Salma Hayek to Reprise Kitty Softpaws Role in “Puss in Boots” Sequel “The Last Wish”

Posted on March 14, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Salma Hayek Pinault is pawing her way back to the big screen…

The 55-year-old Mexican actress will reprise the role of Kitty Softpaws in the long-awaited Puss in Boots movie sequel The Last Wish.

Hayek will re-team with Antonio Banderas, who voices the titular feline character, on the animated film.

Hayek and Banderas will contend with a third amigo this time around as Harvey Guillén (makes his franchise debut in the role of Perro, Kitty and Puss’ canine associate.

Also part of the A-list ensemble is Florence Pugh, Olivia Colman, Wagner Moura, Ray Winstone, John Mulaney, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Anthony Mendez and Samson Kayo.

The Last Wish follows the daring outlaw Puss in Boots as he discovers that his passion for peril and disregard for safety have taken their toll.

The original film, released in 2011, was a Shrek spinoff following Puss’ adventures prior to his debut appearance in Shrek 2. Puss in Boots made more than $149 million at the domestic box office, and close to $555 million worldwide.

Talks of a follow-up go as far back as 2014. Puss in Boots 2: Nine Lives & 40 Thieves was announced in June of that year with DreamWorks Animation setting a November release date. It was delayed by a month before it was removed from the schedule due to restructuring at DreamWorks.

After many more internal changes, The Last Wish finally received a September 23, 2022, release date with Banderas’ return confirmed.

Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado serve as director and co-director of The Last Wish, respectively; Mark Swift will produce.

The film is executive produced by Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri. Universal is set to handle distribution.

The first trailer for the project will debut March 15.

Anthony Ramos to Star in “Trolls” Half-Hour Animated Musical Special “Trolls Holiday in Harmony”

Posted on October 19, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Anthony Ramos is about to let it troll….

The 29-year-old Puerto Rican actor/singer has joined the voice cast of Trolls Holiday in Harmony, starring Trolls alums Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Kenan Thompson and Rachel Bloom.

The new half-hour animated musical special hails from the DreamWorks Animation franchise set on NBC.

Other Trolls alums joining the cast include Ron Funches, Kunal Nayyar, Anderson .Paak, Ester Dean, Walt Dohrn, Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Karan Soni.

The special will air on Friday, November 26 at 9:00 pm on NBC.

In the special, as the holidays near, Queen Poppy (Kendrick) plans the first annual Trolls Kingdom Secret Holiday Gift Swap. Things take an unexpected turn, however, when she and Branch (Timberlake) draw each other’s name. Meanwhile, Tiny Diamond (Thompson) comes down with a bad case of writers’ block trying to think of a special holiday rap for his dad.

The special, which includes four original songs, is written and directed by Sean Charmatz and Tim Heitz with Gina Shay and Walt Dohrn serving as the executive producers.

The Trolls DreamWorks Animation franchise includes the 2016 film Trolls and 2020’s Trolls World Tour starring Kendrick, Timberlake, among others, as well as two original TV series, digital content, videos games and more.

Following its premiere on NBC, Trolls Holiday in Harmony, will be available for purchase on digital and DVD November 30 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. A digital soundtrack for the special will be released by RCA Records on November 26 to coincide with the special airing on NBC.

Isabela Merced to Portray Juliet in “Rosaline,” 20th Century Fox’s Revisionist Take on “Romeo & Juliet”

Posted on July 2, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Wherefore art thou Isabela Merced?

The 19-year-old Peruvian American actress has been cast to play Juliet in 20th Century Fox’s Rosaline, a comedic and revisionist take on Romeo & Juliet with Kaitlyn Dever attached to star.

Karen Maine will direct, with 21 Laps, Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen producing.

The script is based on the novel When You Were Mine by Rebecca Serle and is a modern twist on the classic William Shakespeare tale. We see “the most famous love story ever told” through the eyes of Juliet’s cousin Rosaline (Dever), a sharp but idealistic young woman—who happens to be Romeo’s recent ex. What begins as an attempt to foil the famous romance and win back her guy becomes a journey of self-discovery as she ultimately works to help get the star-crossed lovers back together.

Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber penned the script.

