Prime Video Releases Trailer for Gael García Bernal’s Gay Lucha Libra Luchador Film “Cassandro”

Posted on August 26, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Gael García Bernal is wrestling with his future…

Amazon Prime has released the official trailer for Cassandro, starring the 44-year-old Mexican actor/producer and Bad Bunny.

The film is based on the life of the wrestling and queer icon Cassandro, also known as the Liberace of Lucha Libre.

In the two-minute clip, the audience is introduced to Saúl Armendáriz (García Bernal) from El Paso, Texas, who dreams of becoming professional luchador after his father first introduced him to the sport. In the process, he transforms into Cassandro, an “exótico” who wrestles in drag.

“Are you a wrestler?” Bad Bunny asks García Bernal in the film’s new trailer. “Yes,” the Mexican actor responds. That’s the first interaction between the two in the teaser. Later in the clip, they are dancing, and there’s a first look at Bad Bunny as one of Cassandro’s love interests.

Roberta Colindrez, Perla de la Rosa, Joaquín Cosío and Raúl Castillo round out the biopic’s cast.

The world of wrestling is familiar to Bad Bunny. In 2021, the Grammy-winning Puerto Rican superstar ventured into the wrestling world by jumping off the top rope at the 2021 Royal Rumble. Most recently, the “Me Porto Bonito” singer defeated Damian Priest in a San Juan Street Fight at WWE’s premium live event Backlash in May.

After making its world premiere at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival in January, Cassandro is set to hit theaters on September 15, and will premiere on Prime Video Sept. 22.

Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias to Produce & Lead the Cast of Netflix’s Animated Feature “I, Chihuahua”

Posted on March 23, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias is luchando…

The 45-year-old Mexican American stand-up comedian and actor will produce and lead the voice cast of Netflix’s animated feature I, Chihuahua.

The project will be Maya and the Three creator Jorge Gutiérrez’s first animated feature for Netflix.

Written by Gutiérrez, Doug Landale and Candie Kelty Langdale, I, Chihuahua is billed as the ultimate underdog tale of Chacho, a scrappy masked Luchador Chihuahua, who embarks on a hilarious and action-packed journey around the world to fight for his family. After learning his beloved home is in danger, Chacho dons a Lucha Libre mask to become Luchacho. Our masked underdog then enters an international fight tournament, competing against a hilarious and eclectic mix of animal fighters from all over the world, in the lead-up to a final, epic fight against the nefarious beast known as Chamuco, The Widow Maker. Iglesias will produce alongside Tim Yoon.

“I cannot wait for everyone to see this wonderful film that celebrates underdogs in and out of the ring! It has action, drama, laughs and twists & turns, like any great Lucha storyline movie should have,” said Iglesias. “When I first had the idea of a Lucha Libre cartoon, there was no one else I wanted to partner with other than Jorge Gutierrez. He has a brilliant mind that can expand this story in unimaginable ways.”

“After The Book of Life and the amazing experience on Maya and the Three, I’m now thrilled to collaborate with [VP Animated Films] Melissa [Cobb], [VP Animated Films] Gregg [Taylor], [Director of Animated Films] Tito [Ortiz] and all my friends at Netflix Animation on my follow up animated feature: I, Chihuahua! And to finally tag team a movie with my good friend and creative partner Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias is a dream come true!” added Gutiérrez. “Our internationally epic and heartfelt film will be a hilarious love letter to Lucha Libre (Mexican wrestling) movies, fighting video games and underdog sports films. I don’t want to overpromise, but this will be the greatest masked Chihuahua film ever made! What a time to be alive!”

Iglesias is one of America’s most successful stand-up comedians, performing to sold-out concerts around the world, and is also one of the most watched comedians on YouTube, with almost a billion views and more than 25 million fans across social media.

He is currently on his Gabriel “Fluffy” Back On Tour and will make history from May 6-7, as he’s the first comedian to perform at Dodger Stadium.

Iglesias previously collaborated with Gutiérrez as part of the cast of both The Book of Life and Maya and the Three and has also featured in such series as Disney+’s Monsters at Work and ABC’s Cristela, while leading his own Netflix sitcom, Mr. Iglesias.

He has also lent his voice to animated (or partially animated) films including Space Jam: A New Legacy, UglyDolls, Ferdinand, The Star, Coco, The Nut Job and The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature, Smurfs: The Lost Village and Norm of the North. Additional film credits include Magic Mike, Magic Mike XXL and A Haunted House 2.

