Jessica Marie Garcia Signs with Creative Artists Agency (CAA)

Posted on March 7, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Jessica Marie Garcia has new representation…

The 36-year-old Cuban & Mexican American actress has signed with Creative Artists Agency (CAA).

Garcia currently recurs on the NBC comedy series Lopez Vs. Lopez opposite George and Mayan Lopez, as cousin ‘Yesika’. Before that, she starred on Netflix’s “Most-Binged Original” hit series On My Block as the spitfire ‘Jasmine Flores’, a role that earned her a Teen Choice Award nomination for Best Summer TV Actress and an MTV Movie & TV Award nomination.

She also appeared in Gina Rodriguez’s Disney+ series Diary of a Female President as ‘Camila,’ as well as recurring on Shonda Rhimes’ How To Get Away With Murder playing ‘Rhonda’ opposite Viola Davis. Additionally, she starred in all four seasons of the Disney Channel original series Liv and Maddie as ‘Willow Cruz.’

Her feature film Avenge the Crows, in which she plays ‘Peaches,’ a tough inner-city gang member, starring alongside Danny Trejo and Lou Diamond Phillips, is currently available to stream on Amazon Prime Video. You can see her earlier work on shows including ABC’s The Middle, as the tough wrestlerette, ‘Becky,’ and as ‘Sierra Cruz’ on ABC Family’s Huge.

Garcia is also a member of the all-female ensemble cast of Betch: A Sketch Show, streaming now on Paramount+. She has also lent her voice to both seasons of the Love in Gravity podcast, which received special recognition at the 2023 GLAAD Awards. She additionally voiced ‘Renee Montoya’ in the hit original audio drama Batman Unburied for Spotify and voiced ‘Ami’ for the audio original book The Honeymoon Crashers by the writing duo Christina Lauren.

Garcia is branching out with her production shingle, where she has been writing and producing, most recently with her film Illegally Brown, directed by Gabby Revilla Lugo, which was recently on the festival circuit. She also shot the film What To Expect with director Gabriela Garcia Medina.

Netflix Releases First Look at Gina Rodriguez’s “Spy Kids: Armageddon”

Posted on August 1, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Gina Rodriguez is spying a family adverture…

Netflix has released the first look images and a teaser trailer for Spy Kids: Armageddon, which introduces the 39-year-old Puerto Rican Golden Globe-winning actress and Zachary Levi’s family.

Robert Rodriguez, who created the original franchise, is behind the reboot of the new film that introduces the next generation of spies with Everly Carganilla as Patty Torrez and Connor Esterson as Tony Torrez.

The preview shows the kids receiving a message from their mom, played by Rodriguez, telling them “something has gone terribly wrong.” Now it’s up to the kids to save their parents from a failed mission.

“When the children of the world’s greatest secret agents unwittingly help a powerful Game Developer unleash a computer virus that gives him control of all technology, they must become spies themselves to save their parents and the world,” reads a logline for the film premiering on September 22.

Racer Max co-wrote the film which also stars Billy Magnussen, Everly Carganilla and DJ Cotrona.

ABC Renews Gina Rodriguez’s “Not Dead Yet” for Second Season

Posted on May 16, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Gina Rodriguez’s latest starring project is still alive…

ABC has renewed the hit workplace comedy series Not Dead Yet, starring the 38-year-old Puerto Rican Golden Globe-winning actress, for a second season.

From creators David Windsor and Casey Johnson, Not Dead Yet is based on Alexandra Potter’s 2020 book Confessions of a Forty-Something F**k Up.

It follows Nell Serrano (Rodriguez), a broke and newly single self-described disaster, working to restart the life and career she left behind 10 years ago. When she lands the only job she can find – writing obituaries – Nell starts getting life advice from an unlikely source.

Johnson and Windsor executive produce with Rodriguez, Dean Holland, Wonderland Sound and Vision’s McG, Mary Viola and Corey Marsh.

The series is produced by 20th Television, part of Disney TV Studios.

Rodriguez rose to acclaim while starring on CW’s Jane the Virgin. Her other credits include Someone Great, Miss Bala and I Want You Back.

Gina Rodriguez Developing Series Adaptation of Sonoro Podcast “Princess of South Beach”

Posted on March 28, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Life’s a (south) beach for Gina Rodriguez.

The 38-year-old Puerto Rican actress and Golden Globe winner is developing a series adaptation of Sonoro podcast series Princess of South Beach for Netflix.

The streamer has optioned the podcast with the former Jane The Virgin star set to executive produce the project under her I Can & I Will Productions banner alongside Sonoro, iHeart’s My Cultura Network and Jasmine Romero .

Rodriguez is not currently attached to star in the series.

Additionally, the scripted podcast series has been renewed for a second season, set to premiere this fall.

Princess of South Beach is iHeart’s My Cultura Network’s top performing title and was nominated for Best Fiction Podcast at the Ambies last year.

The second season will be released in both English and Spanish and will be marketed to audiences globally. It will feature some of the first season’s biggest stars, including X Mayo, Gina Torres, Raul Esparza and Danny Pino.

