Ariana DeBose to Executive Produce & Star in Jen Rivas-DeLoose’s “Two and Only”

Ariana DeBose has two (and only) reasons to smile…

The 31-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress, singer & dancer, who recently became the first openly queer woman of color to win an Academy Award, will executive produce Screen Gems’ Two and Only, an original screenplay by Latina and LGBTQ+ writer Jen Rivas-DeLoose.

Ariana DeBose,The project is being developed as a star vehicle for DeBose.

Sad Unicorn’s Randall Einhorn and Jeremy Stern are producing the project, described as My Best Friend’s Wedding with a bisexual Latinx POV.

The project will be overseen at Screen Gems by Scott Strauss and Giselle Johnson.

DeBose won the Oscar, SAG Award, BAFTA, and Critics Choice Award for Best Supporting Actress for West Side Story.

She’s currently in production on Sony Pictures’ Kraven, a role coveted by many up-and-coming talents, which DeBose landed after blowing away Sony execs. That film is set to release January 13, 2023. She also recently wrapped production on Matthew Vaughn’s action film Argylle from Apple, starring opposite Henry Cavill, Bryan Cranston, DeBose and Dua Lipa, and will also star in Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s space thriller I.S.Salongside Chris Messina and Pilou Asbaek.

DeBose earned a Tony Award nomination for her role as Disco Donna in Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, and she appeared alongside Lin-Manuel Miranda in the groundbreaking, Tony-winning Hamilton as a member of the original cast in both the Broadway and Off Broadway productions, as well as the Emmy-winning film version that was later released on Disney+. She also appeared in Ryan Murphy’s film adaption of the musical The Prom for Netflix and Lorne Michaels’ musical comedy series Ariana DeBose for Apple TV+.

Rene Rosado to Star in Sofia Yepes’ Indie Thriller “The Low End Theory”

Rene Rosado is theorizing

The Latino actor has joined the cast of the indie thriller The Low End Theory from Atomic Features Production.

Rene RosadoRosado is among a roster of cast additions that includes Eddie MartinezRicky Russert and actor/rapper Scotty Tovar.

They join previously announced lead Sofia Yepes who is also a co-writer and producer on the film.

The Low End Theory—based on a story by Yepes—centers around Raquel (Yepes), an aspiring beats producer in the low-budget hip-hop world moonlighting as a drug money launderer, who ends up stealing from her crime-lord boss to pay off debts owed by the woman with whom she is having an obsessive affair.

The project reunites Yepes with Francisco Ordoñez, who wrote the screenplay for The Low End Theory and will also serve as the films’ director in his debut.

Yepes’ first on-screen role was in Ordoñez’s short film St. Paul, winner of the Imagen Foundation award.

“I grew up almost never seeing people that looked like me in the films I loved, and it’s my hope that we can now start to inhabit the classic Hollywood genres with our unique perspectives and experiences,” said Yepes in a statement to Deadline.  “In the years since Francisco first cast me in St. Paul, we have built a close-knit community of Latinx storytellers that have supported each other’s artistic endeavors, and this film is an outcome of that.”

Added Ordoñez, “Sofia and I have dreamt of bringing this project to fruition for many years, so it’s gratifying to arrive in a film climate that is finally supporting diverse and representative stories like this one. We hope that this film, while deeply personal, can also be universal in its appeal, both within our communities and beyond them.”

Described as a fresh take on a film noir, the movie is one of the first to take this classic genre and set it within the Latinx and LGBTQ+ world, and its crew will be heavily represented by these communities.

“This film is an exciting opportunity for our company to continue its focus on stories and filmmakers from traditionally underrepresented communities. As producers who came up on the creative side ourselves, our mission is to support, protect and empower these filmmakers to achieve their vision, and bring their distinct and compelling voices to the marketplace,” said producer Daniel Ragussis of Atomic Features.

The film is set to shoot in Los Angeles this summer.

