Xolo Maridueña to Star in the Eif Rivera-Directed Film “Killing Castro”

Xolo Maridueña is killin’ it in Hollywood 

The 22-year-old Mexican, Cuban and Ecuadorian American actor and Blue Beetle star will star in the film Killing Castro.

Xolo MaridueñaEif Rivera will direct the film from a script by Leon Hendrix, Thomas DeGrezia and Colin Bateman. This will be Rivera’s first feature film.

In addition to Maridueña, who rose to acclaim in Cobra Kai, will star alongside

Al Pacino, Mexican superstar Diego Boneta, KiKi Layne, Alexander Ludwig, Ron Livingston, Kendrick Sampson, Nicole Beharie, Logan Marshall Green and Titus Welliver in the film.

Based on true events, the film is set in 1960. Shortly after winning the Cuban revolution, Fidel Castro travels to New York City to deliver his first speech to the United Nations. When met with hostility at his original hotel, Castro meets Malcolm X who invites him to stay at famed Hotel Theresa in Harlem. With the eyes of the world watching, a rookie undercover FBI agent originally assigned to investigate Malcolm X suddenly becomes the FBI’s most valuable asset, and is tasked with keeping Castro from being eliminated by the CIA and the Italian mafia, by any means necessary.

Killing Castro will be produced by Romulus Entertainment’s Brad Feinstein, along with Christina Weiss Lurie of Fourth and Twenty-Eight Films. Romulus will also finance. Principal photography will take place in Newark, NJ.

“I am honored to be part of telling such an important story that is a piece of history which was largely unknown,” said Feinstein. “Killing Castro perfectly encapsulates the type of stories we strive to tell at Romulus Entertainment, stories that do more than entertain audiences, but create thought-provoking diverse content that bring to light the complexities of real life. We are looking forward to working with the incredible cast led by the inimitable Eif Rivera.”

Rivera is known for directing BMF, and TV shows including Force and Power Book III: Raising Kanan.

“I am excited to bring to life this compelling true story with the help of my remarkable cast and formidable producing team at Romulus Entertainment,” Rivera said.

Tonatiuh to Star in Netflix & Amblin’s Thriller “Carry-On”

Tonatiuh is carrying on

The Latino actor, screenwriter and activist will star in Netflix and Amblin’s thriller Carry-On.

Tonatiuh Tonatiuh is part of a roster of new cast additions that includes Dean Norris, Logan Marshall Green and Sinqua Walls.

Additionally, Joe Williamson, Curtiss Cook, Josh Brener and Gil Perez-Abraham round out the cast, who will all join previously announced stars Taron Egerton, Jason Bateman, Sofia Carson, Danielle Deadwyler and Theo Rossi.

Details regarding the characters they’ll portray remain under wraps.

Carry-On will begin production this week with Jaume Collet-Serra serving as director.

The film centers around Ethan Kopek, a young TSA agent who gets blackmailed by a mysterious traveler to let a dangerous package slip through security and onto a Christmas Day flight.

TJ Fixman penned the screenplay’s first draft, with Michael Green doing the most recent polish. Dylan Clark will produce. The film marks the first production out of the overall deal Amblin signed with Netflix last June.

Tonatiuh’s previous projects include Vida, Promised Land and Angelyne.

Manuel Garcia-Rulfo to Star in Netflix’s Drama Series “The Lincoln Lawyer”

Manuel Garcia-Rulfo is ready to represent…

Netflix has given a series order to The Lincoln Lawyer, a drama based on Michael Connelly’s series of bestselling novels, starring the 39-year-old Mexican actor.

Manuel Garcia-Rulfo

Hailing from David E. Kelley and A+E Studios, this is a new incarnation of the project, which originally was set up at CBS with a series production commitment last season.

Garcia-Rulfo has been tapped to play the titular character in the Netflix series as it honors the story’s Latinx origins.

“I’m excited to announce that after a bit of a journey, Mickey Haller will come to life once again on screen — this time in the TV series adaptation of The Lincoln Lawyer coming to Netflix and starring the wonderful and talented Manuel Garcia-Rulfo,” Connelly said in blog post tied to the pickup.

