Alfred Molina to Star in the Apple Original Films’ “The Instigators”

Alfred Molina is an instigator

The 69-year-old half-Spanish English actor has joined the cast of Apple Original Films’ The Instigatorsstarring Matt Damon and Casey Affleck.

Alfred MolinaMolina is among a roster of new cast additions that includes Ving Rhames and Ron Perlman.

The A-list ensemble also includes Hong Chau, Paul Walter Hauser and Michael Stuhlbarg. Doug Liman is directing.

The film follows two thieves who go on the run with the help of one of their therapists after a robbery goes awry. The script was penned by Chuck MacLean and Casey Affleck and was developed by Robinov, Graham and Casey Affleck.

Damon and Ben Affleck are producing through their banner Artists Equity, along with Jeff Robinov and John Graham through Studio 8 and Kevin Walsh through his The Walsh Company.

Molina is coming off reprising role as Doc Ock in Spider-Man: No Way Home and also was seen in the most recent season of FX’s Feud.

Dascha Polanco to Star in the Superhero Thriller “Samaritan”

Dascha Polanco is a good Samaritan…

The 37-year-old Dominican actress is set to star in MGM’s superhero thriller movie Samaritan

Dascha Polanco

Polanco joins a cast that includes Javon ‘Wanna’ WaltonSylvester StalloneMartin StarrPilou Asbækand Moises Arias.

Walton will play a young boy who’s out to discover if a mythic superhero, who vanished 20 years earlier following a tragic event, is still alive.

Julius Avery is directing from a screenplay by Bragi F. Schut, with additional writing by Mark L. SmithZak Penn, and Chuck MacLean

The story is based on Schut’s original idea. 

The film is scheduled for release on December 11 via United Artists Releasingwith Universal handling foreign. 

Polanco portrayed Dayanara Diaz on Netflix’s Orange is the New Blackfor seven-seasons and starred in Ava DuVernay’s 2019 Netflix limited series When They See Us. She’ll soon be seen in her first lead film role in Adrian Martinez’s indie dark comedy iCreep, and Warner Brothers’ adaption of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s In The Heightsthis summer. Her additional credits include the FXanthology series The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Storyand films including JoyThe Perfect MatchThe Cobblerand Gimme Shelter

Arias first made a name for himself as series regular on the Disney Channel hit original series Hannah Montana, and has since gone on to appear in several Sundance films including Kings of Summer, The Land and Stanford Prison Experiment. Last year, he appeared in CBS Films’ Five Feet Apart as well as the Sundance World Dramatic Competition Special Jury Award winner Monos and the SXSW opening weekend film The Wall of Mexico

Sarah Shahi Lands Recurring Role on Showtime’s Drama Series “City On a Hill”

The Hill(s) are alive for Sarah Shahi

The 39-year-old half-Spanish American actressand former Person of Interest star has landed a key recurring role opposite Kevin Bacon and Aldis Hodge in City On A Hill, Showtime’s upcoming drama series executive produced by Ben AffleckMatt Damonand Jennifer Todd

Created, written and executive produced by Chuck MacLean and based on an original idea by Affleck, City on a Hill is set in the early 1990s Boston, rife with violent criminals emboldened by local law enforcement agencies in which corruption and racism was the norm. 

The fictional account centers on assistant district attorney Decourcy Ward (Hodge) who arrives from Brooklyn and forms an unlikely alliance with a corrupt yet venerated FBI veteran, Jackie Rohr (Bacon). Together, they take on a family of armored car robbers from Charlestown in a case that grows to involve, and ultimately subvert, the entire criminal justice system of Boston.

Shahi will portray Rachel Behnam, a street-smart investigator for the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office.

Produced by Showtime, City On A Hill also stars Jonathan Tucker, Mark O’BrienJill HennessyLauren E. Banks, Amanda ClaytonKevin Chapman and Tony nominee Jere Shea, with Kevin Dunnrecurring.

Production on the new 10-episode series will begin next month in New York and Boston, and will premiere later this year.

Shahi, who previously headlined USA Network’s drama Fairly Legal, co-starred as Sameen Shaw on CBS’ Person of Interest, played Carmen on The L Word, recurred on Chicago Fire, Pitch and most recently starred on Reverie.