also set to star.

Character details are being kept under wraps.

Thorne can currently be seen opposite Melissa Leo in Peyfa’s thriller Measure of Revenge, and will next be seen in Graham and Parker Phillips’ thriller Rumble Through the Dark, with Aaron Eckhart.

She’s previously appeared in the films Chick Fight, Ride, Midnight Sun, Assassination Nation, The Babysitter, Amityville: The Awakening, Boo! A Madea Halloween, The DUFF, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, and Blended.

Her television credits include Paradise City, Famous in Love, Shake It Up, Big Love, My Own Worst Enemy and Dirty Sexy Money.

Bella Thorne to Star in the Indie Action Comedy “Chick Fight”

Posted on December 12, 2019 by Tom Castaneda

The fight’s on for Bella Thorne…

The 22-year-old half-Cuban American actress/singer has joined the cast of Chick Fight, the indie action comedy starring and produced by Malin Akerman.

Paul Leydenis directing Joseph Downey’s original script for the film, which is being produced by Yale Productions and Idiot Savant Pictures. A January shooting start is in the works.

Akerman stars as Anna, who still hasn’t reconciled with the recent death of her adored mother. She’s just discovered that her loving and supportive father is gay, and she accidentally burns down her uninsured coffee shop after learning a thrown joint and a spilled bottle of moonshine don’t mix. Knowing Anna needs to be abruptly shaken and stirred from her deep funk, her best friend takes her to an all-women underground fight club, where she encounters an eclectic cast of characters.

Thorne plays Olivia, the club’s intimidatingly perfect and most brutally efficient fighter, who quickly becomes a rival in and out of the ring.

Her previous feature credits include Netflix’s The Babysitter franchise, Blended, Stuck on You, The DUFF, Midnight Sun and the Sundance AGBO Studios feature Assassination Nation.

Her television credits include Disney Channel’s Shake It Up, HBO’s Big Love, ABC’s Dirty Sexy Money and Freeform’s Famous in Love.

Bella Thorne to Make Feature Directorial Debut

Posted on November 4, 2019 by Tom Castaneda

Bella Thorneis heading behind the lens…

The 22-year-old half-Cuban American actress/singer has signed on to direct her first feature film, an elevated thriller written by Zander Coté, the plot of which is being kept under wraps.

Thorne will also take on a supporting role in the film, which will begin shooting this coming summer.

“We are thrilled to partner with Bella on her feature directing debut,” says Bernon, “She’s about to leave an indelible mark on the genre, and we can’t wait for audiences to discover her bold vision.”

Thorne is also a best-selling author, director, philanthropist musician and entrepreneur. She entered the entertainment business at six months of age and at 21 has built an empire that stretches from acting to various entrepreneurial ventures and philanthropic endeavors.

Her unapologetic authenticity and ability to be raw with her fans has generated a loyal and diehard following on her social media pages, which consists of 21.5M on Instagram, 6.9M on Twitter, 529k subscribers on YouTube.

Thorne’s feature credits include Netflix’s The Babysitter franchise, Blended, Stuck on You, The DUFF, Midnight Sunand the Sundance AGBO Studiosfeature Assassination Nation.

Her television credits include Disney Channel’s Shake It Up, HBO’s Big Love, ABC’s Dirty Sexy Money and Freeform’s Famous in Love.

Her first foray into directed came in an unusual way… Thorne directed PornHub’s Visionaries Director’s Serieswith the short Her & Him.

Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa Signs New Multi-Year Deal with Warner Bros. Television

Posted on April 4, 2019 by Tom Castaneda

Roberto Aguirre-Sacasahas landed a major deal…

The 44-year-old Nicaraguan-American playwright, screenwriter, and comic book writer who is currently the Chief Creative Officer of Archie Comics and the key creative force behind Warner Bros. Television’s growing Archie comics-based TV universe, has signed a massive new multi-year overall deal with the studio.

No details are being disclosed but the pact is said to be for five years, and it’s in the high eight figures.

Under the agreement, Aguirre-Sacasa will develop, write, and produce new series through his banner, Muckle Man Productions, while also continuing as executive producer/showrunner on WBTV series Riverdale and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina,as well as pilot Katy Keene, co-developed with Michael Grassi.

Shortly after he was named Chief Creative Officer of Archie Comics in 2014, Aguirre-Sacasa teamed with WBTV-based Berlanti Prods. to bring the Archie characters to television. He is the developer/executive producer behind Riverdale, which has been a major hit for the CWand Netflix, and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, which quickly established itself as a breakout for Netflix, and the co-developer/executive producer on the Riverdale spinoff pilot Katy Keene, which has been garnering solid early buzz at the CW.

