Gaz Alazraki & Colleagues Launch New Production Company Maquina Vega

Posted on January 25, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Gaz Alazraki has launched a new production company…

The 41-year-old Mexican director has partnered with Alisa Tager, Mark Alazraki and Moises Chiver create Maquina Vega, a new production company with offices in Los Angeles and Mexico City, which will provide a pipeline between the English and Spanish-speaking worlds.

Working with creators across countries and genres, the company will produce films and television series in both English and Spanish, bolstering emerging talents from Mexico and Latin America, while looking to increase the production of high-quality entertainment for Spanish-speaking audiences worldwide.

The Alazrakis come to Maquina Vega after launching Alazraki Entertainment in 2013 with the release of Gaz’s mega-hit Nosotros Los Nobles, a dark comedy which upon its theatrical debut became the highest grossing homegrown film ever released in Mexico. Following that up was Club de Cuervos, Netflix’s first Spanish-language original series, centered on football club Cuervos FC. Co-created, executive produced and directed by Alazraki, the show ran for four seasons and remarkably also led to the creation of a real soccer team in Pique’s King’s League Americas.

Gaz is coming off success with his Father of the Bride reimagining for Warner Bros and Plan B, which in 2022 drew HBO Max’s biggest-ever audience for a streaming-only film. Based in L.A., he serves as Lead Creative and Director of Maquina Vega and will continue to focus going forward on building his writing and directing slate in film and television.

Joining the company after serving as President of Anonymous Content Studios, Tager will also serve in that capacity at Maquina Vega, overseeing operations for both offices. Tager’s experience in the U.S., Latin America, Europe and Africa, coupled with her fluency in English and Spanish, give her a unique skillset to build the production company.

A producer on Nobles and Club de Cuervos, Chiver will become Head of Production and Film Finance, overseeing the company’s internal production, third-party production services, and production financing from Mexico City.

Currently directing and exec producing the first season of Bienvenidos a la Familia for Netflix, the Mexico City-based Mark Alazraki will continue to oversee the company’s development and first looks, while building his slate as writer, director, and producer.

Also on board at the new company, as Head of Distribution and Finance, is Vicente García Cors, the former CFO of Twentieth Century Fox Mexico, who will grow Maquina Vega’s distribution division, working to release Mexican and international movies across Mexico and LatAm. Adrian Ituarte will serve as VP of Production, with Valeria de León as Director of Development.

Said Gaz Alazraki in a statement on the formation of Maquina Vega, “I’ve dreamt for many years about ways to create a home for my projects while also creating a destination for all the talented people we admire and would love to work with. I am incredibly excited to have Alisa as our partner who can lead us to achieve this opportunity and create this home.”

Tager noted that her decision to join forces with the Alazarakis and Chiver was “the culmination of so many things” she’s set out to do, “working with the most exciting international creators and companies, from development through production and distribution.” She added that she’s “confident that our combined reach and experience will position us to grow our footprint in the US and across the Spanish-speaking world. This is a unique opportunity to build something truly international with a global reach.”

Currently, Maquina Vega has first-look deals with Animal Politico, a prestigious online investigative newspaper out of Mexico, and Algarabia, a general interest magazine spotlighting short stories. The company also has a development deal with Editorial Planeta, the world’s largest Spanish-language publisher, and is building an online magazine to amplify new journalistic voices and generate new IP.

In addition to Bienvenidos a la Familia, current projects for the company include Club Perfecto, from writer-director Ricardo Castro and producer Jonathan Davis, which is in post at ViX; documentary Billy Meier, which is in production with Miguel Leon directing and Julio Rojas as writer-EP; an adaptation of Daniel Coronel’s novel Los Niños del Amazonas, in development with Candle Media’s Exile; and Bodas, from creator Erik Zuckerman, which is in development at ViX.

Luis Gerardo Méndez Signs with United Talent Agency (UTA)

Posted on March 24, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Luis Gerardo Méndez has new representation…

United Talent Agency (UTA) has signed the 40-year-old Mexican actor and producer, one of Mexico’s biggest stars, for representation in all areas.

Méndez is an actor, writer and producer best known for exec producing and starring in Netflix’s first Spanish-language original comedy series, Club de Cuervos.

