J.W. Cortes to Appear at Pop Culture Event “DC in D.C.”

J.W. Cortes is invading The District

Warner Bros. Television GroupDC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment are joining forces for DC in D.C., a pop culture Martin Luther King weekend event that merges the worlds of entertainment and public service in Washington, D.C.

J.W. Cortes

DC in D.C. brings together stars, including the Puerto Rican Marine-combat-veteran-turned-actor and Gotham star, as well as producers from WBTV’s DC TV series, including Arrow, The Flash, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Gotham, Supergirl and Freedom Fighters: The Ray, with DC comic book writers and artists, along with invited guests from politics, government service, business academia and more.

The event, which takes place Friday, January 12 and Saturday, January 13, will explore the intersection of comic books, culture, entertainment and enlightenment through a series of panel discussions open to the public.

Events will take place both days at the Newseum, and will culminate with the world premiere screening of the upcoming DC series Black Lightning in the Warner Bros. Theater at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.

A party will follow at the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

In addition to Cortes, participants include Black Lightning stars Cress Williams, China Anne McClain, Nafessa Williams, Christine Adams, Marvin “Krondon” Jones III, Damon Gupton and James Remar — along with executive producers Salim Akil & Mara Brock Akil; along with executive producers Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter, plus TV series stars Caity Lotz (DC’s Legends of Tomorrow), Candice Patton (The Flash), Danielle Panabaker (The Flash), Russell Tovey (Freedom Fighters: The Ray) and others to be announced.

More information can be found at http://www.DCinDC2018.com.

Danny Trejo to Star in the Upcoming Season of The CW’s “The Flash”

Danny Trejo is no flash in the pan…

The 73-year-old Mexican American actor, who has been a regular staple on television and in film since 1985, will star in The CW’s The Flash in Season 4.

Danny Trejo

Trejo has have signed on for the key role of Breacher, a feared bounty hunter from Earth-19 and the imposing father of inter-dimensional bounty hunter Gypsy (Jessica Camacho).

His mission is to prevent any inter-dimensional traveler from threatening life on his planet — especially his daughter’s.

Based on the DC Comics characters, the series is executive produced by Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg, Todd Helbing and Sarah Schechter.

The Flash returns for Season 4 at 8:00 pm on Tuesday, October 10, on the CW.

Trejo, best known for starring in Machete, has appeared in From Dusk till Dawn, The Grind and Once Upon a Time in Mexico.

Nolasco to Star in ABC’s FBI Crime Drama Pilot “Deception”

Amaury Nolasco is practicing to deceive…

The 46-year-old Puerto Rican and Dominican American actor has been cast as a series regular opposite Lenora Crichlow and Jack Cutmore-Scott in ABC pilot Deception, an FBI crime drama procedural.

Amaury Nolasco

In Deception, when his career is ruined by scandal, superstar magician Cameron Black (Cutmore-Scott) has only one place to turn to practice his art of deception, illusion, and influence — the FBI. He’ll become the world’s first consulting illusionist, helping the government solve crimes that defy explanation, and trap criminals and spies by using deception.

Nolasco will play Mike Alvarez, a classic FBI agent and, secretly, a huge fan of magic.

Deception hails from Chuck co-creator Chris Fedak and the Blindspot team of creator Martin Gero and magician David Kwong, Warner Bros. Television and Greg Berlanti’s studio-based Berlanti Productions. The pilot was written by Chris Fedak and will be directed by David Nutter.

Nolasco is currently reprising his role of Fernando Sucre in Fox’s Prison Break event series. His other television credits include appearances on George Lopez, Mind of Mencia, CSI: Miami, Gang Related and Telenovela.

The CW Developing Gonzalez’s Latino-Themed Drama Project “Casa”

Ed Gonzalez is coming home to The CW

Warner Bros Television and producer Greg Berlanti are developing the drama project Casa, which was co-penned by the Mexican American writer, for the network.

Ed Gonzalez

Written by Gonzalez and Jeremy Haft, the series will touch on the hot-button issue of immigration.

Casa centers on six siblings in a Hispanic family who have to band together to survive when their parents get unjustly deported.

Writing partners Gonzalez and Haft got a break when they were selected as the 2014 Fox Writers Intensive Fellows, leading to a script development deal with Fox Broadcasting Co and 20th Century Fox Television and a staffing job on the first season of the hit Fox drama Empire.

The CW has scored high marks for its depiction of illegal immigration and its toll on families in dramedy Jane the Virgin.

