Dany Garcia to Develop Feature Film Treatment “Red One” with Amazon Studios

Posted on June 29, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Dany Garcia is seeing red…

The 52-year-old Cuban American businesswoman, professional bodybuilder and producer and her ex-husband Dwayne Johnson’s Seven Bucks Productions are developing the feature film treatment Red One with Amazon Studios.

Amazon won the project after a highly competitive bidding war. Johnson will star in four-quadrant holiday action adventure comedy project conceived by Hiram Garcia, president of production at Seven Bucks.

Cameras will roll on the film in 2022 for a 2023 holiday release. Amazon will look to exploit the property across multiple ancillaries in addition to being a tentpole film.

Chris Morgan will write the screenplay and produce. Morgan has been a frequent collaborator with Seven Bucks, including Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw, The Fate of the Furious, Furious 7, Fast & Furious 6, and Fast Five. In all, Morgan has authored seven installments in the franchise, his association beginning with the third film, Tokyo Drift.

Johnson, Dany Garcia and Hiram Garcia will produce on behalf of Seven Bucks Productions.

“Seven Bucks Productions is a leader in creating unique and compelling entertainment for the entire family, and we know Red One will continue that tradition,” said Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon Studios. “Hiram’s concept and the world he’s envisioned are uniquely original and we are so excited to team with Seven Bucks Productions and Chris Morgan to help bring it to life. Red One is just the first step in what we know will be a successful, collaborative venture.”

“Hold my Mana, because this is exciting,” said Johnson. “Our Seven Bucks is very bullish on our partnership with Amazon Studios; underpinned with some innovation, some pioneering and a lot of positive energy and passion. I’ve been very impressed with Jen Salke and her team’s vision and ambition to create an enormous, fun and unique Red One holiday universe for families around the world to enjoy.”

“This partnership, a long time in the making, is exactly the way we envisioned teaming up with Jennifer and Amazon,” said Dany Garcia, co-Founder of Seven Bucks Productions. “A studio with such depth and synergy fits so seamlessly with the types of authentic, inclusive and dynamic stories we are committed to telling within our Seven Bucks’ slate. This incredible story from Hiram is special to all of us and bringing it home to Amazon, where we share tremendous vision and forward-thinking, is perfect alignment across the board.”

“Red One is incredibly special to me and a story I’ve wanted to tell for years,” added Hiram Garcia. “An epic, edge-of- your seat, action adventure that takes beloved holiday mythology and turns it on its head. I’m thrilled to have our Seven Bucks team join forces with Amazon to bring this fun Holiday tale to life for a global audience.”

Rodriguez’s “The Fate of the Furious” Crosses the $1 Billion Mark Worldwide

Posted on May 1, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Michelle Rodriguez has another fast and furious hit on her resume…

With Saturday’s grosses factored in, Universal Pictures’ The Fate of the Furious, starring the 38-year-old Puerto Rican and Dominican American actress, has crossed the $1 billion mark at the worldwide box office, landing at $1.06B so far.

The split is currently $867.6M international and $192.7M domestic. In China, Furious 8 has passed Furious 7 (in local currency) to become the highest-grossing import ever. It’s now at 2.43B RMB and $361M.

This is the 5th movie in Universal’s 105-year history to reach the $1B mark. Directed by F Gary Gray, the 8th installment in the $4B+ franchise joins Jurassic World ($1.67B), Furious 7 ($1.52B), Illumination’s Minions ($1.16B) and Jurassic Park ($1.04B) at the top of the studio’s box office pantheon.

Rodriguez and her Furious cast mates held the No. 1 spot at the domestic, international and global box office for two weeks, and are expected to remain on top again this weekend in North America for the third frame.

Offshore this session, F8 added $68.4M in 69 territories. Japan was new this weekend with $7.5M for the best start in the franchise’s 16-year history.

When it bowed across Easter weekend, F8 sped off to the biggest global opening of all time with $542M — $98.8M domestic and $443.2M, the latter also a record. In China, it debuted just shy of $200M ($199.1M) to set a new opening weekend benchmark as the largest three-day launch ever.

This weekend, it added $20.1M in the Middle Kingdom and has broken just about every record possible there including the biggest 7-day total for any film ever.

Overall, the film has already out-grossed the international lifetime totals of the first six Fast & Furious. Other milestones include being the highest-grossing film from an African American director ever; the biggest-grossing movie of 2017 at the international box office and the No. 10 title ever.

For Universal, the opening weekend was the studio’s top launch ever in 28 territories, including China, India, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Malaysia and Indonesia. F8 also scored the highest opening weekend in industry history in 20, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Argentina, Colombia and UAE. The film also was tops for the franchise in 40 markets; among them: the UK, China, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Japan and Korea.

