Valentina Herrera to Star in the Disney Original Movie “The Slumber Party”

Posted on September 27, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Valentina Herrera is ready to slumber…

The Latina actress will star in Disney Branded Television’s The Slumber Party, a Disney Original Movie based on Jen Malone’s popular teen novel The Sleepover.

The project hails from Imagine Kids+Family, a division of Brian Grazer and Ron Howard’s Imagine Entertainment.

Production is officially underway in Atlanta.

In addition to Herrera, the cast also includes Darby Camp, Emmy Liu-Wang, Dallas Liu and newcomers Alex Cooper Cohen and Ramon Rodriguez.

The coming-of-age comedy, written by Eydie Faye, will be directed by Veronica Rodriguez.

The Slumber Party depicts the hilarious aftermath of a sleepover birthday party hypnotism gone wrong as best friends Megan (Camp) and Paige (Liu-Wang), along with soon-to-be step-sister Veronica (Cooper Cohen), wake up with absolutely no memory of the night before. Now they must retrace their steps to find missing birthday girl Anna Maria (Herrera) … and explain why there’s a flock of baby ducks in the bathtub, what happened to Megan’s left eyebrow, and why she’s wearing unattainable hottie Jake Ramirez’s (Rodriguez) signature black hoodie.

“The Slumber Party is a hilarious ride that looks at female friendship and self-discovery through a sophisticated, cinematic lens,” said Lauren Kisilevsky, senior vice president of Original Movies, Disney Branded Television. “We aim to deliver humor, surprise and delight to our viewers with a movie that will be relatable to audiences of all ages.”

Stephanie Sperber, President of Imagine Kids+Family, said “We are so excited to partner with Lauren Kisilevsky, Jen Dubin and the team at Disney Branded Television on The Slumber Party. Eydie Faye captured the voice and coming-of-age comedy so beautifully in her script, and Veronica Rodriquez is bringing a fresh vision and creative style to the screen. With this film marking IKF’s first feature production, we couldn’t have found a better home than with Disney Branded Television and their proven ability to reach YA and family audiences with timeless and entertaining content.”

Herrera previously starred in Black Widow and Odd Squad.

Showtime Releases Teaser for 6ix9ine Documentary, “The Supervillain: The Making of Tekashi 6ix9ine”

Posted on January 28, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

It’s showtime for Tekashi 6ix9ine…

Showtime has released a teaser for The Supervillain: The Making of Tekashi 6ix9ine, which takes a deep dive into how the 24-year-old Puerto Rican and Mexican American rapper, real name Danny Hernandez, came tobecome one of music’s most controversial artists of the moment.

The teaser gives music fans a glimpse into the rainbow rapper’s rise to notoriety and his fall as a convicted criminal.

“If I was to die today, I’d be a legend. I know that for a fact,” Hernandez says in the trailer.

The teaser splices together footage of Hernandez hyping up crowds at his concerts, appearing in various talk shows and pleading his way in court amid a plethora of controversies. The Brooklyn rapper faced federal prosecutions in 2019 after he pleaded guilty to nine crimes.

Karam Gill directs the three-part series, inspired by Stephen Witt’s Rolling Stone story. Giancarlo Esposito narrates the music-crime series.

Supervillain is produced by Imagine Documentaries, Rolling Stone and Lightbox. Brian Grazer executive produces.

The docuseries will premiere on Showtime on Sunday, February 21 at 10 p.m. ET/PT, with new episodes airing every Sunday through March 7.

Tessa Ferrer to Star in Apple TV+’s New Basketball-Themed Drama Series “Swagger”

Posted on January 18, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Tessa Ferrer’s got some serious swagger…

The 34-year-old part-Puerto Rican actress and former Grey’s Anatomy star has joined the ensemble cast of Apple TV+’s new basketball-themed drama series Swagger.

The project, which hails from NBA superstar Kevin Durant and Imagine’s Brian Grazer, stars O’Shea Jackson Jr. and Oscar-nominated Quvenzhané Wallis.

Ferrer will be a series regulars alongside Isaiah Hill, Shinelle Azoroh, 32-year-old part-Afro-Dominican actor Tristan Mack Wilds, Caleel Harris, Latino actor/producer Jason Rivera, Solomon Irama, Ozie Nzeribe and James Bingham.

Written and directed by Bythewood, who also serves as showrunner, Swagger is inspired by Durant’s youth basketball experiences. It explores the world of youth basketball, and the players, their families and coaches who walk the fine line between dreams and ambition, and opportunism and corruption. Off the court, the show reveals what it’s like to grow up in America.

Wilds will portray Alonzo Powers, the grassroots division leader at a major shoe company.

Ferrer will portray Meg Bailey, a former basketball player and coach for the rival team.

