Tag Archives: DeWanda Wise

John Gabriel Rodriquez to Appear in Starz’s Upcoming Black Rodeo Drama Series

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John Gabriel Rodriquez is heading to the rodeo…

The Latino actor has been cast in Starz’s upcoming Black rodeo drama series.

John Gabriel Rodriquez Rodriguez is among a roster of new recurring cast members that includes SteVonté Hart, Gabrielle Byndloss, Samuel-Taylor and Aaron Smalls.

The as-yet-untitled series is infused with hip-hop swagger and country soul. The story unfolds in Southeast Texas, where rodeo isn’t just what you do – it’s who you are. At the center are three siblings bound by the legacy their mother built and the unfinished business their father left behind. Driven by their own ambitions and drawn into each other’s orbit, alliances shift, relationships tangle, and nothing stays private for long.

Rodriquez will play Francisco Morales. Seductively confident and effortlessly polished, Francisco is the CEO of Morales Timber Company, a respected family business with shady ties. Educated, strategic, and always several moves ahead, Francisco is slow to anger, but dangerous when pushed too far.

The previously announced cast includes DeWanda Wise as Anaya Clarke-Reagan, Shannon Wallace as Sebastian Clarke, Tian Richards as Rodney Clarke, Curtiss Cook as Elias Clarke, Lauren E. Banks as Wynter, Marcus Emanuel Mitchell as Julius Calhoun, Liv Symone as Jojo Calhoun and Jason Dirden as Greg Reagan.

Kirk A. Moore is showrunner and executive producer. Mark Johnson and Myki Bajaj of Gran Via Productions, and Tony Hernandez, Elise Henderson and Lilly Burns of Counterpart Studios also serve as executive producers. Giovanna Desselle, VP of Original Programming, and Christina Jokanovich, SVP of Original Programming, are the executives overseeing the series for Starz.

Rodriguez’s previous credits include Fantasy Island, The Divergent Series: Allegiant, The Vampire Diaries and The Courier.

CBS All Access Orders Second Season of Zabryna Guevara’s “The Twilight Zone”

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Zabryna Guevara is still zoning out…

CBS All Access has ordered a second season The Twilight Zone, itsanthology series starring the 47-year-old Afro-Latina American actress.

Zabryna Guevara

The CBS All Access series is a modern reimagining of Rod Serling’s original, which aired from 1959-64 on CBS and became a worldwide phenomenon, using socially conscious storytelling to explore the human condition and culture of the times.

“Jordan Peele and Simon Kinberg’s reimagining of The Twilight Zone is off to an amazing start on CBS All Access, driving the most viewers on its premiere day for an original series to date,” said Julie McNamara, EVP Original Content at CBS All Access. “Jordan, Simon, the creative team and cast have done a phenomenal job translating the series’ legacy of socially conscious storytelling for modern-day audiences. They are master storytellers, and we look forward to bringing fans further into The Twilight Zone with a second season.”

CBS announced in 2017 that it would revive The Twilight Zone for streaming service CBS All Access with Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions and Simon Kinberg’s Genre Films.

The anthology series features Peele as host and narrator with cast members including Guevara, Ike Barinholtz, Zazie Beetz, John Cho, Lucinda Dryzek, Taissa Farmiga, James Frain, Betty Gabriel, Ginnifer Goodwin, Percy Hynes-White, Greg Kinnear, Luke Kirby, Sanaa Lathan, Kumail Nanjiani, Chris O’Dowd, Seth Rogen, Adam Scott, Rhea Seehorn, Alison Tolman,Jacob Tremblay, Jefferson White, Jonathan Whitesell, Jessica Williams, DeWanda Wise and Steven Yeun.

The first season of The Twilight Zone is airing on-demand at CBS All Access. The series’ first five episodes are available with new episodes dropping weekly on Thursdays.

The Twilight Zone is produced by CBS Television Studiosin association with Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions and Kinberg’s Genre Films. Peele and Kinberg serve as executive producers.

Guevara’s previous television credits include appearances in New Amsterdam, The Handmaid’s Tale, Gothamand Chicago Med.

Mexican Screenwriter Villalobos Named a Humanitas Prize Finalist

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Ligiah Villalobos has the write stuff… And, she’s earning acclaim for it.

The Mexican screenwriter has been named as one of the finalists for this year’s Humanitas Prize, an annual series of awards that honor film and television writing.

Ligiah Villalobos

Villalobos is nominated in the 90 Minute Category for penning the script for Hallmark Hall of Fame’s 2012 television movie Firelight, which stars Cuba Gooding Jr., Q’orianka Kilcher and DeWanda Wise.

In the film, Gooding Jr. portrays Dwayne Johnson, nicknamed DJ, a counselor at a youth correctional facility where “the incarcerated girls and young women come from trouble, often violent, backgrounds.”

The $95,000 in prize money honors writing that explores the human experience in an entertaining and delightful way

“Humanitas does a simple thing. It gives credit where credit is due,” said Humanitas president Ali LeRoi. “To take time, and be of the mind, to write something that should be written, and provoke feelings that should be felt, is in itself an honorable thing. But it helps to know that someone was moved enough to say so, and thus inspire others that this quiet nobility, being the writer of something good, is worth it, if for no other reason, than someone knows it can be done, and someone else would like to see if they can do it too.”

Villalobos’ credits include penning Under the Same Moon and serving as the head writer on Go, Diego, Go!

Since its inception in 1974, the Humanitas Prize has handed out more than $3 million in winnings to 310 writers. Past recipients include Lucy Alibar and Benh Zeitlin (Beasts of the Southern Wild), Denis Leary and Peter Tolan (Rescue Me), Geoffrey Fletcher (Precious), Steve Levitan (Modern Family, Frasier) and Ryan Murphy (Glee).

Find the complete list of nominees by visiting the Humanitas website.