Rodriguez’s “Fast 8” Filming in Cuba

Posted on May 9, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

It’s fast times for Michelle Rodriguez in the Pearl of the Antilles.

The 37-year-old Puerto Rican and Dominican-American actress and her fellow Fast & Furious co-stars are filming in Cuba.

Fast 8 has the distinction of being only the second film and the first big budget movie given the green light to shoot on the island since the start of improved relations between the island nation and the United States.

The next installment of Universal Pictures’ successful franchise is currently filming in Havana, and to commemorate the milestone, the production released a new set video paying tribute to the city and its people.

The first in what star Vin Diesel has described as a trilogy that will bring the series to close, Fast 8 is keeping the series tradition of sending the franchise’s globetrotting street racing enthusiasts to various exotic locals, including Iceland in addition to Cuba.

#F8 is making history in Cuba. #FastFridays https://t.co/vljANLtPuh

— Fast & Furious (@FastFurious) May 6, 2016

Written by Chris Morgan and directed by F. Gary Gray, Fast 8 sees core cast members Diesel, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson and Chris “Ludacris” Bridges returning along with 2Fast 2Furious co-star Eva Mendes, Tokyo Drift‘s Lucas Black, and Furious 7‘s Kurt Russell and Jason Statham. They’re joined this time out by Charlize Theron, Kristofer Hivju and Scott Eastwood in yet-revealed roles.

Fast 8 is set to hit theaters on April 14, 2017.

Rodriguez to Star in the Gender-Reassignment Thriller “Tomboy, A Revenger’s Tale”

Posted on October 28, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Michelle Rodriguez has a new (re)assignment…

The 37-year-old Puerto Rican and Dominican-American actress will star in Tomboy, A Revenger’s Tale.

Rodriguez, one of the stars of The Fast and the Furious films,will star in the title role in the crime noir thriller feature film opposite Sigourney Weaver.

Directed by Walter Hill from a screenplay he wrote based on a story by Denis Hamill, the film centers on an ace assassin (Rodriguez) who is double crossed by gangsters and a rogue plastic surgeon (Weaver). Rodriguez’s character is turned into a woman by Weaver.

The story becomes a trail of self-discovery and redemption against a criminal mastermind opponent.

Producers are eyeing a November 9 production start in Vancouver.

The Solution Entertainment Group will introduce it to buyers at the upcoming American Film Market

Rodriguez, who earned acclaim in her film debut Girlfight, most recently starred in Furious 7. She also voiced a character in the 2013 animated film Turbo.

Rodriguez & Her “Furious 7” Costars to Receive Special Hollywood Film Award

Posted on October 5, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Michelle Rodriguez is getting a Furious recognition…

The 37-year-old Puerto Rican and Dominican-American actress and her Furious 7 costars will receive a special honor at this year’s Hollywood Film Awards.

Furious 7, the Universal Pictures sequel that is now the fifth highest-grossing film of all time, will be feted with the Hollywood Blockbuster Award, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The award will be bestowed on the entire cast, which includes Jordana Brewster, Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson and the late Paul Walker.

The ceremony, which will take place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on November 1, will also honor Amy director Asif Kapadia with the Hollywood Documentary Award for his film about the late Amy Winehouse.

And a host of other accolades will be celebrate extraordinary work in crafts and technical categories.

This year’s Hollywood Film Awards will not be televised, unlike last year’s, which aired on CBS. Nevertheless, Dick Clark Productions, which became a key investor in the event in 2013, will continue to produce it.

“The Hollywood Film Awards is an incredible brand, previewing some of the biggest movies and stars of the year, while launching the award season,” says Allen Shapiro, CEO of DCP.

The recipients of the event’s many other awards will be announced in the coming days and weeks.

Mars & Mark Ronson’s “Uptown Funk” 2015’s Top-Selling Digital Single So Far

Posted on July 5, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Bruno Mars is the leader of the pack in 2015…

Nielsen Music has released its 2015 mid-year music charts with the 29-year-old part-Puerto Rican singer-songwriter’s collaboration with Mark Ronson, “Uptown Funk,” the top-selling digital single.

Mars and Ronson’s ultra-catchy track claimed the top spot, with 4.89 million downloads. However, that number pales in comparison to the amount of times the single has been streamed: Combined audio and video streams of “Uptown Funk” have nearly reached the 368 million mark.

The track was also been a favorite among radio programmers, racking up 646,000 plays in 2015 so far.

Since the beginning of 2015, audio streaming is up 74 percent compared to the same period in 2014, while video streaming has grown an eye-popping 109 percent. From December 29th to June 28th, over 135 billion songs were streamed, the Nielsen report states.

Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud” came in second place with 3.45 million downloads, and Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth’s “See You Again” (from “Furious 7″) finished at No. 3 with 3.07 million downloads so far this year.

