Andy Garcia to Star in Netflix’s “The Pain Hustlers”

Posted on August 30, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Andy Garcia is hustlin’…

The 66-year-old Cuban actor has joined the cast of David Yates’ Netflix film The Pain Hustlers.

Garcia will star opposite Emily Blunt, Chris Evans, Catherine O’Hara, Jay Duplass, Brian d’Arcy James and Chloe Coleman.

The film billed as tonally similar to The Big Short, American Hustle and The Wolf of Wall Street follows Liza Drake (Blunt), a high-school dropout dreaming of a better life for her and her young daughter. Liza lands a job with a failing pharmaceutical startup in a yellowing strip mall in Central Florida. Her charm, guts and drive then catapult the company and her into the high life, where she soon finds herself at the center of a criminal conspiracy with deadly consequences.

Netflix acquired global rights to the film written by Wells Tower for $50M out of this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

Garcia is an Oscar, Golden Globe and Emmy nominee whose recent film credits include Warner Bros. and HBO Max’s Father of the Bride; Guy Ritchie’s actioner Wrath of Man; the comedy Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar, with Kristen Wiig, Annie Mumolo and Jamie Dornan; the romantic drama Words on Bathroom Walls, with Charlie Plummer and Taylor Russell; Clint Eastwood’s crime drama, The Mule; Sacha Gervasi’s Emmy-nominated TV movie My Dinner with Hervé for HBO; Ol Parker’s Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again; and the comedy Book Club, with Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda and Candice Bergen.

The actor’s credits on the television side include Rebel, Flipped and Ballers.

He’ll next be seen in the romantic drama What About Love with Sharon Stone, Lionsgate’s The Expendables 4 and Focus Features’ Book Club 2: The Next Chapter, among other projects.

Adria Arjona to Star in Zoë Kravitz’s Directorial Debut Film “Pussy Island”

Posted on July 10, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Adria Arjona is island-bound…

The 30-year-old Puerto Rican actress will star in Zoë Kravitz’s directorial debut Pussy Island.

Arjona will star alongside Christian Slater, Alia Shawkat, Geena Davis, Haley Joel Osment, Liz Caribel Sierra, Levon Hawke, Trew Mullen, Saul Williams, Cris Costa and Kyle MacLachlan.

The actors join an ensemble that also includes Naomi Ackie, Channing Tatum and Simon Rex, as previously announced.

The MGM genre film written by Kravitz and E.T. Feigenbaum follows Frida (Ackie), a young and clever Los Angeles cocktail waitress who has her eyes set on the prize: philanthropist and tech mogul Slater King (Tatum). When she skillfully maneuvers her way into King’s inner circle and ultimately an intimate gathering on his private island, she is ready for a journey of a lifetime. Despite the epic setting, beautiful people, ever-flowing champagne and late-night dance parties, Frida can sense that there’s more to this island than meets the eye. Something she can’t quite put her finger on. Something terrifying.

Pussy Island is currently in production in Mexico.

Arjona most recently starred as the female lead in Sony’s Marvel film Morbius, opposite Jared Leto. She can currently be seen in HBO’s Irma Vep opposite Alicia Vikander and in HBO Max’s Father of the Bride remake, and will make her Disney+ debut in the Star Wars series Andor on August 31st.

Sierra recently wrapped on Ellen, a miniseries from Automatik and New Regency in which she stars opposite Lin Shaye. Up next, she stars as Regina in the feature God’s Time, written and directed by Daniel Antebi, which made its world premiere at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival.

Costa is an executive protection consultant who, like Hawke, is making his feature film acting debut.

Gloria Estefan’s “Father of the Bride” Becomes HBO Max’s Biggest Ever Streaming-Only Film Debut

Posted on June 20, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Gloria Estefan is celebrating a father of a debut…

Father’s Day weekend proved to be the ideal launchpad for Warner Bros’ romantic comedy Father of the Bride, starring the 64-year-old Cuban singer/actress ad Andy Garcia.

The film ended up being the biggest HBO Max movie premiere ever in its four days, specifically for a title that was exclusively made for the streaming service.

Father of the Bride was the No. 1 title across HBO Max around the world in its first four days since it launched on Thursday, June 16. The film also ranked among the top 10 most-watched title launches on HBO Max to date in Mexico, based on its first four days.