He most recently appeared in the third season of Netflix’s Narcos: Mexico, as well as in Los Enviados for Paramount+, where he’s currently under a first-look producing deal for Spanish-language projects.

Méndez will next be seen in a starring role in the Netflix limited series, Belascoaran, and in Netflix’s Me Time, with Kevin Hart and Mark Wahlberg, which is slated to premiere later this year.

He will soon begin filming the Peacock limited series, The Resort, which was written and will be directed by Andy Siara.

The actor made his entrance into the U.S. feature marketplace opposite Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston in the Netflix original film Murder Mystery, which was the streamer’s most-watched original feature at the time of its release.

He was also previously seen in Sony’s Charlie’s Angels opposite Kristen Stewart, and executive produced and starred in Half Brothers for Universal and Focus Features, with that project marking his first English-speaking starring role.

In Mexico, he has starred in several successful features, including Cantinflas and Nosotros Los Nobles, the latter of which is the second most successful film of all time at the Mexican box office.

In addition to his television and feature roles, the actor has also appeared in the Mexico City stage play Privacidad, which he produced alongside Diego Luna, and starred in several international campaigns for global companies such as Verizon, Pepsi and Toyota.

Isabela Merced to Star in Warner Bros.’ Remake of “Father of the Bride”

Posted on April 29, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Isabela Merced is joining the wedding party…

The 19-year-old Peruvian American actress/singer, who starred in Dora and the Lost City of Gold, will star opposite Andy Garcia and Gloria Estefan in Warner Bros.‘ remake of Father of the Bride.

Gaz Alazraki, who helmed Club de Cuervos, is directing the feature, which goes before cameras in May.

Like previous iterations of Bride, which includes a Spencer Tracy-fronted 1950 movie and the Steve Martin-starring 1991 feature, the latest remake will center on the father of a soon-to-be bride coming to terms with his daughter’s nuptials.

The latest take, however, will be told through the relationships in a big, sprawling Cuban American family.

Merced will play the sister of the bride, who is being played by Adria Arjona. Garcia is the father.

Matt Lopez wrote the script for the update.

In addition to starring in Dora, in which she toplined as the globe-trotting adventuress, Merced co-starred with Mark Wahlberg in Instant Family, was part of the ensemble for Netflix’s Let It Snow, and appeared with Benicio Del Toro in Sicario: Day of the Soldado.

She next voice-stars in DreamWorks Animation’s Spirit Untamed and will be protected by Jason Momoa in action-thriller Sweet Girl. Both are due to be released this summer.

Merced is signed to Republic Records.

Gaz Alazraki to Direct Warner Bros. New Latinx “Father of the Bride” Film

Posted on February 5, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Gaz Alazraki is taking on the father of a project…

The 38-year-old Mexican filmmaker, the writer and director of Mexico’s record breaking comedy Nosotros los Nobles, will helm Warner Bros. new take on the classic story Father of the Bride.

This latest take on the film will center around a Latinx family, with Matt Lopez penning the script.

The film will tell the story of a father coming to grips with his daughter’s upcoming wedding through the prism of multiple relationships within a big, sprawling Cuban-American family.

It will be more of a rom-com than previous versions of film. While this will mark the third iteration of the story, sources say this will be more in the vein of the original Spencer Tracy film and not the Steve Martin franchise from the 1990s.

Dede Garner and Jeremy Kleiner will produce for Plan B Entertainment.

Alazraki has quickly become a rising star in the directing ranks and one of the most prominent filmmakers coming out of Mexico. He wrote and directed Nosotros Los Nobles, which was distributed by Warners International.

He created, wrote and directed Club de Cuervos, Netflix’s first international original series, which has become one of the biggest international series in the streamer’s history.

Alazraki is currently directing the pilot for Apple’s Acapulco.

Luis Gerardo Méndez Signs with William Morris Endeavor

Posted on August 16, 2019 by Tom Castaneda

Luis Gerardo Méndez has new representation in Hollywood…

The 37-year-old Mexican actor and producer, on the rise after starring in and executive producing Netflix’s first Spanish-language original series Club de Cuervos and stealing scenes in the streamer’s Adam Sandler–Jennifer Aniston film Murder Mystery, has signed with William Morris Endeavor (WME).

