The 42-year-old Puerto Rican and Mexican American actress and Lucifer star has been brought in to co-pen the upcoming untitled 47 Roninsequel alongside New York Timesbestselling author AJ Mendez for Universal 1440 Entertainment.
The action-fantasy film, which is being directed by Mulan‘s Ron Yuan, is the follow up to the 2013 Universal Keanu Reeves movie which grossed over $151M WW.
The original film was directed by Carl Rinsch and written by Chris Morgan and Hossein Amini from a story conceived by Morgan and Walter Hamada. Also starring in that film were Hiroyuki Sanada, Tadanobu Asano, Rinko Kikuchi and Ko Shibasaki.
Based on Chūshingura, 47 Ronin tells a fictionalized account of the titular 47 rōnin, a real-life group of samurai in the 18th century who set out to avenge the death of their master who was killed by a merciless shogun.
“AJ and I are excited to write a diverse and inclusive action film,” said Garcia. “Director Ron Yuan’s vision to blend martial arts, horror, cyber-punk and action was inspiring and we’d like to thank the team at 1440 for being so supportive.”
“As creators of color, we’re honored to be part of a modern, multicultural story with powerful female leads,” said Mendez.
Garcia currently stars on Netflix’s Lucifer, new episodes of which are dropping on May 28, and she’ll also star in Marvel’s MODOK, premiering on Hulu on May 21.
Mendez’s pilot script Homelanded on The Black List’s inaugural Latinx TV List in 2020. She’s a former championship wrestler with the WWE.
Garcia and Mendez are the co-authors of the comic book series Glow, based on the Netflix property, and Dungeons and Dragonsfor IDW Publishing, as well as Wonder Womanfor DC Comics coming out in July.
The duo recently launched Scrappy Heart Productions to create diverse stories with universal themes across all media. Currently, Scrappy Heart is adapting Crazy Is My Superpower, based on Mendez’s bestselling memoir.
The 28-year-old half-Mexican & part-Spanish American singer and her Pentatonix group mates have released the official music video for PTX’s cover of Billie Eilish’s “When the Party’s Over” the 2018 single from her debut studio album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
Pentatonix’s version of the song appears on their At Home EP, which was released last month. It follows the release of singles “Home” and “Blinding Lights.”
Pentatonix arranged, recorded and produced their latest EP while quarantining in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and their latest video appears to follow suit.
Although the group members maintain social distance in the clip, their voices meld together in a cappella harmonies, adeptly capturing the reflective vibe of the original song.
“We are huge fans of Billie! Billie is so well known for her amazing production, and we knew the beautiful melody and moody vibe of ‘When the Party’s Over’ could be well suited to a stripped-down, harmonically lush arrangement,” Maldonado told Rolling Stone. “We had so much fun creating the song and video.”
Pentatonix will be releasing videos for their At Homesongs “Break My Heart” and “Dreams” on July 15th and July 22nd, respectively.
Kirstin Maldonado is turning on the (blinding) lights…
The 28-year-old half-Mexican & part-Spanish American singer and her Pentatonix group mates have released the video for their cover of The Weekend’s “Blinding Lights.”
In the clip, the Grammy-winning a cappella groupappear in their respective homes, belting the infectious hook with harmonies and a capella instrumentals.
Pentatonix’s “Blinding Lights” video follows the release of last month’s “Home” mash-up, in which the group blended lyrics from hits about home, a fitting song for the world’s shelter-at-home moment due to the coronavirus pandemic.
PTX’s take on “Blinding Lights” appears on the The Sing-Off-winning group’s new At Home EP, which was recorded while the group was in quarantine in separate homes. It was released last week.
Pentatonix will be dropping videos from the project weekly throughout July.
During the NALIP Media Summit, members of NALIP, The Black List and The Untitled Latinx Project to announced the 10 original television pilots selected as part of the inaugural Latinx TV List, with the Latina filmmaker’s The Edge aka El Borde earning a spot.
Martinez’s pilot centers on a teenage girl US/Mexico border who must prove there’s an unnerving new life form evolving and threatening human existence after a destructive storm triggers the largest sewage spill in the history of North America.
The Black List teamed with the Latin Tracking Board, NALIP, Remezcla and The Untitled Latinx Project for the list. Here were the requirements:
Writers should be Latinos residing currently in the US – any country of origin or other status is fine
Any kind of story is eligible and will be considered
All scripts must have one Latinx character in a prominent, lead role
Scripts can be bilingual as long as they are written primarily in English
Half-hours and one-hours considered. No webseries.
All levels of experience considered for submitting writers
Scripts submitted should be as free from attachments as possible
Writers must be at least 18 years of age upon submission
The writers on the Latinx TV List will have their pilots shared with Hulu, which plans to offer a WGAminimum blind pilot script deal to two of the writers or writing teams, in addition to meeting with all 10 writers selected. Writers selected by Hulu may decide whether or not to accept any deal offered by Hulu — the final decision remains entirely in the hands of the writer.