Princess of South Beach follows Maria del Carmen and Gloria, twin sisters who were separated at birth and raised in dramatically different ways — one in a convent and the other in the lap of luxury. When a freak accident kills Gloria, Maria del Carmen assumes her identity and uncovers that Gloria’s rich family isn’t as picture-perfect as they seem.

The bilingual series pays homage to beloved telenovela tropes and adds modern twists. It stars Rachel Zegler, Esparza, Torres, Pino and Sheryl Rubio.

Season 2 will see Raul and Estrella set off on a road trip to figure out the whereabouts of Estrella’s long-lost high school sweetheart, Gabby, and in turn, uncover the dark past behind Esteban Calderon.

Camila Victoriano and Joshua Weinstein will executive produce season two on behalf of Sonoro, and Gisselle Bances for iHeart’s My Cultura Network. Romero served as a writer (alongside Joanna Hausmann) and director on Season 1 and will return in both capacities in the second season.

Gina Rodriguez’s “Not Dead Yet” Becomes ABC’s Most-Watched Multi-Platform Comedy Debut in Nearly Four Years

Posted on February 21, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Gina Rodriguez’s latest project is experiencing success…

The premiere episode of the 38-year-old Puerto Rican Golden Globe-winning actress’ new series Not Dead Yet drew solid numbers for ABC in delayed viewing.

The premiere episode of Not Dead Yet drew an audience of about 7.6M people after seven days of viewing across linear and digital platforms.

That makes it ABC’s most-watched multi-platform comedy debut in nearly four years, since the premiere of Bless This Mess in April 2019.

Not Dead Yet’s seven-day viewership marked an increase of 4M from its live + same-day audience of 3.6M on February 8 — the largest delayed-viewing increase for an ABC comedy since The Conners in October 2018.

In terms of the ad-friendly 18-49 demographic, the episode posted a 1.76 rating after seven days of delayed viewing, which is a 300% increase from the 0.44 rating it earned in L+SD. That’s the biggest growth ever for an ABC comedy debut.

Not Dead Yet airs Wednesdays at 9:30 p.m. on ABC.

Gina Rodriguez Signs Overall Deal with 20th Television

Posted on February 6, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Gina Rodriguez has a new deal…

The 38-year-old Puerto Rican Golden Globe-winning actress, the star and executive producer of Not Dead Yet, has signed an overall deal with 20th Television, the studio behind Rodriguez’s new ABC comedy series.

Under the pact, Rodriguez will develop, direct and executive produce new series across all platforms through her production company I Can & I Will, run by executive Molly Breeskin.

Rodriguez and Breeskin will continue to follow the company’s mission statement to create art that tells stories from the unheard and unseen, to discover and expose new talent, and to increase empathy and understanding for all communities.

“Gina is a true multi-hyphenate, an extremely talented performer who’s as adept at directing and producing as she is in front of the camera,” said 20th Television president Karey Burke. “She has an incredible eye for IP, an optimistic and uplifting point of view, and a unique ability to spotlight underrepresented voices and stories in a broad and ambitious way.”

Best known for her award-winning title role in Jane the Virgin, Rodriguez will next be seen in Robert Rodriguez’s Spy Kids reboot and Players, both for Netflix.

She recently appeared in Netflix’s Lost Ollie and Amazon’s I Want You Back and is heard in the title role of Netflix’s Carmen Sandiego animated series as well as in the streamer’s Big Mouth.

I Can & I Will produced two seasons of Disney+’s Diary Of a Future President, for which Rodriguez directed the pilot and co-starred as the future president. With her family, she established the We Will Foundation to champion underprivileged youth through arts, education, scholarship funding and financial literacy.

“At I Can & I Will, we are constantly working to expand the narrative of underrepresented communities and I am over the moon to join forces with the incredible leaders at 20th in that mission,” said Rodriguez.

Gina Rodriguez to Star in Robert Rodriguez’s Next “Spy Kids” Film for Netflix

Posted on June 25, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Gina Rodriguez is ready for her next adventure…

The 37-year-old Puerto Rican Golden Globe-winning actress will star in Spy Kids creator Robert Rodriguez’s next installment of the hot family adventure film franchise.

The Jane the Virgin star will star opposite Zachary Levi, Everly Carganilla and newcomer Connor Esterson in the upcoming film from Netflix, Skydance and Spyglass.

Robert Rodriguez will write, direct and produce the next film, which will introduce the world to a new family of spies. Racer Max will co-write the film.

The film marks Rodriguez’s second family film with Netflix following the success of the 2020 family action film We Can Be Heroes.

This latest Spy Kids chapter is set after the children of the world’s greatest secret agents unwittingly help a powerful game developer unleash a computer virus that gives him control of all technology, leading them to become spies themselves to save their parents and the world.

David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Don Granger will produce for Skydance, which will oversee development and production. Elizabeth Avellan and Max will also produce. Spyglass’ Gary Barber and Peter Oillataguerre will executive produce. Nick Nesbit will be Netflix’s creative lead on the film.

