Justina Machado Lands Major Recurring Role on CBS’ “Matlock” for Season Two

Posted on August 1, 2025 by Tom Castaneda

Justina Machado is courting a new role…

The 52-year-old Puerto Rican actress has been cast for a major recurring role on Season 2 of CBS’ breakout hit legal drama Matlock for its upcoming season.

Machado will play Eva, a formidable, smart and ambitious attorney and Jacobson Moore managing partner Howard “Senior” Markston’s (Beau Bridges) 4th ex-wife. The one who made him swear off marriage. Eva runs Jacobson Moore’s Miami office and she arrives in New York for an emergency meeting… which she uses to her advantage.

Machado is reuniting with Matlock creator Jennie Snyder Urman and studio CBS Studios who were also behind Jane the Virgin.

Machado, who recurred on the CW dramedy, is the second cast alum to join Matlock, along with Yael Grobglas who also is recurring on the CW drama headlined by Kathy Bates.

Machado is coming off a Broadway run in Real Women Have Curves, which earned her a Tony nomination.

She also recently starred in Netflix’s medical drama series Pulse as well as the Amazon/Blumhouse series The Horrors Of Dolores Roach.

In features, she was most recently seen in Mario Garcia’s indie The Throwback. Machado previously headlined Netflix’s praised One Day At a Time reboot..

Arianna Rivas to Star in Blumhouse/Universal’s Sequel “Black Phone 2”

Posted on December 6, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Arianna Rivas is on the line for a scary sequel…

The Latina actress has joined the cast of Scott Derrickson’s Blumhouse/Universal sequel Black Phone 2.

Rivas joins the original film’s ensemble of 4x Oscar nominee Ethan Hawke, Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, Jeremy Davies and Miguel Mora, with new addition Oscar nominee Demián Bichir.

Black Phone 2 was written by Cargill and Derrickson, who are also producing the film with Blumhouse’s Jason Blum. Universal and Blumhouse are producing with Crooked Highway Production.

The film is scheduled to open on October 17, 2025.

The first movie, which grossed over $161M worldwide, and was certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, follows a young boy who is abducted by a neighborhood killer, the Grabber (Hawke). Locked in the Grabber’s basement, the boy begins receiving calls on a disconnected phone from the killer’s victims.

Rivas recently wrapped filming her first lead role in the Amazon/MGM film Levon’s Trade, opposite Jason Statham. Produced by Black Bear and Bill Block, the film is directed by David Ayer and has a script adapted by Sylvester Stallone, with revisions by Ayer, based on comic author Chuck Dixon’s first novel in the Levon series. Levon’s Trade follows Levon Cade (Statham) who has left his “profession” behind to go “straight” and work in construction. He wants to live a simple life and be a good father to his daughter. But when his boss’ teenage daughter vanishes, he’s called upon to re-employ the skills that made him a legendary figure in the shadowy world of black ops.

Rivas also has a supporting role in the Hulu comedy feature Prom Dates directed by Kim Nguyen and produced by American High.

Ariana DeBose to Star Opposite Nicole Kidman in “Scarpetta”

Posted on September 18, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Ariana DeBose has a new license to thrill…

The 33-year-old half-Puerto Rican Oscar-winning actress, singer and dancer has been cast as a series regular on Scarpetta, starring and executive produced by Nicole Kidman.

Prime Video has officially ordered two seasons of the series, which is based on Patricia Cornwell’s best-selling Kay Scarpetta book series.

In addition DeBose, the mystery thriller has also added Emmy winner Bobby Cannavale (Ezra), Emmy nominee Simon Baker (Breath), Rosy McEwen and Jake Cannavale (The Offer).

Scarpetta follows Kay Scarpetta (Kidman), Chief Medical Examiner, as she returns to Virginia and resumes her former position with complex relationships, both personal and professional – including her sister Dorothy (Curtis), with plenty of grudges and secrets to uncover.

DeBose will play Lucy Farinelli-Watson, Dorothy’s daughter; Bobby Cannavale will play former detective Pete Marino; Baker joins as FBI profiler Benton Wesley; McEwen joins as Past Kay Scarpetta and Jake Cannavale will play Past Pete Marino.

“I’m beyond excited that this is finally happening. This will be great fun for all, and I’m grateful for the immense talent that the show is drawing. I’ve always been a huge fan of Jamie Lee Curtis and Nicole Kidman. Their wanting to do this is humbling and simply awesome. Working with the brilliant Liz Sarnoff is amazing. Blumhouse and Prime Video are a dream. This has been worth waiting for, and I’m so looking forward to the show,” Cornwell shared.