Juan Pablo Di Pace to Make Feature Directorial Debut with LGBTQ+ Romantic Drama “For Another Time”

Juan Pablo Di Pace is heading behind the lens…

The 42-year-old Argentine actor and singer will make his feature directorial debut with For Another Time, an LGBTQ+ romantic drama inspired by true events in his life.

Juan Pablo Di PaceDe Pace’s film will be executive produced by television icon Norman Lear and his Act III Productions partner Brent Miller.

For Another Time is a coming-of-age story that follows Matías, a queer filmmaker who gets an unexpected invitation to revisit the family that forever influenced his past, forcing him to question the present while potentially changing his future.

Production on the film, set in Duino, Italy and Buenos Aires, Argentina, will kick off on February 26.

Di Pace will play the present-day version of Matías, with another as-yet-undisclosed actor to play a younger version.

Casting for additional roles is underway. Andres Pepe Estrada will co-direct and serve as the film’s editor.

Di Pace is producing under his Momento Films banner with Kristen Carroll, founder and CEO of SpoPro/Spotlight Productions and Immaterial Media.

“There’s a sacred tenderness in falling in love for the first time, often an all-encompassing event we can never reprise once it ends,” said Di Pace. “I wanted to explore the idea of memory and how we romanticize it, sometimes blinding our path to love in the present.”

“There’s no better backdrop for a love story—of any kind—than one that takes place in Italy,” said Lear and Miller in a joint statement. “We’re thrilled to support Juan Pablo’s vision of bringing a multicultural connection, regardless of age, gender or race, to the big screen. And we couldn’t be prouder to support independent film and those who are making it.”

“The buying power of the LGBTQ+ population—two thirds of them in the targeted 18-34 age range—is $1 trillion, second only to the 50+ demographic for disposable income, and they are clamoring for stories and quality productions that reflect their experiences and lifestyles,” added Carroll, whose production company SpoPro specializes in LGBTQ+ and diversity-forward programming. “We are excited to bring this inventive and nuanced story of love and self-discovery to a global audience.”

Di Pace, who competed on Dancing with the Stars, most recently starred as Kimmy Gibbler’s estranged husband, Fernando, on Fuller House, a spin–off series of Full House.

Matthew López to Make Feature Directorial Debut with Film Adaptation of Best-Selling LGBTQ+ Novel “Red, White & Royal Blue”

Matthew López is embracing the red, white and (royal) blue

The 44-year-old Puerto Rican playwright and screenwriter, who made history as the first Latinx playwright to win the Tony Award for Best Play, will make his feature directorial debut on the LGBTQ+ romantic comedy Red, White & Royal Blue.

Matthew Lopez

The Amazon Studios production is a film adaptation of Casey McQuiston’s 2019 best-selling novel of the same name.

It centers on a star-crossed power couple — the Latinx character of Alex Claremont-Diaz, the son of the president of the United States, and his relationship with Prince Henry, grandson of the Queen of England.

López rewrote a draft of the script by Ted Malawer in addition to being tapped to direct the film.

Here’s the official logline: “What happens when America’s Prince falls in love with an actual prince? The film follows Alex Claremont-Diaz who, upon his mother’s election as president, was promptly cast as the American equivalent of a young royal. Handsome, charismatic, brilliant―his image is pure millennial-marketing gold for the White House. There’s only one problem: Alex has a long-running feud with his royal counterpart across the pond. And when the tabloids get hold of a photo involving an Alex-Henry altercation, U.S.-British relations take a turn for the worse. Heads of family, state, and other handlers devise a plan for damage control: staging a truce between the two rivals. What at first begins as a fake, Instagram-able friendship grows into something more meaningful than either Alex or Henry could have imagined. Soon Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret romance with a surprisingly unstuffy Henry that could complicate his mother’s re-election campaign, upend two nations and begs the question: Can love save the world after all?”