Rivera will play Nick, a player from Puerto Rico with the drive to become the best player in the country.

The drama is co-produced by Imagine Television Studios and CBS Television Studios.

Showtime to Release New Tekashi 6ix9ine Documentary Series in 2021

Posted on December 28, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

There’s another Tekashi 6ix9ine documentary headed your way…

Showtime will be releasing a new three-part documentary series, Supervillain: The Making of Tekashi 6ix9ine, that centers on the 24-year-old Puerto Rican and Mexican American rapper, who was born Daniel Hernandez.

6ix9ine is one of the most fascinating characters in the current world of hip hop. A controversial figure with rainbow-colored hair and a penchant for online trolling, he has had his fair share of celebrity feuds, gang issues and legal battles, including pleading guilty to a felony count of use of a child in a sexual performance and being arrested on racketeering, weapons and drug charges.

This will all be explored in the documentary series for Showtime, which is fast becoming one of the key homes for music documentaries.

The series is directed by Karam Gill, who scored an exclusive interview with the rapper after he was released from prison earlier this year, differentiating it from Hulu’s recent film 69: The Saga of Danny Hernandez.

The docuseries is inspired by Tekashi 6ix9ine: The Rise and Fall of a Hip Hop Supervillain, written by investigative journalist Stephen Witt and published in Rolling Stone, which produces alongside Brian Grazer and Ron Howard’s Imagine Documentaries and Tina Turner producer Lightbox.

The docuseries is expected on the cable network in 2021.

Christy Turlington to Form Part of Apple TV+’s New Documentary Series “The Supermodels”

Posted on October 7, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

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, USA and in 1991 for American Dream about 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.

Robin de Jesus to Star in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Directorial Debut Project “tick, tick…BOOM!”

Posted on November 5, 2019 by Tom Castaneda

Robin de Jesus’ career is in full boom…

The 35-year-oldPuerto Rican actor and Broadway star has joined the cast of tick, tick…BOOM!, the feature directorial debut project from Lin-Manuel Miranda.

de Jesus will star opposite Andrew Garfield, Alexandra Ship and Vanessa Hudgensin the Netflix adaptation based on the autobiographical Off-Broadwayshow written by the late Jonathan Larson.

The musical, written by Steven Levenson, is set in 1990 and will follow Jon (Garfield), an aspiring theater composer who waits tables in New York City while writing Superbia, which he hopes will be the great American musical that will finally give him his big career break. The young man is feeling pressure from his girlfriend Susan (Shipp), who is tired of continuing to put her life on hold for Jon’s career aspiration. Meanwhile, Jon’s best friend and roommate Michael has given up on his creative dream and has taken a high paying advertising job on Madison Avenue and is preparing to move out. As Jon approaches his 30th birthday, he is overcome with anxiety, wondering if his own impossible dream is worth the cost.

Miranda is producing with Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, and Julie Ohof Imagine Entertainment. Julie Larson, sister of Rentcreator Jonathan, will serve as an executive producer along with Levenson and Celia Costas.

de Jesusearned a Tony Award nomination for his performance on Miranda’s In the Heights, La Cage aux Folles, and The Boys in the Band. He’s also starred in stage productions of Rentand Wicked.

Antonio Banderas to Star as Pablo Picasso in National Geographic’s Anthology Series “Genius”

Posted on November 3, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Antonio Banderas has landed a genius role…

The 57-year-old Spanish actor will portray Pablo Picasso in the second season of National Geographic’s anthology series Genius.

Banderas will share the role of Picasso with Alex Rich.

Genius will chronicle the life and work of the acclaimed Spanish painter, one of the 20th century’s most influential and celebrated artists.

In addition, Clémence Poésy, Robert Sheehan, Poppy Delevingne, Aisling Franciosi and Sebastian Roché .

The new season, set for a 2018 premiere, is from Fox 21 Television Studios, and will again be executive produced by Brian Grazer and Ron Howard’s Imagine Entertainment, OddLot Entertainment and EUE/Sokolow.

Showrunner, executive producer and writer Ken Biller returns for the new season.

Production begins this month and will shoot in cities throughout Europe for the 10-episode anthology series.

Esai Morales to Star in National Geographic’s Sci-Fi Series “Mars”

Posted on July 24, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Esai Morales has landed an out-of-this-world role…

The 54-year-old Puerto Rican actor has joined the cast for season two of National Geographic global sci-fi series Mars, from Ron Howard and Brian Grazer’s Imagine Entertainment and Radical Media.

Shooting began this week in Budapest on the six-episode series, which is slated to premiere in spring 2018.

The second season’s six-part arc jumps ahead several years into the future after the Daedalus astronauts have built a full-fledged colony called Olympus Town. Having established humankind as an interplanetary species, Mars examines the impact that humans have on the Red Planet and the consequences the planet has on us.