Merced is best known for her roles in Sicario: Day of the Soldado and as Dora the Explorer in Paramount’s Dora and the Lost City of Gold movie.

She was most recently seen in Netflix’s Let It Snow and also voiced the lead character in DreamWorks Animation and Universal’s Spirit Untamed.

She is currently filming Warner Bros.’ new Father of the Bride film starring Andy Garcia.

Netflix & DreamWorks Animation Release Full Trailer for Guillermo del Toro’s “Trollhunters: Rise Of The Titans”

Posted on June 16, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Guillermo del Toro on the hunt…

Netflix and DreamWorks Animation have released the first full trailer for Trollhunters: Rise Of The Titans, which was co-written and executive-produced by the 56-year-old Mexican Oscar-winning filmmaker.

The animated film, which will be released on the streaming service on July 21, is set in the world created by del Toro in his epic Emmy-winning Tales Of Arcadia trilogy.

In the animated fantasy adventure, Arcadia may look like an ordinary town but it lies at the center of magical and mystical lines that makes it a nexus for many battles among otherworldly creatures including trolls, aliens and wizards. Now, the heroes from the Trollhunters series team up in their most epic adventure yet, where they must fight the Arcane Order for control over the magic that binds them all.

“From the beginning, I tried to get together a group that would bring things to the table that were different,” says del Toro of the team behind the project.

He says the project was conceived as “three series that you can put together like a diorama and then you see how on an early episode of Trollhunters you’re going to see the characters of wizards and 3Below interacting, and then go back on a Möbius strip and see other episodes from the others’ point of view. Then finish with a movie.” He noted, “It sounded really crazy, but we were very careful in how we developed the assets, but also in the storytelling.”

del Toro previously pitched the series as live-action and set in the 1980s. Per del Toro, then-DWA chief Jeffrey Katzenberg replied, “We don’t do TV.” So, del Toro explained, “we started to try to cram it all into a feature. It was impossible.” Then, “One fateful morning Jeffrey invited me for breakfast, and when he pays for breakfast there’s something about to go, and he said, ‘Don’t kill me, but what do you think about doing it as a TV series?’ And I said, ‘That’s the best news we’ve ever had.’”

The extensive voice cast includes Emile Hirsch, Lexi Medrano, Charlie Saxton, Kelsey Grammer, Alfred Molina, Steven Yeun, Nick Frost, Colin O’Donoghue, Diego Luna, Tatiana Maslany, Cole Sand, Nick Offerman, Fred Tatasciore, Brian Blessed, Kay Bess, Piotr Michael, James Hong, Tom Kenny, Angel Lin, Amy Landecker, Jonathan Hyde, Bebe Wood, Laraine Newman, Grey Griffin and Cheryl Hines.

Along with del Toro, writers are Marc Guggenheim, Dan Hageman and Kevin Hageman.

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.

Guillermo del Toro’s Animated “Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans” Film to Premiere on Netflix in July

Posted on April 27, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Guillermo del Toro will be troll-ing Netflix this summer…

The 56-year-old Mexican filmmaker and two-time The Shape of Water Oscar has shared the release date and first teaser for his Netflix–DreamWorks Animation movie Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans.

Executive produced by del Toro, the filmwill hit the service on July 21.

The film is set in the world created by del Toro in his epic Tales of Arcadia trilogy. Arcadia may look like an ordinary town but it lies at the center of magical and mystical lines that makes it a nexus for many battles among otherworldly creatures including trolls, aliens and wizards. Now the heroes from the Trollhunters series team up in their most epic adventure yet where they must fight the Arcane Order for control over the magic that binds them all.

The film features the voices of Emile Hirsch, Lexi Medrano, Charlie Saxton, Kelsey Grammer, Alfred Molina, Steven Yeun, Nick Frost, Colin O’Donoghue, Diego Luna, Tatiana Maslany, Cole Sand, Nick Offerman, Fred Tatasciore, Brian Blessed, Kay Bess, Piotr Michael, James Hong, Tom Kenny, Angel Lin, Amy Landecker, Jonathan Hyde, Bebe Wood, Laraine Newman, Grey Griffin and Cheryl Hines.

https://twitter.com/NetflixFilm/status/1387074059884634118

Johane Matte, Franisco Ruiz Velasco, and Andrew L. Schmidt directed from a screenplay written by Marc Guggenheim, Dan Hageman, and Kevin Hageman. EPs with del Toro are Guggenheim, Dan Hageman, Kevin Hageman and Chad Hammes.