Before becoming Archie Comics COO, Aguirre-Sacasa wrote two of the company’s best-selling horror series: Afterlife With Archie and Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina. He previously worked for Marvel Comics, scripting the adventures of Spider-Man, Nightcrawler, and the Fantastic Four.

Aguirre-Sacasa’s TV series writing-producing credits include Fox’s Glee, HBO’s Looking and Big Love, as well as a stint on WBTV/Berlanti Prods.’ Supergirl.

Aguirre-Sacasa is an accomplished screenwriter and playwright. He penned the feature remakes of Carrie and The Town That Dreaded Sundown, as well as the musical adaptation of American Psycho, which had runs in London and on Broadway.

Aguirre-Sacasa was part of the team that was brought in to overhaul Spider-man: Turn Off the Dark. This summer, Pasadena Playhouse will produce his prep school thriller, Good Boys and True, and he wrote the book to the Broadway-bound Magic Mike the musical, with Brian Yorkey (lyrics) and Tom Kitt(music).

Garcia to Direct CBS’ Untitled Mexican American Cop Family Drama Pilot

Posted on January 31, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Rodrigo Garcia has a new Latino-themed project to work on…

The 57-year-old Colombian television and film director is set to direct CBS’ Mexican American cop family drama pilot.

Written by Homicide creator Paul Attanasio in a return to the cop drama beat, and to directed by Garcia, the untitled drama revolves around the multi-generational members of a Mexican-American family with deep roots in San Diego as they intertwine personally and professionally due to their powerful careers in law enforcement.

CBS had been trying for two years to develop a drama about a multi-generational Latino family of cops in Los Angeles — a West Coast take on Blue Bloods, which is about a multi-generational New York family in law enforcement. Last season, a project known as Protect & Serve was written by Elizabeth Davis Beall. It didn’t go to pilot.

Meanwhile, Attanasio met with the producers with a brand-new take on the general Latino family cop idea, which led to his San Diego-set script that’s now getting a pilot green light.

The new setting has an increased relevance post-elections as San Diego is on the U.S.-Mexico border, where President Donald Trump is planning to build a wall.

Garcia has directed episodes of In Treatment, Big Love, Boomtown, Six Feet Under and The Sopranos.

Aguirre-Sacasa’s Brides of Dracula-Themed Project Lands Pilot Production Commitment at NBC

Posted on September 2, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

NBC is taking a bite out of Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa’s latest project…

The Nicaraguan-American playwright, screenwriter and comic book writer’s gothic soap opera drama with top television producer Greg Berlanti, Brides, has landed at NBC with a pilot production commitment.

Written by Aguirre-Sacasa, Brides is described as a sexy reimagining of Dracula as a family drama with a trio of strong, diverse female leads, a show about empowered women and the things they do to maintain wealth, prestige, legacy — and their non-traditional family.

The project hails from Warner Bros. Television and studio-based Berlanti Productions, with Aguirre-Sacasa, Berlanti and Sarah Schechter executive producing.

Known in popular culture as the Brides of Dracula, the three characters, originally introduced in Bram Stoker’s classic novel, are portrayed as beautiful and powerful female vampire “sisters” who reside with Count Dracula in his castle in Transylvania where they use their charm to seduce and bewitch men before preying on them. They manage to entrance Van Helsing too before he shakes off their spell and kills them. The characters are a staple in the Dracula mythology and have appeared in most Dracula screen adaptations, headlining the 1960 British movie The Brides Of Dracula.

Aguirre-Sacasa’s project imagines what would have happened if Van Helsing had not killed the three brides of Dracula. What if they survived for centuries and are now living in New York City?

Brides expands the relationship between Aguirre-Sacasa, chief creative officer of Archie Comics, and Berlanti. The two teamed last season for Riverdale, a live-action drama based on the characters from the Archie comics. The project, originally set up at Fox, recently relocated to the CW where it is in active development.

Aguirre-Sacasa previously worked for Marvel Comics, did stints on HBO’s Big Love and Looking and Fox’s Glee, and wrote the feature remakes of Carrie and The Town That Dreaded Sundown as well as the Broadway-bound stage musical adaptation of American Psycho.