“NALIP is thrilled to have partnered once again with the Black List for the Latinx TV List,” said Ben Lopez. “We have always aimed to be a platform for underrepresented communities and the winners now have a chance to tell their incredible stories. We also applaud Hulu in their commitment to the Latinx community. In collaboration with our partners, The Black List, Untitled Latinx Project, Latin Tracking Board, and Remezcla, we would like to sincerely congratulate this year’s Latinx TV List!”
Here are the 10 selected scripts for the Latinx TV List in alphabetical order:
CUBA LIBRE by Niko Gutierrez-Kovner CUBA LIBRE tells the story of Fidel Castro’s revolution through the eyes of a couple who become crucial to its success, risking their marriage, their livelihoods, and their lives for a movement that ultimately loses sight of the people in one man’s blind pursuit of power.
THE EDGE/EL BORDE by Paloma Martinez After a destructive storm triggers the largest sewage spill in the history of North America at the US/Mexico border, a local teenage girl must prove there is an unnerving new life form evolving and threatening human existence.
HOME by AJ Mendez A dark comedy about a young Latina who struggles to re-enter the world after surviving a suicide attempt, but uses her comatose Mormon roommate’s seemingly perfect identity to start fresh.
INSIDE CUNT by Anna Salinas A brash 28-year-old Nuyorican is pulled into a dangerous world of international espionage when her vagina suddenly starts intercepting Russian spy signals.
KOOKY, THE POST-APOCALYPTIC COCKROACH by Dax de la Monta Miggy, a perpetually upbeat and slightly naive loser, must survive a road trip across a nuclear wasteland with the help of his misfit coworker, old school abuelo, and a wisecracking chatterbox who happens to be a giant, mutated cockroach.
MACHO LIBRE by Marcelina Chavira After his fathers pass away, a mature and woke AF 11 year-old boy is forced to move in with his estranged, old school, super macho, ex-luchador grandfather above the aging man’s eccentric wrestling academy.
NOVIA by Giovanni J. Maldonado Chinea & Myles Clifford Hawthorne In 1929, a young girl escapes her abusive life in Mexico City for Los Angeles and the promise of stardom in a Spanish-language version of the Universal classic, DRACULA — only to find that the monsters of one’s past don’t simply vanish, but follow. Based on the true story of Lupita Tovar.
PAPI by Dominic Colón PAPI, is a half hour dramedy that explores the life of Kilo Rodriguez, a closeted bisexual barber from the Bronx, who on his 21st birthday, unexpectedly gets custody of his foul-mouthed six-year old daughter. As Kilo tries to navigate becoming an adult, while avoiding the temptations of the streets, and understanding his fluid sexuality, he embarks on a transformative journey discovering what it takes to be a good “Papi.”
SUNPATCH ALLEY by Juan Carlos Fernandez The times, they are a-changin’ in this dark, comedic drama set in 1970’s New York. GRACIE FUENTES, the creative director of a popular kids’ show, finds her noble pursuits of inclusion continually steamrolled by the show’s sexist and alcoholic star, LOUIE BARNETT. But when the station is taken over by the crime family Louie is indebted to, Gracie seizes the opportunity to take matters into her own hands. “Sesame’s mean streets.”
USERNAME by Barbara Soares After joining an A.I. talent agency where she impersonates a CGI Instagram celebrity, a hacker finds herself at the center of a high-stakes conspiracy when that same celebrity begins enlisting her followers to commit suicide.
The 44-year-old Latino actor has been cast in TNT’s drama pilot Home from writer Aron Eli Coleite and Jerry Bruckheimer Television.
Martinez joins a cast that includes Bethany Joy Lenz, Andrew Buchan, Bruce Greenwood, Nicole Muñoz and Roberta Colindrez. He joins previously announced cast members JoBeth Williams, Harris Dickinson and Sawyer Barth.
Home delves into the secrets lingering behind the façade of a seemingly idyllic suburban family. Rose Bell (Lenz) couldn’t be happier: An accomplished designer with a successful business, the newly pregnant Rose is thriving in a wonderful life with her husband, Joe (Buchan), a highly regarded prison psychologist, and enjoying being a stepmother to his two sons PK (Dickinson) and Nate (Barth). But her image of her perfect family is shattered when she discovers long-buried secrets that threaten to destroy the very foundation of her life.
Martinez is prison Warden Peter Ochoa, a former uniformed cop who doesn’t believe in rehabilitation and parole, which puts him in direct opposition to prison psychologist Joe, who is determined to prove that even the most sociopathic criminals are capable of redemption.
Muñoz plays Danica, a latch-key girl next door who instigates a love triangle when she falls for both her new neighbors, PK and Nate Bell.
Colindrez is Cassie, Rose’s best friend and business partner, a contractor who brings Rose’s design to life.
