Tag Archives: Jon Gries

Efren Ramirez Starring Alongside “Napoleon Dynamite” Cast Mates in Blockchain Animated Series “Cyko KO”

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Efren Ramirez is reporting for cyko duty…

The 50-year-old Salvadoran American actor is reuniting with several of his Napoleon Dynamite cast mates for the blockchain animated series Cyko KO.

Efren RamirezThe retro-inspired series is notable for being a high-profile pilot powered through blockchain technology.

The pilot stars Jon Heder as Cyko KO, a stunt motorcyclist turned SuperEarth’s greatest hero. Adapted from a web comic, it has recently launched on Rewarded.tv, exclusive for an audience of digital collectible (NFT) holders.

In addition to Ramirez and Heder, the series also stars Tina Majorino, Jon Gries and Haylie Duff. Heder is also executive producer on the pilot through his Verified Labs label.

The show was funded through NFTs on web3 streaming platform Rewarded.tv, and is a production of Replay, THETA Labs, Verified Labs, Rocketship Entertainment, Earworm Media and Simpatico Media.

It’s the first from Rewarded parent Replay to be funded through a digital community who gain access to the show and other perks by investing.

Replay sees the launch as a milestone for production, with tech at the center of everything from funding, through to distribution an engagement.

“With the Replay ecosystem, we’ve been so excited to provide filmmakers with a way not just to fund their movie with their communities, but to actually distribute their productions and continually engage with their fans,” said said Krish Arvapally, CEO of Replay. “And we could not pick a better project to debut than Cyko KO, a fun-loving, family-friendly cartoon that’s really been brought to life by its loyal audience.”

After the pilot’s launch, Replay Digital Collectible holders will be able to access further related web3 content such as missions, badges and collectibles.

HBO Releases Official Trailer for Second Season of “The White Lotus,” Featuring Aubrey Plaza

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Aubrey Plaza is taking a memorable vacanza…

HBO has released the official trailer for the second installment of Emmy-winning The White Lotus, featuring the 38-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress.

Aubrey Plaza“Whenever I stay at a White Lotus, I always have a memorable time. Always.” So begins the trailer with words from Season 1 scene-stealer Jennifer Coolidge’s Tanya, who is back for more adventures in Season 2, along with her new husband Greg, played by the returning Jon Gries, a fellow guest she met in Season 1 at the Hawaii resort. It’s a bit of rocky start to the vacation, as Greg is not happy Tanya has brought her assistant along for the trip.

The trailer also offers a first look at Plaza, who plays Harper Spiller, a newly wealthy woman after her husband finds professional success.

Aubrey PlazaThe seven-episode Season 2 is set at an exclusive White Lotus resort in Sicily. The social satire follows the exploits of various guests and employees over the span of a week.

Season 2 also stars F. Murray Abraham, Adam DiMarco, Beatrice Grannò, Meghann Fahy, Tom Hollander, Sabrina Impacciatore, Michael Imperioli, Theo James, Haley Lu Richardson, Will Sharpe, Simona Tabasco and Leo Wood.

The White Lotus is created, written and directed by Mike White, and executive produced by White, David Bernad and Mark Kamine.

The Hawaii-set first installment is coming off its Emmy haul of 10 wins out of 20 nominations, including Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series, the most wins of any program this year.

The seven-episode series debuts on Sunday, October 30 at 9:00 pm ET/PT on HBO and will be available for streaming on HBO Max.

Efren Ramirez to Reunite with “Napoleon Dynamite” Cast Mates for Animated Pilot “Cyko KO”

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Efren Ramirez is readying for an iconic reunion…

The 48-year-old Salvadoran American actor and DJ, best known for playing Pedro Sánchez in the 2004 indie film Napoleon Dynamite, will reunite with his old co-workers for a new project.

Efren Ramirez

Ramirez and his fellow stars of the cult classic indie comedy will star in an animated pilot released through blockchain technology.

Ramirez, Jon Heder, Tina Majorino and Jon Gries have all signed on to voice characters in Cyko KO, which is based on Rob Feldman’s Ringo Award-nominated comic book of the same name. Heder, who played a nerdy and lovable high school student title character in 2004 comedy hit Napoleon Dynamite, has been cast in the lead role as the titular Cyko KO.

The character is billed as a “fourth-wall breakin’, pinball-addicted, cereal eatin’, motorcycle-ridin’ hero.” The series will follow him, sidekick Peachy Keen and their pet Meemop, as he protects the colonies of SuperEarth from giant monsters and crazy characters “in this Saturday morning cartoon-inspired, all-ages title.”