Rodriguez most recently landed a starring role in the ABC’s single-camera comedy Not Dead Yet, which just got picked up to series. She also was tapped to lead the Amazon series Last Known Position.

She was most recently seen in Amazon’s I Want You Back as well as Awake.

Carganilla was most recently seen in The Afterparty, The Haunted Man and The Chair.

Gina Rodriguez to Star in Amazon’s TV Series Adaptation of QCode’s Mystery Thriller Podcast “Last Known Position”

Posted on June 15, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Gina Rodriguez is going into survival mode…

The 37-year-old Puerto Rican Golden Globe-winning actress will star in Amazon’s television series adaptation of QCode mystery thriller podcast Last Known Position.

In addition to starring in the project, Rodriguez – who starred in the scripted podcast — will serve as an executive producer.

Last Known Position charts the fallout of a brand new state-of-the-art American commercial jetliner vanishing on its maiden voyage over the Pacific Ocean. The ensuing air crash investigation discovers evidence of a creature of the deep that may have been responsible.

Premiering in late December 2021, the podcast was created by writer Luke Passmore and directed and executive-produced by John Wynn. Passmore is attached to adapt and executive-produce the series.

Along with Rodriguez and Passmore, executive producers for the series will be Rob Herting, Sandra Yee Ling, and Michele Zarate on behalf of QCode; Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, Fred Berger, Justin Levy and Jeremy Platt on behalf of Automatik; and Molly Breeskin on behalf of I Can and Will Productions.

The eight-episode first season of the podcast also starred James Purefoy, Manny Jacinto, Olivia Cheng, Ashley Bell, JR Bourne, Travis Joe Dixon, Matthew Henerson, Jessica Oyelowo, Venk Potula and Giovanna Quinto. It’s not clear yet whether any of those actors will be back for the television update.

Gina Rodriguez to Star in ABC’s Comedy Pilot “Not Dead Yet”

Posted on March 29, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Gina Rodriguez is stayin’ alive…

The 37-year-old Puerto Rican actress and television producer has been cast as the lead in ABC’s single-camera comedy pilot Not Dead Yet.

Hailing from Casey Johnson and David Windsor, McG and 20th Television, the project is based on Alexandra Potter’s Confessions of a Forty-Something F**k Up.

Published in 2020, broke, newly single and feeling old, Nell Stevens (Rodriguez) – a self-described disaster – works to restart the life and career she left behind 10 years ago. Moving back home to Pasadena – a world where everyone seems to have a better life than she does (kids, careers, happy marriages, etc.) Nell can only afford to share an apartment with a stranger who monitors how much electricity she uses and pesters her about her recycling habits (which lately include a lot of empty White Claws.) A once successful journalist, Nell put her career on hold to help her fiancé get his restaurant off the ground. Following their break up, she takes the only job she can get – writing obituaries – which at first seems like a step backwards but ultimately may be exactly what she needs to move forward.

Johnson and Windsor, who wrote the script, executive produce with Wonderland Sound and Vision’s McG, Mary Viola and Corey Marsh. 20th Television is the studio.

Rodriguez is best known for playing the title role on the hit series Jane The Virgin, for which she won a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Television Series Musical or Comedy. Her upcoming projects include Netflix’s film Awake and Netflix’s miniseries Lost Ollie.

Rodriguez founded I Can and I Will Can Productions, whose mission is to create art and tell stories from those who are traditionally unseen and unheard. The company is behind Diary of a Future President, the series which Rodriguez directed, produced, and appeared in as the future president. It ran on Disney+ for two seasons.

Gina Rodriguez to Star In & Executive Produce TV Adaptation of Pedro Almodovar’s Classic Film “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown”

Posted on January 20, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Gina Rodriguez is on the verge of a breakdown…

Apple has put in development a television series adaptation of Pedro Almodovar’s classic 1988 black comedy Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, with the 37-year-old Puerto Rican Golden Globe winning actress and former Jane The Virgin star set to star in and executive produce the series.

The project hails from Almodovar’s El Deseo banner, Rodiguez’s I Can and I Will Productions, 3Pas Studios and Lionsgate Television. Noelle Valdivia will pen the series adaptation.

Rodriguez will play Pepa in the potential series, the role played by Carmen Maura in the film, which would feature a mix of English and Spanish, sources tell Deadline.

Almodovar will executive produce for El Deseo, along with Rodriguez and Molly Breeskin for Rodriguez’s I Can and I Will Productions. 3Pas Studios’ Eugenio Derbez and Ben Odell will also executive produce, Sonia Gambaro will co-produce.

The series is produced by Lionsgate Television, where Derbez is under an overall deal.

The 1988 film, starring Maura and Antonio Banderas, brought Almodóvar widespread international attention following its debut at the 45th International Venice Film Festival. It received a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar nomination and won five Goya Awards including Best Film and Best Actress in a Leading Role for Maura.

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