Gutiérrez is an Emmy– and Annie Award-winning animator, painter, voice actor, writer and director whose Mesoamerican fantasy series Maya and the Three debuted on Netflix last year. That series won two Annie Awards upon its premiere, including the prize for Best Children’s TV/Media, with Gutiérrez moving to expand his relationship with the streamer, in writing, directing and producing new animated films, series and interactive projects across preschool, kids & family and adult animation.

Born in Mexico City and raised in Tijuana, the CalArts graduate has completed various films, cartoons, and paintings exploring his love affair with Mexican pop and folk culture. He was the director and co-writer of the Guillermo del Toro-produced animated feature The Book of Life for Fox, which earned him a 2014 Golden Globe nomination, and was also the writer-director behind the Emmy-nominated VR short Son of Jaguar for Google. Gutiérrez also created the multiple Emmy Award–winning animated series El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera for Nickelodeon, alongside his wife, Sandra Equihua.

Roberta Colindrez to Star in Amazon’s Film “Cassandro,” About The Liberace of Lucha Libre

Posted on June 30, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Roberta Colindrez is preparing for the Lucha of her life…

The 35-year-old Mexican actress will star opposite Gael Garcia Bernal in his Amazon film about “The Liberace of Lucha Libre”, Cassandro.

Colindrez will play best friends with Bernal’s Saúl Armendáriz as she finds community in the Lucha Libre world training young fighters.

The film, produced by Ted Hope and Todd Black, is shooting in Mexico City.

Cassandro, directed by Oscar and Emmy-winning filmmaker Roger Ross Williams, tells the true story of Armendáriz, a gay amateur wrestler from El Paso who rises to international stardom after he creates the “exotico” character Cassandro, the “Liberace of Lucha Libre,” and in the process upends not just the macho wrestling world but also his own life.

Armendáriz at the age of 15 quit school and began training for Lucha Libre, beginning his professional wrestling career in 1988 under the mask as Mister Romano. Ultimately he would abandon the character and take on the exotico character of Baby Sharon. Exoticos are male wrestlers who dress in drag.

Colindrez is best known for her work in the Tony award winning musical Fun Home as well as her stand-out roles in Amazon’s I Love Dick, FX’s Mrs. America, Starz’s Vida, and HBO’s The Deuce.

Colindrez will next star in the Amazon series, A League of Their Own.

Scarlett Estevez to Star in Disney Channel’s Superhero Luchador Action-Comedy “Ultra Violet & Blue Demon”

Posted on January 30, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Scarlett Estevez is ready to luchar…

Disney Channel has given a series order to Ultra Violet & Blue Demon, a superhero coming-of-age luchador action-comedy from a girl’s point of view, starring the 13-year-old Latina actress as Ultra Violet and Mexican luchador and professional wrestler Blue Demon Jr. as a version of himself.

The project had received a cast-contingent pilot order in January 2020, and now has received a formal series greenlight.

The series, which introduces a relatable Mexican American family with a very special legacy, will showcase a predominately Latinx main cast and producing team.

The series unfolds as a magical luchador mask selects 13-year-old Violet (Estevez) to become Ultra, the superhero successor to her uncle, who is the famous Mexican wrestler Blue Demon Jr. and a superhero-in-disguise. Ultra begins her own secret superhero training with her uncle, all while having to navigate the ups and downs of middle school. As they start to work together, Uncle Blue realizes he can learn a few things from Ultra’s modern Gen-Z take on crime-fighting.

“Blue Demon Jr. is a Mexican cultural icon and we are looking forward to introducing him—and the luchador mythology—to our viewers,” said Rafael Garcia, vice president, Development, Disney Branded Television. “With Violet and her family, we also have the opportunity to present an authentic Mexican American family in a series that combines humor and adventure in a unique Latinx shake-up of the superhero genre.”

Also starring are Marianna Burelli as Violet’s mother, Nina; Juan Alfonso as Violet’s father, Sebastian; Brandon Rossel as Violet’s brother, Miguelito; Zelia Ankrum as Violet’s best friend, Trudy; and Bryan Blanco as Violet’s goody-two-shoes classmate Enrique Diaz-Diaz.

Blue Demon Jr. will co-executive produce.

The pilot episode was written and executive produced by Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit and directed by Alejandro Damiani.

Estevez’s previous credits include Lucifer, Bunk’d, Daddy’s Home and Daddy’s Home 2.

Gael Garcia Bernal to Star as Saul Armendariz, aka the Liberace of Lucha Libre, in the Biopic “Cassandro”

Posted on July 31, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Gael García Bernal is hitting the ring to play a Lucha Libre legend.

