First Trailer Released for Manolo Cardona’s Spanish-Language Sci-Fi Thriller “Pacific”

Posted on April 13, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Manolo Cardona is headed to a haunted paradise…

The first trailer has been released for Pacific, the ensemble Spanish language sci-fi thriller starring the 45-year-old Colombian actor.

The film, a Colombian-Argentinan co-production, is currently in post and was made with a budget of around $10M. FilmSharks has launched pre-sales and will debut footage and promotional materials at the forthcoming Cannes market.

Argentinian filmmaker Gonzalo Gutierrez ‘G.G.’ directed the film, which follows a group of young travelers stranded on an island in the Pacific where they struggle to escape an evil presence that has been kept hidden from humans for centuries. Gutierrez has had an extensive VFX career, working on projects like Gonzalo Tobal’s 2018 Venice title The Accused and the Colombian drama sci-fi drama Cumbia Ninja.

The cast of Pacific is rounded out by Maria Gabriela de Faria (The Exorcism of God), Ricardo Abarca (Miss Bala), Christopher Von Uckermann (How to Break Up with Your Douchebag), Claudio Cataño (Thousand Fangs) and Maria Nela Sinisterra (Corazon de Leon).

The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra recorded the music for the film’s score. The Orchestra has a long cinematic history, with company musicians working extensively on scores such as the Lord Of The Rings and Hobbit series. John Neill of Peter Jackson’s post-production house Park Road Studio served as recording producer and score mixer. The film’s main theme was also recorded at Park Road with Kiwi singer-composer Caii-Michelle Baker on vocals in collaboration with Argentinian music composer Pablo Borghi.

Pacific was produced by Mauricio Brunetti’s Patagonia Films alongside Guido Rud’s FilmSharks.

Pacific was partially funded by the Colombian film entity Proimagenes and the Argentine film institute INCAA. Production took place on location in the Colombian capital of Bogota and the coastal region of Choco, with post-production now based in Buenos Aires.

“I strongly believe that Pacific is very likely to be a ‘before’ and ‘after’ in the latín American genre cinema,” says Gutierrez.

Cardona’s previous credits include Who Killed Sara?, Narcos and The Snitch Cartel.

Saban Films Finalizing Deal to Acquire Rights to Alejandro Hidalgo’s Horror Drama “The Exorcism of God”

Posted on September 27, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Alejandro Hidalgo’s could exorcise American audiences in the near future…

Saban Films is finalizing a deal to acquire The Exorcism of God, a horror drama from the Venezuelan filmmaker.

The news came ahead of the film’s premiere at Fantastic Fest on Monday.

Saban Films will handle the film’s distribution in the U.S., as well as in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Ireland and South Africa, with XYZ Films continuing to oversee international sales in other territories.

The feature, set in an isolated Mexican town, follows Father Peter Williams (Will Beinbrink), an American exorcist who becomes possessed by the Devil, subsequently committing a terrible sacrilege. 18 years later, the consequences of his sin come back to haunt him, unleashing a battle within.

Hidalgo co-wrote the script with Santiago Fernández Calvete, with María Gabriela de Faría and Joseph Marcell co-starring.

Hidalgo and Epica Pictures, Inc.’s Joel Seidl produced the film, with producers Karim Kabche and Antonio Abdo of Kabche Film Productions serving as its financiers.

“Alejandro Hidalgo is a mighty directorial force in the Latin American horror genre,” said Saban Films’ Bill Bromiley. “We are excited to share this fascinating and frightening film of his with an American audience.”

“Releasing our film in theaters and digital platforms in the US has always been a dream,” added Hidalgo. “We feel beyond excited to make it happen hand in hand with such a wonderful team as XYZ and Saban Films.”

Fox Renews Josh Segarra’s Comedy Series “The Moodys” for Second Season

Posted on July 14, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Josh Segarra is still moody…

Fox as picked up a second season of its comedy series The Moodys, featuring the 34-year-old Puerto Rican actor.

Starring Denis Leary and Elizabeth Perkins, the show is based on Australian series A Moody Christmas. It started as a holiday event comedy series with the first installment airing during the holiday season last year.

The second season, targeted for the 2020-21 season will not be holiday-themed, with a bigger order size than the six-episode original limited run. It’s believed to be a 6 to 13-episode season.

“With The Moodys, we set out to brand the holidays in the only way Fox can – bold and unconventional. What we ended up with was a special show – and a family – everyone at the network fell in love with,” said Michael Thorn, president, Entertainment, Fox Entertainment.

Written by Bob Fisher, Rob Greenberg and Tad Quill,The Moodys follows the tight-knit, but slightly dysfunctional, Moody family through their misadventures.