Liz Sarnoff will write, executive produce, and showrun. David Gordon Green (Halloween, Stronger) is set to direct the first two episodes.

Kidman will executive produce for Blossom Films, and Curtis will executive produce for Comet Pictures.

Justina Machado to Star in Netflix’s First Original Medical Procedural “Pulse”

Posted on March 1, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Justina Machado’s pulse is on the rise…

The 51-year-old Puerto Rican actress has been cast as the first series regular on Pulse, Netflix’s first medical procedural original.

Hailing from first-time creator Zoe Robyn, who serves as showrunner and executive producer alongside veteran.

The show’s first two episodes will be directed and executive produced by Kate Dennis.

Pulse will feature a mix of medical cases and office romances. In it, while the staff of Miami’s busiest Level 1 Trauma Center navigate medical emergencies, young ER doc Dani Simms is unexpectedly promoted to Chief Resident amidst the fallout of her own provocative romantic relationship.

Machado plays Natalie Cruz, a brilliant and politically-savvy doctor, who oversees both administration and medicine in her role as the Chair of Surgery and Emergency Medicine.

Bradley Gardner, Emma Forman and Michael Klick also executive produce the series, which is slated to begin production in March in Albuquerque.

The greenlight for Pulse comes after Robyn and Cuse worked with a writers room last year to craft scripts.

Machado recently starred in the Amazon/Blumhouse series The Horror Of Dolores Roach based on the popular Spotify podcast of the same name.

She previously headlined Netflix/Pop’s acclaimed One Day At a Time reboot and recently guest starred on NBC’s Lopez vs. Lopez.

Machado will next star in the independent feature The Throwback from director Mario Garcia.

Jaume Collet-Serra to Direct Blumhouse’s “The Woman in the Yard”

Posted on February 14, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Jaume Collet-Serra is hitting the yard…

The 49-year-old Spanish film director and producer and Black Adam filmmaker will direct Blumhouse’s The Woman in the Yard, starring and executive-produced by Danielle Deadwyler.

The project reteams Collet-Serra and Deadwyler, who recently collaborated on the Netflix thriller film, Carry On.

The film, which has a plot line under wraps, is set for theatrical release on January 10, 2025.

“I’ve been trying to find the right project to work on with Jaume, in our system, for over a decade. The Woman in the Yard is the perfect match, a film that’s ambitious in scope but modest in budget that combines Jaume’s vision with the incomparable Danielle Deadwyler. Together with my friend Stephanie Allain, this is a real dream team and I’m excited to collaborate with them on the film,” said Blumhouse boss Jason Blum.

The Woman in the Yard is written by Sam Stefanak. Blum and Allain are producers on the film. Collet-Serra, Deadwyler, Gabrielle Ebron, Scott Greenberg and James Moran are EPs. Haley Pigman and Jungyoon Kim are the executives covering the film for Blumhouse.

The Woman in the Yard is a Blumhouse production for Universal.

Collet-Serra’s other credits include House of Wax, Orphan and The Shallows, as well as the Liam Neeson-led thriller films Unknown, Non-Stop, Run All Night and The Commuter.

Miguel Cazarez Mora to Star in “The Black Phone” Sequel

Posted on December 4, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Miguel CazaMora has answered the call…

The Mexican American actor will star in the Black Phone 2, the sequel to the hit 2022 Blumhouse–Crooked Highway Production–Universal horror film. A theatrical release is set for June 27, 2025.

In addition to Mora, who in his Hollywood debut starred as Robin in The Black Phone, will be joined by Ethan Hawke, Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw and Jeremy Davies are set to return.

The first film, directed by Scott Derrickson and co-written by Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill racked up over $161M worldwide, becoming a sleeper hit in a rebounding summer last year from the Covid-19 pandemic. The film also made Deadline’s list of most profitable movies last year with an estimated net of $68M.

The duo are back penning Black Phone 2 and are producing with Blumhouse’s Jason Blum.

In the first movie, a 13-year old boy, who is abducted by a child killer in a suburban neighborhood and locked in a soundproof basement, begins to receive calls on a disconnected phone from the killer’s previous victims. Derrickson and frequent collaborator Cargill adapted from Joe Hill’s short story. Hill is an executive producer on the sequel.

Black Phone received high marks on Rotten Tomatoes with an 81% certified fresh critics score and 88% with audiences.