Universal Pictures & DreamWorks Animation Delay Release of Eva Longoria’s Animated Film “The Boss Baby: Family Business” to September 2021

Posted on December 27, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Eva Longoria’s latest baby is being delayed…

Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Animation have announced plans to delay the release of the Alec Baldwin-led animated sequel, The Boss Baby: Family Business, featuring the 45-year-old Mexican American actress, by nearly six months.

The animated comedy has been moved from its planned March 26 release date to September 17, 2021.

Released in 2017, the original Boss Baby took in more than $520 million at the worldwide box office and was nominated for an Academy Award for best animated feature. The sequel follows the Templeton Brothers, Tim (voiced by James Marsden) and little brother Ted (the titular Boss Baby, voiced by Baldwin), who are now all grown up and have grown apart.

Longoria, Jeff Goldblum and Ariana Greenblatt round out the film’s main cast, with Amy Sedaris voicing Tina (Tim’s daughter and the new boss baby in town).

Filmmaker Tom McGrath returns to direct, with Lisa Kudrow and Jimmy Kimmel also reprising their roles as Ted and Tim’s parents.

The Launch of Jennifer Lopez’s “Marry Me,” Co-Starring Maluma, Moves to May 2021

Posted on November 13, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Jennifer Lopez’s wedding bells will have to wait a little longer…

Universal Pictures’ music fueled romantic comedy Marry Me, starring the 51-year-old Puerto Rican actress/singer and Maluma, is moving from Presidents Day–Valentine’s Day weekend on the theatrical release calendar next year, February 12 and moving to May 14, 2021.

Marry Me will take the place of DreamWorks Animation’s untitled Spirit Riding Free movie, which has now been titled Spirit Untamed. That animated pic will now open on June 4, 2021.

This is one of Lopez and Wilson’s highest tested features, and Universal wants to make an event out of this, at an opportune time on the calendar.

Marry Me leaves behind a weekend that has Disney/20th Century Studios’ The King’s Man prequel and Paramount’s untitled Lee Daniels’ Billie Holiday movie on Feb. 12, and goes to a frame where it’s facing off against Paramount’s Animation feature Rumble. Spirit Untamed joins a weekend, though it looks busy, is apt to loosen up with Paramount’s Micronauts dated there, Sony Animation’s Vivo, New Line’s Conjuring 3 and MGM’s Samaritan.

The feature hasoriginal songs from Lopez and Maluma. Lopez stars as musical superstar Kat Valdez and Owen Wilson as Charlie Gilbert, a math teacher—total strangers who agree to marry and then get to know each other. An unlikely romance about two different people searching for something real in a world where value is based on likes and followers, the pic explores celebrity, marriage and social media.

Kat Coiro directs from a screenplay by John Rogers, Tami Sagher and Harper Dill based on the graphic novel by Bobby Crosby.

Sergio Pablos’ “Klaus” Sweeps This Year’s Annie Awards

Posted on January 26, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a clean sweep for Sergio Pablos’ acclaimed animated film…

The Spanish animator and screenwriter’s Netflix holiday tale Klaus picked up seven trophies at the 47th annual Annie Awards, including Best Animated Feature.

Pablos, who’d previously earned nods for his work on Treasure Planetand Rio, earned three awards. In addition to Best Animated Feature, he won the awards for Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production andDirecting in an Animated Feature Production.

Starring Jason Schwartzman, J.K. Simmonsand Rashida Jones, Klaus is the story of a selfish postman and a reclusive toymaker who form an unlikely friendship, delivering joy to a cold, dark town that desperately needs it.

The Klaus wipeout throws the Academy Awards racefor a loop, as Netflix’s first original animated feature won all seven categories for which it was nominated.

Pablos’ film dominated over the Big 3 studio mega-grossing sequels — Disney’s Frozen 2, DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World and Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story 4.