Gonzalez & Haft recently wrote the feature film All Eyez On Me, a biopic directed by Benny Boom about Tupac Shakur for Morgan Creek Productions.

Lima to Star in CW’s Superhero Series “Supergirl”

Floriana Lima has landed a Super-sized role…

The Latina actress has landed a series regular role on the CBS-turned-CW superhero series Supergirl.

Floriana Lima

Lima will portray Maggie Sawyer, a character inspired by the historic gay DC Comics character.

Created by John Byrne, Maggie was first introduced in 1987 as a captain of the Metropolis Special Crimes Unit where she was a highly skilled member of the Science Police, the division of the police department that deals with metahumans.

Additionally, Maggie was revealed to be a lesbian in the Superman titles, making her one of the first openly characters in mainstream comics. She later went on to become romantically involved with another famous female superhero, Batwoman, in addition appearance in several Batman titles.

On the Warner Bros.-produced Supergirl, Maggie will be a detective for the National City Police Department who takes a special interest in the cases involving aliens.

Supergirl executive producer Greg Berlanti, who is also an EP on Arrow, The Flash and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, spoke with The Hollywood Reporter earlier this year about the importance of being all inclusive. His DC Comics shows have changed the ethnicity and sexuality of several iconic comic book characters to better reflect present day, like Supergirl‘s Jimmy Olsen (Mehcad Brooks) and Arrow‘s Curtis Holt (Echo Kellum), respectively.

“I wanted to contemporize these comics that I loved growing up and have them reflect the society that we live in now,” Berlanti said. “It’s still about working in some of those very real qualities so that everyone feels represented.”

Maggie Sawyer is one of several famed DC Comics characters coming to Supergirl for season two. Teen Wolf‘s Tyler Hoechlin has been cast as Kara’s cousin Clark Kent aka Superman, and Cougar Town vet Ian Gomez will play journalist Snapper Carr. Additionally, former Wonder Woman star Lynda Carter is set to appear as the President of the United States.

The character of Maggie Sawyer previously appeared in several episodes of former CW series Smallville, as played by Jill Teed.

In addition to the ABC drama The Family, Lima’s credits include Allegiance and The Mob Doctor.

Supergirl‘s second season premieres on Monday, October 10 at 8 p.m. on The CW.

Nichols to Star in CW’s Archie Comics-Based Pilot “Riverdale”

Marisol Nichols is reporting for mom duty…

The 42-year-old part-Spanish/part-Mexican actress has been cast as Hermione Lodge in Riverdale, the CW pilot based on the Archie Comics characters from producer Greg Berlanti.

Marisol Nichols

Set in present time, Riverdale is a subversive take on Archie (KJ Apa), Betty (Lili Reinhart), Veronica (Camila Mendes) and their friends, exploring the surrealism of small-town life — the darkness and weirdness bubbling beneath Riverdale’s wholesome façade.

Nichols will play Hermione Lodge, Veronica’s upscale mother. Hermione has now returned to Riverdale, eager to start fresh with her daughter following the scandalous incarceration of her husband.

In the pilot, from Warner Bros. Television, Nichols also joins Ashleigh Murray (Josie), Cole Sprouse (Jughead Jones), Madelaine Petsch (Cheryl Blossom) and Luke Perry (Archie’s dad Fred Andrews).

Nichols recurs as Desert Wolf on Teen Wolf, recurred on Criminal Minds and NCIS, and starred on ABC’s Good Christian Belles.

Aguirre-Sacasa’s Brides of Dracula-Themed Project Lands Pilot Production Commitment at NBC

NBC is taking a bite out of Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa’s latest project…

The Nicaraguan-American playwright, screenwriter and comic book writer’s gothic soap opera drama with top television producer Greg Berlanti, Brides, has landed at NBC with a pilot production commitment.

Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa

Written by Aguirre-Sacasa, Brides is described as a sexy reimagining of Dracula as a family drama with a trio of strong, diverse female leads, a show about empowered women and the things they do to maintain wealth, prestige, legacy — and their non-traditional family.

The project hails from Warner Bros. Television and studio-based Berlanti Productions, with Aguirre-Sacasa, Berlanti and Sarah Schechter executive producing.

Known in popular culture as the Brides of Dracula, the three characters, originally introduced in Bram Stoker’s classic novel, are portrayed as beautiful and powerful female vampire “sisters” who reside with Count Dracula in his castle in Transylvania where they use their charm to seduce and bewitch men before preying on them. They manage to entrance Van Helsing too before he shakes off their spell and kills them. The characters are a staple in the Dracula mythology and have appeared in most Dracula screen adaptations, headlining the 1960 British movie The Brides Of Dracula.