Morales will play Roland St. John, CEO of private enterprise Lukrum Corporation.

Reprising their roles from Season 1 are JiHAE (Mortal Engines) as Hanna Seung, a mission pilot and twin sister of Joon Seung, capsule communicator of mission control; Sammi Rotibi (The Darkest Minds) as Robert Foucault, a Nigerian mechanical engineer and roboticist; Alberto Ammann (Narcos) as Javier Delgado, a hydrologist and geochemist; Clémentine Poidatz (Marie Antoinette) as Amelie Durand, French mission physician and biochemist; Anamaria Marinca (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days) as Marta Kamen, a Russian exobiologist and geologist; and Cosima Shaw (The Danish Girl) as Leslie Richardson, a British nuclear physicist.

“This season takes us literally into new territory,” said showrunner Dee Johnson. “With no laws, no government and no safety nets of any kind, what is it like to be among the first settlers of Mars? Not only do we explore dangers and mysteries of this brand-new world, but we also explore what it means to be human in a place where so few exist.”

Morales, a presidential candidate for SAG-AFTRA, most recently starred on Ozark. His other credits include How To Get Away With Murder, Chicago P.D. and Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders.

Longoria Signs First-Look Deal with Universal Pictures

Posted on August 16, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Eva Longoria is going universal…

The 41-year-old Mexican American actress, producer and activist and her production company UnbeliEVAble Entertainment have agreed to a two-year, first-look deal with Universal Pictures.

Universal president of production Peter Cramer made the pact.

First up is Universal’s acquisition of rights to My Daughter’s Quinceañera, a pitch from Lauren Iungerich, creator of the MTV series Awkward.

Longoria and producing partner Ben Spector will produce.

It’s the first crack at features for Iungerich, who’s attached to write, direct and co-produce the film that centers on an overwhelmed single father who is faced with the prospect of planning the quinceañera of his daughter’s dreams.

On the Universal deal, Cramer said: “While audiences have identified with Eva through her iconic television roles, she is also an extremely savvy producer with a keen eye for projects that appeal to a broad range of diverse audiences. We are fortunate that Eva has a found a home with Universal, sharing with us her creative instincts and passion for storytelling.”

Longoria, whose deal was made by CAA and Brillstein Entertainment Partners, is filming BBC Two’s high-end comedy miniseries Decline and Fall, an adaptation of Evelyn Waugh’s classic social satire. She’ll next be seen in Ricardo de Montreuil’s Lowriders, which premiered at this year’s LA Film Festival. The film is produced by Imagine Entertainment’s Brian Grazer and Blumhouse Production’s Jason Blum.

“Building upon our continued success as producers in television, we were seeking a home to expand the UnbeliEVAble brand into features,” said Longoria. “There’s simply no better place I could think of than Universal Pictures, whose diverse portfolio of releases is inspirational. Jeff, Donna and Peter’s passion was instrumental in keeping us in the Comcast family, and, beginning with My Daughter’s Quinceañera, we look forward to a long relationship with all our partners at the studio. Lauren’s pitch was so brilliant and funny, and to bring this experience to life is like reliving my 15th birthday.”

Longoria In Talks to Star in BBC Two’s “Decline and Fall” Project

Posted on June 7, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Eva Longoria is Fall(ing) for her next project…

The 41-year-old Mexican American actress and former Desperate Housewives star is in final talks to star opposite British comedy star Jack Whitehall in BBC Two’s high-end adaptation of Evelyn Waugh’s classic social satire Decline and Fall.

James Wood is adapting the three-part miniseries, which is set in 1920s Wales.

A bitingly funny satire, Decline And Fall follows the life and times of hapless Paul Pennyfeather (Whitehall), who is sent down from Oxford after a wild, drunken party and finds himself qualifying for the position of schoolmaster at a boys’ private school in Wales. There he meets the delectable Margot Beste-Chetwynde (Longoria), the wealthy, powerful, and beautiful South American woman, who becomes the object of his affections.

Guillem Morales is set to direct. Principal photography is set to commence July 18th for seven weeks in Wales.

Longoria is a Golden Globe-nominated and Screen Actors Guild Award-winning multi-hyphenate. Since breaking through on Desperate Housewives, Longoria has guest starred on Fox’s Brooklyn Nine Nine, Lifetime’s Devious Maids, and starred on NBC’s Telenovela — the latter two of which she also exec produced through her production banner UnbeliEVAble Entertainment.

Longoria also has several upcoming films including the Jason Blum/Brian Grazer produced Lowriders; and Refugio, written and directed by Academy Award-nominee Demian Bichir.

Additionally, Longoria has just secured a guest role on the new Lorne Michaels’ variety series for NBC Maya and Marty.

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