Lopez has a busy dance card. He’s penning a remake of The Bodyguard for Warner Bros., collaborating with songwriting duo Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman and Amber Ruffin on a musical-adaptation of Some Like it Hot, and scripting a feature film adaptation of the novel Leading Men, which centers on the relationship between Tennessee Williams and his longtime partner

López will also executive produce the film.

The Inheritance, a two-part epic about the AIDS crisis, is set to make its Los Angeles premiere at the Geffen Playhouse in 2022. In New York, López’s work has been seen Off Broadway with The Whipping Man (Manhattan Theatre Club), and The Legend of Georgia McBride (MCC Theater). He previously signed an overall television development deal with Amazon Studios in October of last year

Guillermo Diaz to Star in Universal Pictures’ Historic LGBTQ+ Film “Bros”

Guillermo Diaz is ready for Bros time…

The 46-year-old will star in Universal Pictures’ in Bros, which will make history as the first romantic comedy from a major studio about two gay men, and the first studio film featuring an entirely LGBTQ+ principal cast, with queer actors taking on queer roles, as well as all heterosexual characters.

Guillermo Diaz

Diaz will star opposite Billy Eichner, Luke Macfarlane, TS Madison, Miss Lawrence, Symone and Guy Branum in the project.

Nicholas Stoller is directing the film, which he co-wrote with Eichner. The latter will make history of his own as the first openly gay man to co-write and star in his own studio film.

Bros is billed as a smart, swoony and heartfelt comedy about two gay men—played by Eichber and Macfarlane—maybe, possibly, probably, stumbling towards love. Maybe. They’re both very busy.

The film is scheduled to arrive in theaters on August 12, 2022.

Judd Apatow is producing the project alongside Stoller and Josh Church, with Eichner executive producing. The film is a co-production of Stoller’s Global Solutions and Apatow’s Apatow Productions.

“I could not be more proud or excited about the historic nature of the all openly LGBTQ+ cast of Bros. After queer actors have spent decades watching straight actors capitalize both artistically and professionally by playing LGBTQ+ characters, it is a long overdue dream come true to be able to assemble this remarkable, hilarious cast,” said Eichner. “And while Bros may be the first of its kind in several ways, my real hope is that it is only the first of many opportunities for openly LGBTQ+ ensembles to shine and show the world all we are capable of as actors, beyond just being the wacky sidekick, token queer or a straight movie star’s ‘gay best friend.’ And beyond all of that, this cast is f*cking hysterical and you’re going to love them.”

Diaz is best known for portraying Diego “Huck” Muñoz in the drama series Scandal. Díaz has made guest appearances on Chappelle’s ShowLaw & OrderWeedsERBroad City, and Girls.

Victoria Cartagena to Portray Renee Montoya on the CW’s “Batwoman”

It’s a case of déjà vu for Victoria Cartagena.

The 36-year-old Latina actress has joined the upcoming third season of Batwoman as a new series regular, portraying DC hero Renee Montoya on the CW drama.

Victoria Cartagena

Cartagena’s character, Montoya, is a former GCPD officer who left the force when she could no longer stomach the corruption inside the department. She now runs the “freaks division,” which hasn’t seen a lot of action… until now. Righteous and pragmatic, and LGBTQ+, she’s a woman with a very personal (and mysterious) mission to help clean the streets of Gotham in the right way, by whatever means necessary.

Cartagena previously played Renee Montoya on Fox’s Gotham, though the universes are not connected.

In the June 27 Season 2 finale, Ryan Wilder (Javicia Leslie) has fully taken up the mantle of Batwoman with Kate Kane leaving Gotham in a search for her long-missing cousin Bruce Wayne (aka Batman). It also was revealed that Ryan’s biological mother, who was believed to have died in childbirth, is actually alive.

In addition to Leslie, Rachel Skarsten, Meagan Tandy, Nicole Kang and Camrus Johnson also star; original cast member Dougray Scott recently left the series. 

Batwoman is produced by Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Bros Television.