The 41-year-old Mexican actor/filmmaker will star in Cassandro, an independent feature from Oscar winning and two-time Emmy nominee filmmaker Roger Ross Williams.

Cassandro tells the true story of Saúl Armendáriz, a gay amateur wrestler from El Paso who rises to international stardom after he creates the “exotico” character Cassandro, the “Liberace of Lucha Libre,” and in the process upends not just the macho wrestling world but also his own life.

Armendáriz at the age of 15 quit school and began training for Lucha Libre, beginning his professional wrestling career in 1988 under the mask as Mister Romano. Ultimately he would abandon the character and take on the exotico character of Baby Sharon. Exoticos are male wrestlers who dress in drag.

Ultimately, Armendáriz would take the new ring name of Cassandro, from a Tijuana brothel keeper Cassandra whom he appreciated.

In January 1991, after bad press that he was going to wrestle El Hijo del Santo in the UWA World Welterweight Championship, Armendáriz reportedly attempted suicide by cutting his wrists with a razor blade, but was saved.

The title match occurred a week later and Armendáriz credits it as the match that earned him the lucha libre community’s acceptance.

While Cassandro failed to win the UWA World Welterweight Championship from El Hijo del Santo, he managed to win his first title, the UWA World Lightweight Championship in October 1992, by defeating Lasser, becoming the first exótico in history to hold a championship in UWA.

Bernal, who will star in M. Night Shyamalan’s new secret movie from Universal, will shoot that movie first before stepping into the ring for Cassandro, which is eyeing a November start in Mexico.

Cassandro will rep the feature narrative directorial debut for Williams, who took home the Oscar for his short docu Music by Prudence in 2010, and recently was nominated at the Emmys a second time, this time in Outstanding Documentary/Nonfiction Special category for the HBO doc The Apollo. That movie, which made its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival last year, follows the historic and famed Harlem NYC venue and its legacy.

“As a filmmaker, my own life experience has inspired my passion to tell inspirational stories about outsiders and uplift the voices of people we don’t normally see on screen. The true story of Cassandro, Saúl Armendáriz, was one I knew I wanted to tell from the moment I met him. I look forward to being able to bring Saúl’s story to a wide audience,” said Williams.

Williams wrote Cassandro with Emmy-winner David Teague and Julián Herbert (Satelite).

Bernal is a two-time Golden Globe nominee and winner for the Amazon series Mozart in the Jungle. He was part of the SAG ensemble nominated cast of Paramount’s Babel, and a BAFTA nominee for Focus Features’ 2004 The Motorcycle Diaries.

The filmmakers are reportedly in talks with Amazon to acquire Cassandro once complete, but that deal is contingent on several factors before it’s a negative pick-up.

Alcon Television Acquires Rights to Diego Gutierrez’s Lucha Libre-Inspired Action Drama “Luchador”

Posted on July 25, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Diego Gutierrez is wrestling with a new project…

Alcon Television Group has acquired the rights to the Latino editor, writer and director’s Mexican wrestling drama Luchador.

Written by Gutierrez, thecharacter-driven action drama centers on a fictional, Lucha Libre-inspired city run by colorful gangs of Mexican wrestlers at the brink of tyranny, and the unlikely young wrestler who becomes its champion and savior, both in and out of the ring.

Gutierrez will serve as the executive producer alongside Alcon Television Group’s Andrew Kosove, Broderick Johnson and Ben Roberts.

Roberts brought the project into Alcon, which will take the project to market later this year.

“We are thrilled to work with Diego in this exciting world he has envisioned for these rich characters,” said Kosove and Johnson. “Creatively we see this as ripe ground for many types of stories in many different mediums.”

Gutierrez is best known as the creator and executive producer of the popular Spanish-language Netflix series Monarca starring Irene Azuela and Juan Manuel Bernal.

His previous credits include working as a writer and executive producer on From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series, as well as Syfy Network’s Warehouse 13 and Paramount Network’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Lucha Underground’s Rey Mysterio Signs First Look Deal with El Rey Network

Posted on August 24, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Rey Mysterio could become the king of television…

The 41-year-old Mexican-American professional wrestler and Lucha Underground star, whose real name is Oscar Gutierrez, has signed a one-year first look deal with Robert Rodriguez’s El Rey Network, the network behind the series.

Under the pact, Mysterio will develop, produce and consult on creative projects and series, both scripted and unscripted.

Mysterio joined Lucha Underground during the second season and will appear in the upcoming third season premiering September 7 on El Rey Network.