“Bob Fisher, Rob Greenberg and Tad Quill perfectly captured the hysterics of Christmas, with sharp banter and real moments of family togetherness brought to life by Denis Leary, Elizabeth Perkins and the rest of the incredible cast,” Thorn added. “Eric and Kim Tannenbaum and CBS Television Studios have been great partners on this series; and, simply put, we’re looking forward to The Moodys’ future adventures.”

The Moodys is co-produced by CBS Television Studios and Fox Entertainment.

The first installment of The Moodysfollowed Dan Moody as he returns home to spend Christmas with his dysfunctional family. When he arrives, he’s met with the inevitable madness of a family whose members are all hiding things from each other.

The Moodys family includes Sean Sr. (Leary), his wife, Ann (Perkins), and their three grown children – Dan (Francois Arnaud, the youngest of the siblings and the “creative one”; Bridget (Chelsea Frei), the middle sister and the “overachiever”; and Sean Jr. (Jay Baruchel), the oldest sibling and “screw-up,” still living at home with his parents. The Moodys also features María Gabriela de Faría, Segarra, Kevin Bigley and Gerry Dee.

Segarra’s previous credits include Orange is the New Black, Sirens, AJ and the Queen and Katy Keene.

Maria Gabriela de Faria to Star in Fox’s Event Series “A Moody Christmas”

Posted on October 1, 2019 by Tom Castaneda

Maria Gabriela de Faria will be in a mood this holiday season…

The 27-year-old Venezuelan actress/singer is set to star in Fox’s A Moody Christmas.

de Faria will be joining the Denis Leary-led holiday event series in the recurring role of Cora, according to Deadline.com.

de Faria will appearing in all six episodes of the Fox Entertainmentand CBS Studiosproduction about the Christmas celebration of a Chicago-based family who have issues, to put it mildly.

Adapted by Bob Fisher,Rob Greenbergand Tad Quillfrom the successful Australian show of the same name, Leary stars as family patriarch Sean Sr. in a cast that also includes Elizabeth Perkinsand Jay Baruchel. De Faria’s character is the girlfriend of a Moody cousin who comes for Christmas and almost instantly establishes a deep rapport with Sean Sr.’s son Dan.

Prior to her role in Deadly Class, de Faria rose to acclaim on Nickelodeon Latin America’s Isa TKM.

María Gabriela de Faría to Star in the Indie Horror Drama “The Exorcism of God”

Posted on July 11, 2019 by Tom Castaneda

María Gabriela de Faría has found a reason to scream…

The 26-year-old Venezuelan actress, singer, model, and dancer will star in the indie horror drama, The Exorcism of God.

She’ll star opposite Will Beinbrink, Joseph Marcelland Eric Roberts in the film.

Alejandro Hidalgois directing the film, which is set in Mexico and follows Father Peter Williams (Beinbrink), an American exorcist who becomes possessed by the Devil he was trying to expel and is forced against his will to commit a terrible sacrilege. Fifteen years later, the consequences of his sins come back to haunt him, unleashing a terrifying battle.

Hidalgo, who directed the Venezuelan horror film, The House at the End of Time, will also produce this project alongside executive producer Joel Seidlthrough their newly created company, Epica Pictures INC.

de Feria’s previous credits include appearances in television on Deadly Class, and on film in Plan V.

David Zayas Lands Recurring Role on Syfy’s Upcoming Series “Deadly Class”

Posted on November 19, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

David Zayas is ready to have a devil of a time…

The 56-year-old Puerto Rican actor, best known for his work on Dexter, has landed a recurring role on Syfy’s upcoming series Deadly Class, which is based on the Image Comics graphic novel by Rick Remender and Wes Craig.

Deadly Class is described as a coming-of-age journey full of ancient mystery and teen angst. Set in a dark, heightened world against the backdrop of late ‘80s counterculture, it follows the story of Marcus (Benjamin Wadsworth), a teen living on the streets who is recruited into Kings Dominion, an elite private academy where the world’s top crime families send their next generations. Maintaining his moral code while surviving a ruthless curriculum, vicious social cliques and his own adolescent uncertainties soon proves to be vital.

Zayas will play El Alma Del Diablo. Leader of the Mexican cartel, El Alma del Diablo is Chico’s father. He runs his family just like his cartel – with an iron fist.

Benedict Wong, Lana Condor, Maria Gabriela de Faria, Luke Tennie, Liam James and Michel Duval also star.

Adapted for television by Remender and Miles Orion Feldsott— who are also are executive producers and showrunners alongside Mick Betancourt— Deadly Class hails from Sony Pictures Television and Universal Cable Productions.

Zayas was recently seen in the roles of Sal Maroni on Fox’s Gotham, Sheriff Aguirre on Netflix’s Bloodline and Eduardo Magana on Hulu’s Shut Eye. On the film side, he’ll next be seen in Paramount Players’ Body Cam.

Deadly Classis set to premiere January 16 on Syfy.