Cartagena’s other recent credits include a series regular role on Fox’s Almost Family, and recurring on M. Night Shyamalan’s Apple TV+ series Servant. She also recurred on the first season of NBC’s Manifest.

Mark Indelicato to Star in Gloria Calderón Kellett’s Amazon Series “With Love”

There’s a new Love in Mark Indelicato’s life…

The 26-year-old part-Puerto Rican actor and Ugly Betty alum will star opposite Emeraude Toubia in With LoveAmazon’s one-hour romantic comedy series from Gloria Calderón Kellett, GloNation Studios and Amazon Studios.

Mark Indelicato

Created and written by Calderón Kellett, With Love follows the Diaz siblings, Lily (Toubia) and Jorge (Indelicato), who are on a mission to find love and purpose. The Diaz siblings cross paths with seemingly unrelated residents during some of the most heightened days of the year — the holidays.

Indelicato’s Jorge is the pinnacle of style, the life of the party, and he is fiercely protective of his sister Lily and his Mexican-American family. After years of dating, he finally has found a man good enough to bring home, but he’s nervous about it.

The series, which falls under One Day at a Time creator Calderón Kellett’s overall deal with Amazon, had been fast-tracked since the pitch stage with the goal to launch it during the 2021 holiday season.

All episodes will be written and executive produced by Calderón Kellet. The pilot will be directed and executive produced by Meera MenonWith Love is produced by Kellett’s production company, GloNation and Amazon Studios.

Actor and LGBTQ+ activist Indelicato is best known for his pivotal role as Justin Suarez on all four seasons of the ABC comedy Ugly Betty. He can currently be seen in HBO Max series Hacks opposite Jean Smart.

On the film side, he co-starred in Gregg Araki’s Sundance feature White Bird in a Blizzard.

Demi Lovato to Take Part in iHeartMedia & P&G’s “Can’t Cancel Pride” Virtual Benefit Concert

Demi Lovato is celebrating Pride in a big way…

The 28-year-old half-Mexican American singer/actor will be taking part in iHeartMedia and P&G’s second annual “Can’t Cancel Pride,” a virtual benefit concert featuring some of the biggest LGBTQ names in music appearing to offer special performances, while also raising funds for nonprofit organizations dedicated to helping LGBTQ people around the world.

Demi Lovato

Hosted by Elvis Duran and Bebe Rexha, the event will take place on June 4, and will feature appearances and performances from Lovato, Lil Nas X, Troye Sivan, Rexha, Brothers Osborne, Busy Phillips, Hayley Kiyoko, Jennifer Hudson, JoJo Siwa, Marshmello, MJ Rodriguez, Nina West, P!nk, Ricky Martin, Regard and Tate McRae.

Along with putting on a good show, iHeartMedia and P&G are also partnering with Greater Cincinatti Foundation to help distribute the funds raised from the event to six organizations supporting the LGBTQ community in 2021, including GLAAD, SAGE, The Trevor Project, the National Black Justice Coalition, CenterLink, and OutRight Action International.

“As the country is returning back to normal and we are slowly starting to gather again, LGBTQ+ communities around the world are still feeling the devastating effects of COVID-19,”  iHeartMedia’s chief  marketing officer Gayle Troberman said in a statement. “We look forward to once again celebrating the incredible voices and allies of the LGBTQ+ community with an amazing night of music that will honor Pride and the communities’ fight for equal rights, all while benefiting six remarkable nonprofits that make an everyday positive impact.”

“Can’t Cancel Pride” will take place on June 4th at 9:00 p.m. ET on iHeartRadio’s TikTok, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram TV pages, PrideRadio.com and Revry, while also being broadcast on iHeartMedia radio stations nationwide and on the iHeartRadio App.

Learn more about the upcoming event here.

Sara Ramírez to Star in HBO Max’s “Sex and the City” Sequel Series, “And Just Like That …”

Sara Ramírez is heading to the City

The 45-year-old Mexican actor and Grey’s Anatomy alum will appear alongside Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis in And Just Like That …, HBO Max’s upcoming Sex and the City sequel series, from executive producer Michael Patrick King.