The fresh angle in this Latino take on Father of the Bride: The bride’s parents, played by Garcia and Estefan, are on the verge of a divorce.

Mexico ranks as the second-strongest country for Father of the Bride viewing on HBO Max to date, behind only the U.S.

As HBO Max looks to make its mark in Latin America, especially after a June 2021 launch in the region, a title like Father of the Bride fits the bill in appealing to both U.S. and local subscribers in its universal story of marriage and in-laws. Father’s Day weekend was the prime drop date for the Plan B production, and filmmaker Gary Alazraki is beloved in Mexico for his comedies like We Are the Nobles.

Warner Bros. production executives were won over by screenwriter Matt Lopez’s fresh take on the romantic comedy/wedding genre. Warner Bros. development exec Paul Perez championed the scribe’s script and won support for it at a studio feature development retreat. Perez, who now has a production deal on the Burbank lot, mined the IP out of the studio’s portion of the pre-1986 MGM library; the 1950 Vincente Minnelli-directed title previously was licensed to Disney’s Touchstone label, which made the 1991 Steve Martin–Diane Keaton–Martin Short remake that also spawned a sequel.

Samba TV, which counts a sampling of 3M U.S. terrestrial TV households, not mobile, did not have ratings today for Father of the Bride due to the Juneteenth holiday.

Ozuna Signs with William Morris Endeavor (WME)

Posted on June 14, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Ozuna has new representation…

William Morris Endeavor (WME) has signed the 30-year-old Puerto Rican singer and rapper in all areas.

“I am excited to collaborate with many of the top agents at WME to further connect with my incredible fans in inventive ways and continue to bring my culture to the masses,” the Puerto Rican singer born Juan Carlos Ozuna Rosado said in a statement. “As an artist, I want to expand my brand and develop new and exciting opportunities together in all aspects of entertainment.”

His WME signing comes on the heels of the announcement of his 2022 global tour Ozutochi, which kicks off June 30 in Seville, Spain, and will make its way across Europe and the U.S. before wrapping on December 9 at the FTX Arena in Miami.

Ozuna kicked off 2022 with his Christina Aguilera duet, “Santo,” and dropped a trio of singles over the past few months, including “Deprimida,” “G-Wagon” and “Apretatio.”

Most recently, he released “Ceremonia,” which will appear in the upcoming HBO Max remake of Father of the Bride.

The artist is also working on his fifth studio album, which will follow his sets Odisea, Aura, ENOC, and Nibiru, all of which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart. Additionally, he’s placed over 100 entries in Hot Latin Songs, including five No. 1 hits: “Te Bote,” “Taki Taki,” “Otro Trago,” “China,” and “Mamacita.”

Paul Perez Signs Production Deal with Warner Bros.

Posted on June 14, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Paul Perez has landed a new production deal…

The Cuban American film producer and former Warner Bros. development executive has agreed to a production deal at the Burbank, CA lot.

The announcement comes as the Andy Garcia and Gloria Estefan romantic comedy, Father of the Bride, a project Perez spearheaded and produced at the studio, hits HBO Max on Thursday, June 16.

During his time at Warner Bros, Perez was involved with the development of Ready Player One, Dune and Doctor Sleep.

He came to Warner Bros. after a development executive stint at Lionsgate’s Pantelion where he worked on the Eugenio Derbez hit movie, Instructions Not Included, which wound up being Mexico’s highest grossing export of all-time with $100.5M WW, as well as Spare Parts and No Manches Frida.

Perez initially cut his teeth in the industry reading scripts for producer Ben Odell (now Derbez’s production partner at 3Pas Studios) and working in the Miami William Morris offices.

Father of the Bride is a project close to Perez’s heart given his Cuban American Miami heritage. He came to the property while combing through the Warner library in a quest to develop revamped IP. The project’s momentum swelled after Perez discussed it at a Warner Bros. development exec retreat, with the studio’s President of Production Courtenay Valenti ultimately taking to Matt Lopez’s screenplay.

The fresh angle in this Latino take of Father of the Bride: the bride’s parents played by Garcia and Estefan are on the verge of a divorce. Perez married the package with burgeoning Mexican filmmaker Gary Alazraki.

While recent audiences are familiar with the Steve Martin–Diane Keaton–Martin Short 1991 Touchstone remake (a hit back then grossing over $89M and spawning a 1995 sequel), the film was originally an MGM title released in 1950, directed by Vincente Minnelli and starring Spencer Tracy, Joan Bennett and Elizabeth Taylor.