A 12-minute pilot will launch exclusively on blockchain tech firm Replay’s Rewarded.TV web3 streaming service, using revenue from an NFT collection from Theta Labs’ ThetaDrop to fund, produce and distribute the project.

The NFTs will unlock the show and other film titles and series, with viewers of Rewarded.TV titles earning Replay’s native RPLAY tokens by watching films, series and live TV through a proprietary watch-to-earn ecosystem. Cyko KO‘s NFTs will also offer additional perks, such as the chance to meet the cast of the show or cameo in the pilot.

The drop date for the Cyko KO Star Cards NFT is 12pm PT Friday (September 30).

Creator Feldman will be showrunner through his Earworm Media operation. Rocketship Entertainment, which he founded in 2019 with Tom Akel, is co-producing alongside Replay and Verified Labs, a Web3 production studio that counts Heder among its founder members.

“The dream has always been to bring Cyko KO to the world of animation, and to do so through bleeding edge technology,” said Feldman. “Between this incredible cast reunion and our partners at Theta, Replay, and Verified Labs, we are going to create something incredibly special for the fans who have supported Cyko and his friends for the past seven years.”

“We’re thrilled to be working with Replay and Rob on this drop,” said Kyle Laffey, Head of Partnerships at Theta Network. “Theta continues to build out our video technology and these NFTs are a perfect use case of how we can enable media and entertainment to enter Web 3. It’s only a matter of time before we see more media brands take this route and experiment with entire new business models for funding and distribution. Replay’s platform and Rob’s content are a natural pairing as early pioneers in this space.”

HBO Offers Sneak Peek at Season 2 of “The White Lotus,” Which Will Star Aubrey Plaza

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Aubrey Plaza’s career is blossoming…

The 38-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress/comedian will star in the second season of HBO’s The White Lotus.

Aubrey PlazaThe premium cable channel offered a first look from the Sicily-based Season 2 via a promo that highlighted new and returning series coming up for release.

Jennifer Coolidge will be joined by her fellow The White Lotus original cast member Jon Gries in the HBO dark comedy’s second season.

The first season of the series – created, written, directed and executive produced by Mike White – was set at a tropical Hawaiian resort, following the exploits of various guests and employees over the span of a week. Coolidge portrayed Tanya McQuoid—a troubled vacationer mourning the loss of her mother—with Gries as her love interest, Greg.

While Tanya and Greg left Hawaii together after meeting on their respective trips, it hadn’t been confirmed until now that the characters remain together up through Season 2. The footage from the new promo shows Tanya holding onto Greg on the back off a motorcycle.

The White Lotus recently earned 20 Emmy nominations for its first season, with Coolidge among those landing their first. The show’s first season ensemble also included Murray Bartlett, Connie Britton, Sydney Sweeney, Alexandra Daddario, Jack Lacy, Fred Hechinger, Brittany O’Grady, Natasha Rothwell, Steve Zahn, Lukas Gage and more.

Although it was initially presented as a limited series, The White Lotus was renewed for a second season in August, after debuting to critical acclaim and a No. 1 ranking on HBO.

The next edition of the series will follow a different group of vacationers as they book their stay at an Italian White Lotus property and settle in temporarily amongst its inhabitants.

In addition to Plaza, others joining The White Lotus in Season 2 include Will Sharpe, Sabrina Impacciatore, Theo James and Meghann Fahy, as well as F. Murray Abraham, Adam DiMarco, Tom Hollander, Michael Imperioli, Haley Lu Richardson, Leo Woodall, Beatrice Grannó and Simona Tabasco.

Camil to Star in Indie Boxing Film “Glass Jaw”

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Jaime Camil is lacing up for his next role…

The 43-year-old Mexican actor/singer has joined the cast of the indie boxing film Glass Jaw, directed by Jeff Celentano (Breaking Point).

Jaime Camil

Glass Jaw is the redemption story of Travis Austin (Lee Kholafai), a one-time boxing champion, who goes to prison and loses everything. After his release, he experiences the trials and tribulations of redeeming his reputation, his belt and Dana Sasso (Korrina Rico), his one true love.

In addition to Camil, Kholafai and Rico, the film also stars Reynaldo Gallegos, Jon Gries (Taken), Ashlee Macropoulos (This Just In), Mark Rolston (The Departed), Vernon Wells (Commando) and Steven Williams (21 Jump Street).

Shooting is currently underway in Los Angeles, with Glass Jaw set for release later this year.

Camil, a Mexican telenovela star who has risen to acclaim with his role on the CW’s Jane the Virgin, previously appeared in the film Pulling Strings and as a voice character in The Secret Life of Pets.