Aguirre-Sacasa’s project imagines what would have happened if Van Helsing had not killed the three brides of Dracula. What if they survived for centuries and are now living in New York City?

Brides expands the relationship between Aguirre-Sacasa, chief creative officer of Archie Comics, and Berlanti. The two teamed last season for Riverdale, a live-action drama based on the characters from the Archie comics. The project, originally set up at Fox, recently relocated to the CW where it is in active development.

Aguirre-Sacasa previously worked for Marvel Comics, did stints on HBO’s Big Love and Looking and Fox’s Glee, and wrote the feature remakes of Carrie and The Town That Dreaded Sundown as well as the Broadway-bound stage musical adaptation of American Psycho.

Aguirre-Sacasa’s Drama “Riverdale” Headed to the CW

Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa’s Archie is moving…

Riverdale, a one-hour drama based on the iconic Archie comic book characters, is moving to the CW.

Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa

The subversive take on the well-known franchise’s wholesome town of Riverdale and residents Archie, Betty, Veronica, as well as Josie and the Pussycats, originally was being developed at Fox.

Greg Berlanti still is exec producing via Berlanti Productions, in association with the Nicauraguan-American playwright, screenwriter, and comic book writer.

Aguirre-Sacasa, Archie Comics’ chief creative officer, is writing the pilot.

“When Greg and I started talking about bringing these characters to life, our first thought was that the best home for them would be the CW,” Aguirre-Sacasa told Deadline. “It took a little longer for us to get there, but now that we’re here, it’s feeling terrific.”

In addition to shepherding Riverdale, Aguirre-Sacasa also is a consulting producer on Supergirl. Aguirre-Sacassa might be best known for writing Afterlife with Archie, in which the Riverdale gang is visited by the undead, and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, which has been described as the more “nuanced” of the two titles and tracks Sabrina’s encounters with witches and covens.

Archie Comics recently relaunched its flagship character with a new Archie #1. Like Riverdale, the new comic, written by Mark Waid and drawn by Fiona Staples, is a reboot of the classic.

The CW Picks Up the “Arrow” Spin-Off “The Flash,” Starring Valdes

Carlos Valdes is preparing to flash television audiences…

The CW has ordered to series the Arrow spin-off The Flash, starring the Latino actor and Broadway star.

Carlos Valdes

The series centers on Barry Allen (Glee’s Grant Gustin), a Central City assistant police forensics investigator who arrives in Starling to look into a series of unexplained robberies that may have a connection to a tragedy in his past. A comic book fanboy, Barry is obsessed with the Arrow unaware that working with Oliver and Felicity to solve the crime has brought him right into the dangerous world of the vigilante.

Valdes portrays Cisco Ramon, a mechanical engineering genius at S.T.A.R. Labs. He came from a rather poor family, and provides much-needed comic relief around his stiff workplace.

Valdes previously appeared as his character in the Arrow episode entitled “The Man Under the Hood.”

In addition to Gustin and Valdes, the series also stars Jesse L. Martin, Tom Cavanagh, John Wesley Shipp, Rick Cosnett, Danielle Panabaker, Candice Patton, Michelle Harrison and Patrick Sabongui.

The Flash comes from co-creators Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg who, along with Geoff Johns, wrote the pilot episode with Arrow pilot director David Nutter at the helm.

The Flash is set to premiere this fall.

Alonso to Star in NBC’s Drama Pilot “The Mysteries of Laura”

It’s a mysterious time for Laz Alonso

The 39-year-old Afro-Cuban American actor has signed on to co-star opposite Debra Messing in NBC’s drama pilot The Mysteries of Laura.

Laz Alonso Laz Alonso

Directed by McG, from a script written by Jeff Rake, the project is based on the popular Spanish series Los misterios de Laura.

The telelvision project centers on the life and relationships of Laura Diamond (Messing), a female homicide detective who can handle murderous criminals — but not her hell-raising twin children.

Alonso will portray Billy, Laura’s partner in crime.

Alonso’s casting stems from a talent holding deal the network inked with him following his stint on last season’s short-lived drama Deception.

The Mysteries of Laura is being produced by Warner Bros. Television, Greg Berlanti’s Berlanti Productions and Aaron Kaplan’s Kapital Entertainment.

Alonso’s previous credits include Breakout Kings and Avatar.