Warners had inherited the title in their acquisition of the pre-May 1986 MGM library via their absorption of Turner Films in 1995. Disney had licensed the title during the ’90s and in recent years Father of the Bride’s underlying rights reverted back to Warners.

Perez under his new deal is also shepherding the new Training Day prequel at the studio. That film is set around the time of the L.A. Riots that followed after the infamous Rodney King verdict.

“Warner Bros. is thrilled that Paul Perez will have a first look producing deal with the studio,” says Valenti. “Paul is a valued colleague who spent several years in development and production at WB. During that time he showed extraordinary creativity and strategic thinking looking to reinvent several classic library titles. One of those titles is Father of the Bride. We love Gaz Alazraki’s film of Father of the Bride and are very grateful to Paul for beginning the film process with his idea for how to reimagine this wonderful world.”

Enrique Murciano to Star in Michelle Danner’s Courtroom Drama “Miranda’s Victim”

Posted on June 8, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Enrique Murciano is heading to court…

The 48-year-old Cuban American actor will star in Michelle Danner’s courtroom drama Miranda’s Victim.

Murciano appears on a list of new cast additions that includes Emily VanCamp, Sebastian Quinn, Brent Sexton and Josh Bowman.

They join a stacked ensemble led by Abigail Breslin, which also includes Luke Wilson, Andy Garcia, Donald Sutherland, Ryan Phillippe, Mireille Enos, Kyle MacLachlan and Taryn Manning, as previously announced.

The film will tell the true story of Trish Weir (Breslin), who in 1963 was kidnapped and brutally raped by Ernesto Miranda (Quinn). Committed to putting her assailant in prison, Trish’s life is destroyed by America’s legal system as she triggers a law that transforms the nation. Her case notably results in the establishment of the Miranda rights afforded to criminal suspects taken in police custody, to ensure the admissibility of statements made during interrogation, as part of subsequent criminal proceedings.

Murciano will portray Detective Cooley.

The film, written by George Kolber and J. Craig Stiles, is currently in production in New Jersey.

The production company involved is Navesink River Productions.

Murciano played Detective Marco Diaz on Netflix’s popular crime drama Bloodline and has also been seen on such series as Panic, Tell Me Your Secrets, Briarpatch, The Blacklist, Hap and Leonard and Power. Notable film credits include Bright, Rough Night, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and Black Hawk Down. He’ll next be seen in the HBO Max rom-com Father of the Bride and Netflix’s series The Night Agent.

Andy Garcia Returning for “Book Club 2 – The Next Chapter”

Posted on May 31, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Andy Garcia is heading back to book club…

The 66-year-old Cuban actor will star opposite Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, Mary Steenburgen, Don Johnson and Craig T. Nelson in Book Club 2, which has entered production in Italy.

Garcia and his cast mates will reprise their roles from the original film, Book Club, with Giancarlo Giannini, Hugh Quarshie and Vincent Riotta joining the sequel as new cast members.

The original 2018 film followed four lifelong friends—played by Keaton, Fonda, Bergen and Steenburgen—whose lives were forever changed after reading 50 Shades of Grey in their monthly book club. Paramount Pictures released it in May of 2018 and saw it gross upwards of $104M worldwide against its $14M budget.

The sequel will follow our four best friends as they take their book club to Italy for the fun girls trip they never had. When things go off the rails and secrets are revealed, their relaxing vacation turns into a once-in-a-lifetime cross-country adventure.

Bill Holderman has returned as director, having once again penned the script with Erin Simms.

Endeavor Content is financing and producing Book Club 2 – The Next Chapter, with Holderman and Simms also aboard as producers.

Focus Features will distribute the film in the U.S., with Universal Pictures International distributing it internationally.

Garcia will next star in Father of the Bride.

Andy Garcia to Star in the Courtroom Drama “Miranda’s Victim”

Posted on May 27, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Andy Garcia is heading to court…

The 66-year-old Cuban actor will star in the courtroom drama Miranda’s Victim from director Michelle Danner, with production on the project underway in New Jersey.

Garcia will star opposite Abigail Breslin, Luke Wilson and Donald Sutherland in the film, which is written by J. Craig Stiles and George Kolber.