“Rey Mysterio’s incredible talent extends far beyond the ring,” said El Rey Network president and general manager Daniel Tibbets. “He is creative and collaborative and has a keen eye for great entertainment. Rey embodies the El Rey Network brand and we are thrilled to expand our relationship with him.”

Mysterio is a 25-year ring veteran and decorated champion in multiple North American wrestling organizations, His lightning-fast offense is credited with bringing lucha libre to mainstream American audiences.

Mysterio was trained by the Mexican professional wrestler, Rey Misterio Sr. who is also his uncle and one of the top stars and promoters of the sport through the 1970’s and 80’s.

A three-time world champion, having held the World Heavyweight Championship twice and the WWE Championship once, Mysterio made his professional debut at the age of 14.

He is also an AAA Hall of Famer and captured the Lucha Libre World Cup in May 2015, leading his trio’s tag team to victory.

Mysterio was also Lucha Underground Trios Champion in 2016.

El Rey Network Renews “Lucha Underground” for a Third Season

Posted on February 2, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

There’s no going underground for El Rey Network’s Lucha Libre series…

On the heels of its Season 2 premiere, the Robert Rodriguez-co-founded network has renewed the popular wrestling series Lucha Underground for a third season.

Production is set to begin in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles for premiere in 2017.

Lucha Underground has introduced American audiences to the high-flying aerial maneuvers, slingshot moves, dramatic masks, intricate, rapid-fire combinations and distinctive wrestling techniques of lucha libre, one of Mexico’s most popular sports.

Lucha Underground is produced by MGM in association with FactoryMade Ventures and AG Studios for El Rey Network.

The series airs on El Rey Network and is distributed internationally by MGM.

Rodriguez Partnering with Mark Burnett to Bring Lucha Libre to American Television

Posted on January 15, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Calling Mil Máscaras! Robert Rodriguez is ready to luchar…

The 45-year-old Mexican American filmmaker’s El Rey Network has partnered with television producer Mark Burnett to bring Lucha Libre wrestling, and a new league, to the United States.

It all begins with a weekly one-hour series featuring a new Lucha Libre AAA league, premiering on El Rey Network in the second half of 2014, El Rey vice chairman Scott Sassa announced at the TV Press Tour 2014.

Burnett’s One Three Media is partnering with the leading lucha libre league in Mexico, Lucha Libre AAA, and FactoryMade Ventures. Also joining, through their interests in Lucha Libre AAA, are Antonio Cue Sanchez-Navarro and Latin America’s largest production group, Alex Garcia’s AG Studios.

“I’m at the point in my career where I could probably try anything. I’ve earned that right,” Burnett told TV critics at the press tour. “This is building a bona fide sport within America. Clearly the Hispanic culture is really growing (here),” he said, noting it’s the No. 2 most popular sport in Mexico, behind only soccer. “Why wouldn’t you bring Mexico’s No. 2 sport to America? This is a long-term, big play for us.”

Storylines and masks are characteristic of the sport Burnett said, explaining that the logline for the U.S. introduction revolves around five of the sport’s stars who’ve discovered a secret plot that’s going to destroy the very foundation of the sport and they’ve been exiled to America.

In addition to launching the weekly series, the new venture will develop monthly and quarterly specials and live pay-per-view lucha libre events, as well as potential merchandising, licensing and product integration opportunities for the league.

Lucha libre marks a return to arena-based sports events for the award-winning Burnett, who previously produced five seasons of the unscripted boxing series The Contender.

El Rey Network, is the recently launched 24 hour English-language entertainment network founded by Rodriguez.

It targets renegades 18-49 with adrenaline-infused content including original signature dramas, feature films, grindhouse genre, cult classic action, horror/sci fi and next generation sports.

Guzman to Star in Lucha Libre-Inspired Comedy “Aztec Warrior”

Posted on June 29, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

It looks like Luis Guzman will be masking his acting talents in the near future…

The 55-year-old Puerto Rican actor has signed on to star in Aztec Warrior, a Lucha Libre-inspired action comedy from Pantelion Films.

In the Scott Sanders-directed film, Guzman will play the Warrior who goes up against his rival El Diablo, to be played by Mexican comedian/actor Eugenio Derbez.

Terry Crews, Nadine Velazquez and Desperate Housewives’ Lupe Ontiveros are set to co-star in the film.

Guzman, who starred in Boogie Nights and HBO’s How To Make It In America, most recently appeared on the big screen in Journey 2: The Mysterious Island.

Filming on Aztec Warrior is set to begin next month in New Orleans.

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