The move comes as Méndez shoots the Focus Features film Half Brothers.The comedy, which he developed with co-writersEduardo Cisneros, Jason Shumanand director Luke Greenfield, revolves around two very different half-brothers (Méndez and Connor Del Rio) forced on a road trip together masterminded by their ailing father, tracing the path their dad took as an immigrant from Mexico to the U.S.

Méndez also will appear in Sony’s Charlie’s Angels reboot, which hits theaters on November 15.

His previous film credits in Mexico include the Netflix boxing drama Bayoneta and the Warner Bros. comedy The Noble Family, which grossed $26 million there in 2013. He also co-starred in the 2014 biographical film Cantinflas, which became the highest-grossing foreign-language film in the U.S. that year.

Club de Cuervos’ fourth and final season hit the streamer in January.

Méndez continues to be repped by manager Kenny Goodman at Goodmanagementand attorney Rick Genow.

Ciro Guerra Executive-Producing Netflix’s First Colombian Original Series

Posted on November 23, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Ciro Guerra is (net)flixing out about a Colombian first…

The 36-year-old Colombian filmmaker and screenwriter is set to executive produce Netflix’s first Colombian original series.

Guerra, who received an Oscar nomination for his film Embrace of the Serpent, will work with Narcos producer Dynamo on the project, which will debut worldwide in 2019.

Written by Carlos Contreras, the as-yet untitled series will follow a young detective and her partner deep into the Amazon, on the border of Brazil and Colombia, to investigate a series of bizarre murders. They soon realize that there’s more mystery to the jungle than the deaths, as they encounter an enigmatic indigenous tribe with an incredible secret that they will take great risks to protect.

Composed of eight hour-long episodes and shot entirely in 4K, the series will showcase the country’s geographic diversity and magnificent landscapes, as well as the region’s complex social and environmental climate.

“We are thrilled to be launching our first Colombian original, featuring great Colombian filmmakers and producers,” said Erik Barmack, Vice President of International Originals. “From 2011, we have been committed to providing a great service in Colombia, and this show, with local talent, will add to our incredible slate of originals throughout Latin America.”

“This is a great opportunity to expand the reach of our local stories and share them with global audiences. Netflix is an extraordinary platform that we are thrilled to collaborate with, and we think this new show will be a great first step in that direction,” added Guerra.

The new series joins a growing slate of original productions being filmed in Latin America, including Ingobernable, Club de Cuervos, La Casa de las Flores, Edha, Narcos, Samantha!, O Mecanismo, O Matador, 3% and Coisa Mais Linda, among others.

Production is slated to begin summer 2018.

Mishel Prada Cast in Starz’s New Latinx Drama Series “Vida”

Posted on November 15, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Mishel Prada is livin’ la vida in Hollywood…

The Latina actress has landed a series regular in Starz new Latinx drama series Vida from showrunner Tanya Saracho (How To Get Away With Murder).

Rendon joins a cast that includes several Latino actors/actresses, including McFarland, USA’s Chelsea Rendon, East Los High’s Karen Ser Anzoategui, The Bling Ring’s Carlos Miranda, Suffering Man’s Charity’s Maria Elena Laas and Club de Cuervos’ Melissa Berrera.

Vida focuses on two Mexican-American sisters, Emma and Lyn, from the Eastside of Los Angeles who couldn’t be more different or distanced from each other. Circumstances force them to return to their old neighborhood, where they are confronted by the past and shocking truth about their mother’s identity.

Prada will portray Emma who, estranged from both her sister and her mother, reluctantly returns for her mother’s funeral and to deal with the family business. Barrera will play her sister, Lyn, a care-free party girl, who has figured out how to live a pretty worry-free life in the Bay Area.

Anzoategui will portray Eddy, a sensitive soul who is trustworthy, generous and passionate but also intimidating looking upon first glance. Rendon will play Marisol who is the expression of east side youth culture: woke, politicized, and deep in the resistance. Miranda is Johnny, a stand-up guy who runs his ailing dad’s auto shop and is engaged to his pregnant girlfriend but has a history with Lyn. Laas will portray Cruz, an enigmatic lesbian who has a checkered history with Emma.