Sara Ramirez

And Just Like That…
 follows Carrie (Parker), Miranda (Nixon) and Charlotte (Davis) navigating the journey from the complicated reality of life and friendship in their 30s to the even more complicated reality of life and friendship in their 50s.

The 10-episode, half-hour series is scheduled to begin production this summer in New York.

Ramírez will play new character Che Diaz (they/them), a non-binary, queer stand-up comedian who hosts a podcast on which Carrie Bradshaw is regularly featured. Che is a big presence with a big heart whose outrageous sense of humor and progressive, human overview of gender roles has made them and their podcast very popular.

“Everyone at And Just Like That … is beyond thrilled that a dynamically talented actor such as Sara Ramírez has joined the Sex and the City family,” said King. “Sara is a one-of-a-kind talent, equally at home with comedy and drama – and we feel excited and inspired to create this new character for the show.”

The HBO series Sex and the City was created by Darren Star based on Candace Bushnell’s book. Parker, Davis and Nixon executive produce with Julie Rottenberg, Elisa Zuritsky, John Melfi and King. Writers include King, Samantha Irby, Rachna Fruchbom, Keli Goff, Rottenberg and Zuritsky.

Tony Award winner and Emmy nominee Ramírez made history playing the longest-running LGBTQ+ character on TV, orthopedic surgeon Dr. Callie Torres, for over a decade on ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy. Ramírez also played the series regular role of Kat Sandoval on CBS’ Madam Secretary.

Ramírez was the voice of Queen Miranda on Disney’s animated series Sofia the First and Mamá Calaca in Vampirina. They also have executive produced three films, Loserville, Out of Exile: Daniel’s Story and Netflix’s The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson.

Ramírez was awarded the Ally For Equality Award by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation in 2015, and the Trailblazers Award by the New York LGBT Center in 2017. They have also been acknowledged by the City of Los Angeles as a queer bisexual Mexican-American activist and artist working across intersections to advance liberation.

In June of 2019, Ramírez performed “Over the Rainbow” at the NYC opening ceremony of World Pride.

Javier Ambrossi & Javier Calvo, aka Los Javis, Sign with Creative Artists Agency (CAA)

Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo have new representation…

Creative Artists Agency (CAA) has signed the 36-year-old Spanish actor, stage, film and television director and writer and the 30-year-old Spanish actor, stage, film and television director and writer, the duo known as Los Javis, for representation in all areas.

Javier Ambrossi & Javier Calvo

The LGBTQ+ advocates are known best for writing, producing and directing the critically acclaimed Veneno which was released on HBO Max last year in November during Transgender Awareness Week.

Veneno follows the life of transgender icon of the ’90s, Cristina Ortiz. It features the largest transgender cast in the history of Spanish cinema. The series marked an important milestone for the LGBTQ+ community and is currently nominated for a GLAAD Award for Outstanding Scripted Television Series in the Spanish Language category.

Prior to Veneno, Los Javis created the Netflix series, Paquita Salas, the story of one of Spain’s best talent agents in the ’90s, who now finds herself searching desperately for new stars after suddenly losing her biggest client.

The series, which won a Premio Ondas and Premio Feroz, peaked at #1 on the platform in Spain and became a huge hit in Latin America. The series was renewed for two more seasons after its premiere, with a fourth confirmed.

Los Javis are also playwrights who wrote and directed the musical play, La Llamada, which is set at a bible camp and continues to play in Spain almost eight years after its premiere and international run. The duo later wrote and directed the film adaptation of the play, which earned them five Goya Award nominations. It hit No. 1 at the Spanish box office and was acquired by Netflix.

Los Javis often makes appearances on local versions of shows like The Masked Singer, and this month, the duo will join the local version of RuPaul’s Drag Race as regular judges.