With the casting of Garcia-Rulfo, Mickey Haller will stay true to the character as depicted in Connelly’s books. (In the CBS version, the role was to be played by Logan Marshall-Green; in the 2011 movie, the character was portrayed by Matthew McConaughey.)

“Manuel is the ideal Mickey Haller, who is following in the footsteps of his attorney father with the showmanship of his Mexican movie star mother,” Connelly wrote. “He brings a powerful dynamic and dimension to the role — one that aligns with the books and brings authenticity to the Latinx heritage and roots of this Los Angeles-based story.”

The 10-episode first season is based on the second book in The Lincoln Lawyer series, The Brass Verdict.

Written and executive produced by Kelley and showrunner Ted Humphrey used this source for the story of The Lincoln Lawyer revolves around Mickey Haller (Garcia-Rulfo), an iconoclastic idealist, who runs his law practice out of the back seat of his Lincoln Town Car, as he takes on cases big and small across the expansive city of Los Angeles.

The Lincoln Lawyer series will be adapted to serve up the complex and mysterious arcs fans know and love with a mix of light-hearted humor and a dose of family dynamics,” Connelly said.

The creative team of the project remains the same as it was for the CBS version, with Kelley and Humphrey executive producing alongside Connelly and Ross Fineman (Goliath, Big Sky).

On-screen, two roles are being recast: Mickey and Lorna, his second ex-wife and constant confidante, who was to be played by Kiele Sanchez on CBS. A search is underway for a director.

At CBS, The Lincoln Lawyer was picked up to pilot, which was days away from starting production when the coronavirus pandemic shut down all filming in March. After CBS’ surprise May decision not to go forward with the high-profile project, A+E Studios immediately took it it out to streamers. (The show’s serialized storytelling was considered better suited for a digital platform than a traditional network.)

While different suitors were rumored, including Amazon Prime Video, which has the long-running series Bosch, centered on Mickey’s half-brother, serious conversation with Netflix started over the summer.

The Lincoln Lawyer reunites Garcia-Rulfo with Kelley and Fineman after he had a major recurring role on Prime Video’s Goliath, co-created/exec produced by Kelley and exec produced by Fineman. The Lincoln Lawyer and Goliath are two of the many legal series Kelley, an attorney by trade, has created/co-created. The list also includes the Emmy-winning The Practice and Ally McBeal

Garcia-Rulfo is best known for his role as Vasquez in The Magnificent Seven remake and Gallo in Sicario: Day of the Soldado. He recently was seen in features Greyhound and 6 Undergroundand his television credits also include From Dusk to Dawn: The Series.

The Lincoln Lawyer book series launched in 2009. The latest, sixth installment, The Law of Innocence, was published in November, seven years after the fifth novel.

Rapace the Focus of Attention in Latest “Prometheus” Trailer

Noomi Rapace rose to acclaim in the original Girl with a Dragon Tattoo movies; and she successfully crossed over into English-language films with Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows… And if the latest clip for Prometheus is any indication, she will be riveting audiences in her next blockbuster.

20th Century Fox and Verizon unleashed a brand new clip called “Quiet Eye,” which focuses on the 32-year-old half-Spanish actress’ character Dr. Elizabeth Shaw. It shows her sending a message to Guy Pearce‘s Peter Weyland of Weyland Industries.

Noomi Rapace in Prometheus Clip

As Shaw is imploring Weyland to help finance her research in uncovering humanity’s origins, the fictional company from the Alien series monitors her call. It can also be seen how the company’s software is analyzing the scientist’s face as she delivers her heartfelt plea.

Prior to the release of Rapace’s viral video, two other viral videos have been put out earlier as part of the movie’s ad campaign. One features the introduction of Michael Fassbender‘s David 8 android, while the other one shows Peter Weyland promoting a world change through his company during a TED Conference in 2023.

Directed by Ridley Scott, Prometheus follows a team of explorers as they discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth that leads them on a thrilling journey to the darkest corners of the universe. There, they find out that they must fight a terrifying battle to save the future of the human race.

In addition to Rapace, Pearce and Fassbender, this sci-fi thriller stars Charlize Theron, Idris Elba and Logan Marshall-Green among the cast ensemble.

Prometheus is slated to open in theaters on June 8.