Alonso Ruizpalacios directs the series premiere episode. Big Beach TV will produce the Latinx series.

Prada’s previous credits include Fear the Walking Dead: Passage and Tell Me How I Die.

Caro Bringing 13-Episode Dark Comedy Project to Netflix

Posted on October 11, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Manolo Caro has landed a high-profile project…

Netflix has set an untitled half-hour dark comedy from the Mexican filmmaker.

Shooting will begin in Mexico early next year with the 13-episode series later available across all 190 Netflix territories.

Shot in 4K, the comedy revolves around a seemingly successful and idyllic family-run flower business full of dysfunctional secrets. When the patriarch finds out his longtime mistress has suddenly passed away, he decides to bring their children into the household alongside his current wife and family who didn’t know they existed.

The series explores the need to protect and forgive loved ones, no matter how uncomfortable.

Erik Barmack, Netflix vice president of international originals, cites the success of Club De Cuervos in Mexico and in other countries as reaffirming “our bet on Mexican talent and productions like the upcoming Ingobernable, and this new project with Manolo.”

Caro is best known for such films as Tales of an Immoral Couple, Elvira I’ll Give You My Life But I’m Using It, Love of My Loves, and I Don’t Know Whether to Slit My Veins or Leave Them Long.

This project will be part of the Netflix Original productions slate filmed in Latin America including Narcos, Club de Cuervos, Ingobernable, 3%, Edha, O Matador and the untitled project from Jose Padilha based on current events in Brazil.

del Castillo to Portray Mexico’s First Lady in Netflix’s New Original Series “Ingobernable”

Posted on July 27, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Kate del Castillo is ungovernable…

The 42-year-old Mexican actress and telenovela star will star as Mexico’s First Lady in Netflix’s new original series Ingobernable.

del Castillo will portray Irene Urzua, the wife of Mexico’s president. A woman with a strong personality, conviction and clear ideas, Urzua is capable of “creating a president, leaving a president and killing a president.”

The 20-episode series, produced by Argos and directed by Jose Luis Garcia Agraz and Pedro Pablo “Pitipol” Ibarra, will begin shooting in Mexico early next year and will be available exclusively on Netflix later in 2016.

del Castillo played Teresa Mendoza in the USA pilot Queen of the South, an English-language adaptation of Telemundo’s blockbuster 2011 telenovela La Reina del Sur. Alice Braga took over the role of Teresa when the pilot was picked up to series. del Castillo’s other television credits include Weeds, Killer Women and Dallas.

Ingobernable comes on the heels of Club de Cuervos, Netflix’s first Spanish-language series set to premiere August 7, and it’s a clear signal that the streaming service is making regional footprints a steady part of its global expansion.

Netflix Releases First Trailer for Méndez’s Dramedy “Club De Cuervos”

Posted on July 13, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Luis Gerardo Méndez is ready to bend it like Beckham on Netflix…

The on-demand Internet streaming media provider has released the first official trailer for Club De Cuervos, starring the 33-year-old Mexican actor.

From Gaz Alazraki (Nosotros los Nobles), Netflix’ new dramedy centers on the prominent Iglesias family, whose members engage in an outrageous battle to determine who will gain full control of his beloved professional soccer team: The Cuervos of Nuevo Toledo, when the family patriarch dies unexpectedly.

Balanced equally among comedy and drama, Club De Cuervos follows all the funny, sexy and dramatic action off the field and in the locker rooms. Egos, tempers, insults and soccer balls fly as the party boy brother, the work obsessed sister, a (possibly) pregnant girlfriend, the beleaguered team captain and everyone else in between all enter the pitch, all vying to score a personal goal.

Club De Cuervos stars Méndez as Chava Iglesias and Mariana Trevino, as Isabel Iglesias Reina and features Stephanie Cayo, Daniel Gimenez Cacho, Ianis Guerrero and Antonio de la Vega.

The Alazraki Productions series was created by Alazraki and Mike Lam.

All 13 episodes of Season 1 will be available exclusively on Netflix on August 7.

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