Rodriguez & Brewster’s “Furious 7” Becomes Universal Pictures’ First-Ever Billion-Dollar Film

Posted on April 18, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster have a billion reason to celebrate…

The 36-year-old Puerto Rican and Dominican-American actress and 34-year-old Brazilian-Panamanian actress’ latest film, Furious 7, has become Universal Pictures’ first-ever billion-dollar movie, and the entertainment company’s leader talked online about the notable moment for the 103-year-old studio.

“Today marks a significant milestone in our history,” NBCUniversal Vice Chairman Ron Meyer wrote in a blog post as the setua-sequel raced past that global-boxoffice milestone in just its 17th day in release.

The actioner, also starring Vin Diesel and the late Paul Walker, has banked an estimated $265.3M domestically and is expected to win again this weekend both at hone and overseas, making it three consecutive winning frames.

Early Friday matinee estimates show that Furious 7 is on track to make $8M-$8.5M for a three-day estimate of between $25 million and $26 million. It still is commanding the Imax screens in its third weekend. The film took in about $2.9M Thursday on 4,022 total runs. The actioner, which stopped production after Walker died in a November 2013 car crash, initially was supposed to bow last summer, but that date had to be overhauled. With the extra time, Universal was able to pick the perfect distribution date and implement a strong marketing campaign with two of the most social powerhouses on the Internet: Diesel and Dwayne Johnson.

Picking the April 3, 2015, distribution date meant the film was able to enjoy four weeks of play both on Imax and in the nation’s theaters until May 1, when Marvel/Disney releases mega-sequel Avengers: Age Of Ultron.

Furious 7 is the first film since last year’s Transformers: Age of Extinction to top $1 billion worldwide and already is No. 20 on the all-time list.

The “Furious 7” Soundtrack, Featuring Prince Royce, Reaches No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart

Posted on April 16, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Prince Royce is making a Fast and Furious crossover on the Billboard charts…

The Furious 7 soundtrack, featuring the 25-year-old Dominican American singer-songwriter’s single “My Angel,” jumps to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart dated April 25.

The rise to the summit comes four weeks after the soundtrack’s release.

This week, Furious 7 moved over 111,000 equivalent copies (combining traditional sales and those calculated out by collective streams of all the songs on the album). Last week, that figure was 74,000, so clearly the album is surging forward.

Furious 7 is the fourth soundtrack to top the chart in the past 12 months, according to Billboard, following Frozen, Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1 and the Empire TV soundtrack.

The official music for Prince Royce’s “My Angel,” featuring scenes from the action film, has been viewed more than 8 million times on YouTube.

Rodriguez’s “Furious 7” Nearing $1 Billion Mark Globally

Posted on April 12, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Michelle Rodriguez may have a billion reasons to celebrate soon…

Furious 7, starring the 36-year-old Puerto Rican and Dominican-American actress, shot past the $800 million mark globally after less than two weeks in theaters.

The film’s performance essentially insures it will become the first film in the Fast and Furious franchise and the first Universal Pictures release in history to top $1 billion.

Furious 7 easily topped foreign box office charts over the weekend, picking up $195 million from 22,000 locations across 66 territories. Its international total stands at $548 million through Sunday. Domestically, Furious 7 earned $60.6 million, besting all comers, and bringing its U.S. total to $252.5 million.

Fans of the series have flocked to theaters to see how the film would handle the death of Paul Walker, who was killed in a 2013 car crash before shooting on the film was completed.

“That’s the emotional current running through the movie, and it’s what’s helping it hold up and play better than any of the other films in the franchise,” said Phil Contrino, vice president and chief analyst at BoxOffice.com.

The film’s boffo results propelled the franchise past the $3 billion at the worldwide box office. The Fast and Furious series has now generated $3.18 billion through the weekend. The seventh installment now ranks as the highest-grossing one, passing Fast 6’s $789 million total to establish a new high-water mark.

Furious 7 got a big boost from its debut in China, where it opened in first place on Sunday and grossed an estimated $68.6 million. That is the highest-grossing one-day result ever for the People’s Republic.

In Russia, Furious 7 also debuted in first place, picking up $15 million. It also debuted to $1.9 million in Poland. Furious 7 has one major market left to open, Japan on April 17.

Brewster to Promote “Furious 7” on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” This Week

Posted on March 31, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Jordana Brewster is bringing the Furious to late night…

The 34-year-old Brazilian-American actress will be appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to promote her highly anticipated new film Furious 7.

Brewster will make her appearance this week, on Friday, April 3, the same day the film opens in theaters nationwide.

Brewster’s breakthrough role came in 2001’s The Fast and the Furious, which launched the action film franchise. She reprises her role as as Mia Toretto in Furious 7.

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