Blumhouse to Premiere Justina Machado’s “The Horror of Dolores Roach” in July Via Prime Video

Posted on April 21, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Justina Machado is bringing the horror…

Blumhouse will premiere its new series The Horror of Dolores Roach, starring the 50-year-old Puerto Rican actress, on July 7 via Prime Video.

The 8-episode series—based on the hit Gimlet podcast series of the same name—tells the story of Dolores Roach (Machado), a recently released prisoner who after 16 years returns to find a severely-gentrified Washington Heights with $200 and the clothes on her back. Her boyfriend missing, her family long gone, Dolores reunites with an old stoner buddy, Luis (Alejandro Hernandez), who gives her room and board and lets her give massages for cash in the basement under his dilapidated storefront Empanada Loca, the only remnant of her former life.

When the promise of her newfound stability is quickly threatened, “Magic Hands Dolores” is driven to shocking extremes to survive, and in the face of unexpected professional success, Dolores and Luis become dangerously symbiotic, and Luis must unleash his own peculiar predilections.

Kita Updike, K. Todd Freeman, Jean Yoon, Judy Reyes and Jeffery Self also star.

Written and directed by podcast creator Aaron Mark, The Horror of Dolores Roach originally was developed by Mark as a one-woman play starring Daphne Rubin-Vega. It is a grotesque Sweeney Todd-inspired tale of eat or be eaten — a macabre urban legend of love, betrayal, weed, gentrification, cannibalism, and survival of the fittest.

Mark and Dara Resnik will serve as co-showrunners and executive produce. EPs also include Rubin-Vega; Jason Blum, Chris McCumber, and Jeremy Gold for Blumhouse Television; Dawn Ostroff, Mimi O’Donnell, and Justin McGoldrick for Spotify Studios, alongside Gloria Calderón Kellett for GloNation Studios and Roxann Dawson who directs the pilot.

Raúl Martínez Signs with The Gersh Agency

Posted on March 21, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Raúl Martínez has new representation…

The Gersh Agency has signed the 51-year-old Mexican director.

Martinez is known for Spanish-language titles including The Waiter, which came in as the highest-grossing film native to the country in its July 2021 debut.

In the comedy penned by Alberto Bremer and Martínez, a waiter pretends to be an important businessman in order to reach the upper class through his entrepreneurial dreams.

Other notable big-screen titles from Martínez include Cuando sea joven for Eugenio Derbez’s 3Pas Studios and Lionsgate’s Pantelion; The Patriarch for Panorama Global and Distant Horizon; and Grumpy Christmas for Panorama and Netflix.

Martínez is currently attached to direct the comedy Cholitas, based on a script by Jason Richman and Kira Kalush, for 20th Century Studios and Hulu. Blumhouse will produce alongside Michael Seitzman’s Maniac Productions, with casting underway.

The Mexico City-based artist, who has also helmed over 40 episodes of the sketch-comedy series Backdoor, continues to be managed by Jorge Garcia.

Alejandro Edda to Star in Kevin Costner’s Epic Western Film Saga “Horizon”

Posted on September 1, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Alejandro Edda is just beyond the horizon…

The 38-year-old Mexican–American actor has joined the ensemble cast of Kevin Costner’s epic Western film saga Horizon at Warner Bros/New Line.

Edda is among a list of new cast additions that includes Jena Malone, Tatanka Means and Michael Rooker.

The foursome join an expanding roster that includes Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Jamie Campbell Bower, Luke Wilson and Thomas Haden Church.

Costner will produce through his Territory Pictures, and direct and star in the period film, which he co-wrote with Jon Baird.

Horizon chronicles a multi-faceted 15-year span of pre- and post-Civil War expansion and settlement of the American West. Experienced through the eyes of many, the epic journey is fraught with peril and intrigue from the constant onslaught of natural elements, to the interactions with the indigenous peoples who lived on the land, and the determination and at many times ruthlessness of those who sought to settle it.

Costner returns to directing for the first time since his 2003 box office hit Open Range. With Horizon, Costner revisits Civil War-era America, the setting for his 1990 blockbuster and multi-Oscar winner Dances with Wolves, which he also directed, produced and starred in. That film won seven Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director for Costner.

Edda was last seen on the FX series Snowfall and is returning to Season 6 as a regular. He stars as El Chapo in the Netflix series Narcos: Mexico and starred opposite Tom Cruise in American Made and in Universal/Blumhouse’s The Forever Purge.

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

Posted on April 25, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

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.

The 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.

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