Home is being produced by Jerry Bruckheimer Television in association with Warner Horizon Television, with Bruckheimer and Jonathan Littman serving as executive producers.
Jennifer Lopez is thisclose to dropping a new (Latin) beat…
The 46-year-old Puerto Rican singer, actress and American Idol judge will release a Latin-tinged track in a few days, according to NYC’s Z100 program director Mark Medina.
Medina shared the news in a recent Twitter exchange with a JLo fan who wondered what her new song would sound like.
“Fun, hi energy, Latin flair, global, timely on @Z100NewYork soon- probably days,” he wrote.
Lopez’s latest album “A.K.A.” arrived last year. In the past few months, she’s been busy with her acting career and her judging stint on American Idol, in addition to making contributions to the Home soundtrack, Prince Royce’s “Back It Up” and Jason Derulo‘s Everything Is 4 LP.
In late May, she was rumored to have started working on a new project after a fan noticed that she and Missy Elliottfollowed each other on Twitter. A few days later, the two superstars fueled the collaboration report when they were pictured together.
So far, there’s still no official word on what Lopez is actually cooking up, but she’s currently preparing herself for her Las Vegas residency, which starts in January 2016 at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino.
Lopez, who voices the character Lucy in the Dreamworks animated adventure film, is seen flying through space while bedazzled with sparkling gems (a la “Waiting for Tonight” in the intergalactic-themed clip.
She also wears a white catsuit with sheer-paneling as she stands on what appears to be a spaceship against the backdrop of far-off galaxies.
In another part of the video JLo dances with some of the animated aliens from the film in a white party dress and skyscraper heels, showing them how to get their dance groove on.
Home will be released later this month, and also features the voices of Jim Parsons, Rihanna and Steve Martin.
It centers around Oh (Parsons), an alien on the run from his own people who lands on Earth and befriends Tip (Rihanna), helping her reunite with her mother Lucy (Lopez). The duo embark on an adventure together where Oh comes to understand that being different and making mistakes is all part of being human.
‘It’s the first movie I’ve been in that my kids had heard about before I told them,’ Lopez told Access Hollywood earlier this week.
Lopez noted that it was her first time releasing a ballad as a single.
“It’s very weird for me not to move,” she laughed.
There’s no denying Jennifer Lopez is a Latin luminary… But during this week’s episode of American Idol, la Lopez lit up the screen in a whole new way.
The 45-year-old Puerto Rican singer/actress and American Idol judge took the stage to perform “Feel the Light,” her new single from the soundtrack to the animated movie Home. And Lopez didn’t disappoint, stealing the show with an epic performance and show-stopping gown.
The “Booty” singer first appeared on stage in a large white dress, which consisted of fabric, 20 feet in diameter. As Lopez’s performance continues, the dress was used to project scenes from the movie, as well as some out of this world special effects.
As she stood there and belted out the song, everyone’s eyes were transfixed on the dress. Even JLo’s costume designer, Mariel Haenn, felt like it was something to remember.
“A lot of things made this dress special, particularly it’s an idea that we’ve had for a very long time that we were just waiting for the right time to execute it. The white dress on it’s own was an idea that Jennifer had for a performance, but then when we were working on the creatives for the Home music video, we talked about using the dress as a canvas to project stuff onto it, and incorporate the movie into her dress, which is something I’ve never seen before. It felt really special,” she told HollywoodLife.com.
“[Projection] is something that Jennifer has always wanted to do, and when she was working on this song and we were working on the creatives for the video, she thought that this was the perfect place for it all to happen,” she added.
Jennifer Lopez is heading Home for her latest project…
Dreamworks has released the first trailer for Home, the 3D aliens-hiding-on-Earth tale featuring the voices of the 44-year-old actress/singer and American Idol judge.
Based on Adam Rex‘s children’s book The True Meaning of Smekday, the Tim Johnson-directed centers on an overly optimistic, yet inept,alien race named Boov, led by Captain Smek, that invades Earth to hide from their mortal enemy and make it a new home.Convinced they are doing a favor, they begin to relocate the human race, but one resourceful girl, Tip (voiced by Rihanna), manages to avoid capture.When on the run, she’s accompanied by a banished Boov, named Oh (Jim Parsons), who has accidentally notified the enemies of his whereabouts.
Lopez voices the character of Tip’s mother.
Home is set for a March 27, 2015 release via 20th Century Fox.
From writer-director Nicholas McCarthy (The Pact), the thriller stars Rivera, Academy Award-nominee Catalina Sandino Moreno, Awkward’s Ashley Rickards, Wyatt Russell and Ava Acres.
It centers on an ambitious real estate agent (Moreno) who is selling a house with a checkered past. When she tries to help the runaway daughter of the property’s owners, she and her sister (Rivera) cross paths with a sinister supernatural force.
IFC Midnight will release Home in theaters and via video on demand (VOD) this year.
e follow up to the 2013 Universal Keanu Reeves movie which grossed over $151M WW.