Here’s a look at this year’s Annie Awards winners:

Best Animated Feature: Klaus
Best Animated Feature-Independent: I Lost My Body
Best Animated Special Production: How to Train Your Dragon Homecoming
Best Animated Short Subject: Uncle Thomas: Accounting for the Days
Best Virtual Reality Production: Bonfire
Best Animated Television/Media Commercial: The Mystical Journey of Jimmy Page’s ‘59 Telecaster
Best Animated Television/Media Production For Preschool Children: Ask The Storybots
Episode: Why Do We Have To Recycle?
Best Animated Television/Media Production For Children: Disney Mickey Mouse
Episode: Carried Away
Best General Audience Animated Television/Media Production: BoJack Horseman
Episode: The New Client
Best Student Film: The Fox & The Pigeon
Michelle Chua, Sheridan College
Animated Effects in an Animated Television/Media Production: Love, Death & Robots
Episode: The Secret War
Animated Effects in an Animated Feature Production: Frozen 2
Character Animation in an Animated Television / Broadcast Production: His Dark Materials
Aulo Licinio (Character: lorek)
Character Animation In An Animated Feature Production: Klaus
Sergio Martins (Character: Alva)
Character Animation in a Live Action Production: Avengers: Endgame
Character Animation in a Video Game: Unruly Heroes
Character Design in an Animated Television/Media Production: Carmen Sandiego
Keiko Murayama
Episode: The Chasing Paper Caper
Character Design in an Animated Feature Production: Klaus
Torsten Schrank
Directing in an Animated Television/Media Production: Disney Mickey Mouse
Alonso Ramirez Ramos
Episode: For Whom the Booth Tolls
Directing in an Animated Feature Production: Klaus
Sergio Pablos
Music in an Animated Television/Media Production: Love, Death & Robots
Rob Cairns
Episode: Sonnie’s Edge
Music in an Animated Feature Production:I Lost My Body
Dan Levy
Production Design in an Animated Television/Media Production:Love, Death & Robots
Alberto Mielgo
Episode: The Witness
Production Design In An Animated Feature Production: Klaus
Szymon Biernacki, Marcin Jakubowski
Storyboarding in an Animated Television/Media Production:Carmen Sandiego
Kenny Park
Episode: Becoming Carmen Sandiego, Part 1
Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production:Klaus
Sergio Pablos
Voice Acting in an Animated Television/Media Production: Bob’s Burgers
H. Jon Benjamin (Character: Bob)
Episode: Roamin’ Bob-iday
Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production: Frozen 2
Josh Gad (Character: Olaf)
Writing in an Animated Television/Media Production:Tuca & Bertie
Shauna McGarry
Episode: The Jelly Lakes
Writing in an Animated Feature Production: I Lost My Body
Jérémy Clapin, Guillaume Laurant
Editorial in an Animated Television/Media Production: Love, Death & Robots
Bo Juhl, Stacy Auckland, Valerian Zamel
Episode: Alternate Histories
Editorial in an Animated Feature Production: Klaus
Pablo García Revert

DreamWorks Animation Developing Sequel of Antonio Banderas’ “Puss in Boots”

Posted on February 26, 2019 by Tom Castaneda

Antonio Banderasmay be donningboots again…

DreamWorks Animation is working on the next installment of Puss in Boots, which featured the 58-year-old Spanish actor voicing the title character.

The sequel is the follow-up to 2011’s blockbusterOscar-nominated film, which grossed more than $550 million worldwide.

The film will be directed by Bob Persichetti , a veteran of animation for more than two decades, has worked in various capacities on films with DreamWorks Animation. He served as the Head of Storyand voiced a role in the original Puss in Boots.

The first Puss in Boots received an Oscar nomination in 2012 for Best Animated Feature. TheDWAtake on Puss was first introduced in 2004’s Shrek 2,voiced by Banderas. The character continued to be featured in subsequent Shrek sequels and TV shorts.

The original Puss in Boots starred the voiceover cast of Salma Hayek(Kitty Softpaws), Zach Galifianakis(Humpty Alexander Dumpty), Billy Bob Thorton(Jack), Amy Sedaris(Jill) and Constance Marie (Imelda).

No release date has been set and animation on the film will take place on the DWA lot in Glendale, CA.

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