Thorne to Star in “Alvin And The Chipmunks: The Road Chip”

Posted on March 24, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Bella Thorne has a chip(munk) on her shoulder…

The 17-year-old half-Cuban American actress-singer has been cast in 20th Century Fox’s sequel Alvin And The Chipmunks: The Road Chip.

In the film, a series of misunderstandings has led mischievous chipmunks Alvin, Simon and Theodore to believe that Dave is going to propose to his new girlfriend in New York and dump them. Thorne will satr as Ashley in the film.

Thorne, who recently landed a starring role in ABC Family’s drama project Famous In Love, rose to acclaim as the star of the Disney Channel series Shake It Up!

Her recent credits include The DUFF, Big Love and My Own Worst Enemy.

She next appears in the features Home Invasion, Big Sky and Amityville: The Awakening.

Directed by Walt Becker, the fourth film in the animated/live-action franchise is set for release December 23.

Thorne to Star in ABC Family’s Latest Drama Project “Famous in Love”

Posted on March 20, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Bella Thorne is ready to embrace fame and love…

The 17-year-old half-Cuban American actress-singer is set to star in ABC Family’s latest drama project, which is based on Rebecca Serle’s romantic novel Famous In Love.

Now in development, the television adaptation is being spearheaded by I. Marlene King, executive producer/co-showrunner of ABC Family’s flagship drama Pretty Little Liars.

The Famous In Love adaptation, which is being by King and Serle, centers on a college student (Thorne) plucked from obscurity to star in a major Hollywood movie franchise who struggles with her newfound fame.

Thorne, who starred on the Disney Channel series Shake It Up, is a fan of Serle’s book, which was published in October by Poppy. A budding author herself — her debut novel Autumn Falls came out in November — gave a quote about Famous In Love, which was featured on the book’s cover.

“Rebecca Serle completely captured what it’s like to be a part of Young Hollywood,” Thorne said. “I absolutely loved Famous In Love. A must-read for anyone curious about life and love behind the scenes.”

Thorne’s television credits include appearances on Red Band Society, Big Love and October Road.

Aguirre-Sacasa to Script Mark Burnett & Roma Downey’s Faust-Based Drama Series

Posted on November 6, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa has landed a devilish project…

The Nicaraguan-American playwright, screenwriter and comic book writer is set to pen a drama series based on the classic German legend of Faust.

From husband and wife duo Mark Burnett and Roma Downey, the executive producers of The Bible and the upcoming follow-up A.D., Faust is described as a faith-based medical procedural and a contemporary take on the popular tale about a scholar who sells his soul to the devil for ultimate knowledge, which will explore questions of faith and the supernatural in a grounded, realistic way.

Set in Washington, DC, the Aguirre-Sacasa-penned drama centers on an ambitious surgeon forced to confront a terrible truth: That he may lose everything good in his life—his job, his family, his very soul—when a diabolical stranger from his past arrives, to collect on a bargain they made thirteen years earlier.

Aguirre-Sacasa will executive produce with Burnett and Downey.

The series hails from Downey and Burnett‘s LightWorkers Media, the faith and family division of United Artists Media Group, Burnett and Downey’s joint venture with MGM and Hearst.

Aguierre-Sacasa serves as the Chief Creative Officer of Archie Comics. His film and television credits include Big Love, Glee and the 2013 Carrie remake.

Thorne Joins the Voice Cast of the Animated Film “Underdogs”

Posted on October 21, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

It’s okay to call Bella Thorne an underdog…

The 17-year-old half-Cuban American actress/singer and former Disney Channel star has joined the voice cast of the animated film Underdogs.

From The Weinstein Co., the Argentine-Spanish family flick from director Juan J. Campanella tracks a shy but talented foosball player who defends his town and his girl from a nefarious soccer player with the help of his foosball table figurines, who come magically to life.

The film is undergoing a Hollywood revision and Ariana Grande, Nicholas Hoult, Matthew Morrison, Katie Holmes, John Leguizamo, Eugenio Derbez, Taran Killam, Bobby Moynihan, and Chazz Palminteri are currently recording English-language dialogue with some script retooling for the domestic audience.

Thorne will voice the younger version of love interest Laura, also played by Grande and Holmes.

Thorne is known for Disney Channel’s Shake It Up and her recurring roles on Dirty Sexy Money and Big Love and was recently seen in theaters in Disney’s Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. She also guest-starred on CBS’ CSI.

She joins Underdogs after starring in another Weinstein Co. release, the Blumhouse/Dimension-produced Amityville: The Awakening.

Underdogs is set to open in theaters on April 10, 2015.

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