The film will tell the true story of Trish Weir (Breslin), who in 1963 was kidnapped and brutally raped by Ernesto Miranda. Committed to putting her assailant in prison, Trish’s life is destroyed by America’s legal system as she triggers a law that transforms the nation.

Wilson will play Lawrence Turoff, the country prosecutor that convinces Trish to testify and helps her bring her aggressor to justice, with Garcia as public defender Alvin Moore, who takes on Miranda’s case, and Sutherland as Judge Wren, who convicts Miranda for the rape of Weir.

Danner and Kolber are producing alongside Valerie Debler, Brian Drillinger and Alexandra Guarnieri.

The production company involved is Navesink River Productions.

“The first time I read George Kolber’s riveting script and learned about Trish’s experience, it moved and inspired me,” said Danner. “”Miranda’s Victim” puts us at the intersection between a brutal rape case and and a national movement for civil liberties.”

Garcia is an Oscar, Golden Globe and Emmy nominee whose recent film credits include Guy Ritchie’s Jason Statham actioner Wrath of Man; the comedy Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar, with Kristen Wiig, Annie Mumolo and Jamie Dornan; the romantic drama Words on Bathroom Walls, with Charlie Plummer and Taylor Russell; Clint Eastwood’s crime drama, The Mule; Sacha Gervasi’s Emmy-nominated TV movie My Dinner with Hervé for HBO; Ol Parker’s Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again; and the comedy Book Club, with Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda and Candice Bergen.

The actor’s credits on the television side include Rebel, Flipped and Ballers.

He’ll next be seen in Warner Bros. and HBO Max’s Father of the Bride; the romantic drama What About Love, with Sharon Stone; and Lionsgate’s The Expendables 4.

Matt Lopez Signs Multi-Year Overall Deal with ABC Signature

Posted on November 17, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Matt Lopez has an exciting new deal…

The Latino screenwriter, the creator/executive producer of ABC’s Promised Land, has signed a multi-year overall deal with ABC Signature, the studio behind the upcoming multigenerational Latinx family drama.

ABC Signature is part of Disney Television Studios.

Lopez’s Promised Land is an epic, generation-spanning drama about the Sandovals, a Latinx family vying for wealth and power in California’s Sonoma Valley, premiering on January 24, 2022, on ABC.

The series’ all-Latinx cast (including John Ortiz and Christina Ochoa) and majority Latinx crew are filled with people whose stories resemble the Sandoval family.

“‘La familia’ is how the cast and crew of Promised Land refer to each other, and it’s how I think of Jonnie Davis, Tracy Underwood, and their amazing team — as my creative family, said Lopez in a statement to Deadline. “The courage and integrity they have shown in supporting this show make it clear that ABC Signature is committed to telling compelling stories in fresh and exciting ways, and it’s where I want to continue to work and create for years to come.”

Added Davis, President of ABC Signature, “Matt Lopez is homegrown Disney talent, who has worked on the feature side for years. His upcoming Promised Land is a love letter to his family, especially his Cuban grandfather. When he shared this personal story with us and our friends at ABC, we all knew this had to be a television series, and we believe it will be the first of many from this unique and talented writer.”

Lopez’s other recent projects include the upcoming feature film Father of the Bride, a reboot of the classic film franchise, for Warner Bros. and Plan B starring Andy Garcia and Gloria Estefan; the family comedy Alexander, for Disney + with 21 Laps and Henson Co; and Wraith, a horror-thriller for Netflix. Matt created and executive produced the television series Gone.

His additional writing credits for the big screen include The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Race to Witch Mountain, and Bedtime Stories.

Lopez segued into writing and producing through the Disney Writers Program after a career as an attorney and business affairs executive for DreamWorks.

Adria Arjona to Star in & Executive Produce the Drama “Los Frikis”

Posted on October 23, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Adria Arjona is getting Friki…

The 29-year-old Puerto Rican actress will star and executive produce the drama Los Frikis.

Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz will be writing and directing the film.

The film is based on the true story of punk-rock teenagers in Havana who deliberately inject themselves with HIV to escape the oppression of “Special Period” Cuba.

Arjona has a busy year ahead, which includes a leading role in the Star Wars series Andor starring Diego Luna.

She can be seen next in Sony’s Morbius opposite Jared Leto and Matt Smith.

She is also set to play the bride in Warner Bros.’ new Father of the Bride film starring Andy Garcia.

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