Syfy Releases Trailer for María Gabriela de Faría’s Series “Deadly Class”

Posted on October 7, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

María Gabriela de Faría is head of the a killer class…

Syfy has released a new teaser trailer Deadly Class, starring the 26-year-old Venezuelan actress, singer, model, and dancer.

The punk fueled 1980-set series is based on Rick Remender and Wes Craig’s comic about a school for assassins.

In addition to de Faría, who will portray Maria Salazar, other cast members include Benedict Wong, Benjamin Wadsworth, Lana Condor, Luke Tennie and Liam James.

The Image Comics title about a Ronald Reagan Era academy called King’s Dominion and the introduction of homeless but cunning Marcus to the often-murderous teens who attend, the Vancouver-shot Deadly Class sees the Russo Brothers reunited with Doctor Strange and Infinity War vet Wong, who plays the ruthless school head Master Lin.

A slew of new characters from the comic have been added to the roster. Isaiah Lehtinen is set to play Shabnam, King’s Dominion’s resident bookworm as well as Brian Posehn as metalhead Dwight Shandy. Erica Cerra will step into the role of Beheading 101 teacher De Luca while French Stewart will play unpredictable psych teacher Scorpio Slasher. Rounding out the new additions are Olivia Cheng as the intense Master Gao, a 12th generation assassin who is considered royalty and has a special connection to Master Lin and Ice-T will make a special voiceover cameo during a wild trip the King’s Dominion crew takes.

Deadly Class hit the small screen on January 16 at 10:00 pm ET.

Michel Duval to Star in the Syfy Drama Pilot “Deadly Class”

Posted on November 10, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Michel Duval is a class act…

The 23-year-old Mexican actor and singer/songwriter has been cast in Syfy’s drama pilot Deadly Class, based on the graphic novel of the same name by Rick Remender and Wes Craig.

Co-created by Remender and Miles Feldsott, the pilot follows a disillusioned teen recruited into a storied high school for assassins. Maintaining his moral code while surviving a ruthless curriculum, vicious social cliques, and his own adolescent uncertainties may prove fatal. Set against the backdrop of late 80s counter culture, Deadly Class is described as a coming of age journey unlike anything you’ve ever seen.

Duval will play Chico, scary, muscular, son of a cartel drug lord. Everyone knows not to mess with Chico. The only one who can hurt him is his girlfriend.

Meanwhile, Maria Gabriela de Faria will portray Maria. One minute Maria’s an extrovert and an exhibitionist, a tornado of ever changing emotions—fierce, charming, beautiful and oozing femininity — the next she’s murderous, feral, and crippled by rage. At the School for the Deadly Arts her instability is treated like a super power.

Other cast members include Luke Tennie, Liam James, Henry Rollins, Taylor Hickson, Siobhan Williams, Jack Gillett, Sean Depner and Ryan Robbins.

Duval is a series regular in Señora Acero now in its fourth season and guest stars in Queen of the South.

de Faria most recently starred in the Latin American hit series Yo Soy Franky and will soon be seen in the starring role of Zaita in season two of period drama Sitiados.

Deadly Class is produced by Universal Cable Productions and Sony Pictures Television.

XLrator Media Acquires U.S. Rights to Vargas’ “Crossing Point”

Posted on October 31, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Jacob Vargas’ latest project is crossing into the United States…

XLrator Media has acquired the U.S. rights to Crossing Point, the film starring the 44-year-old Mexican actor.

Along with Vargas, the action-thriller stars Rudy Youngblood (Apocalypto), Luke Goss (the Death Race series, Blade II), Tom Sizemore (Saving Private Ryan), Paulina Gaitan (Sin Nombre, Netflix’s Narcos), María Gabriela de Faría (Nickelodeon’s Isa TKM) and newcomer Shawn Lock.

It’s directed by Daniel Zirilli from a script by Paul Dominic and Lock.

Compound B, the genre division of Bleiberg Entertainment, is representing the sales rights to the film and will be introducing Crossing Point to international buyers at the American Film Market 2015.

XLrator Media will release the film in 2016 through its Turbo action label.

de Faría to Make Feature Film Debut in “El Paseo 2”

Posted on August 22, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

She’s already experienced international acclaim on television… And now María Gabriela de Faría is setting her sights on the big screen.

The 19-year-old Venezuelan actress/singer will portray John Leguizamo and Karen Martinez’s rebellious daughter in the Spanish-language comedy film El Paseo 2, which just finished filming in Colombia.

“I always loved acting,” says de Faría, who became famous as Isabela “Isa” Pasquali on hit Nickelodeon Spanish-language series Isa TKM. “It’s really interesting work because you have to understand everything about human nature, both in its bright side and its dark side.”

de Faría—who was recently nominated for a Kid’s Choice Awards (Mexico) award for Favorite Villain for playing the evil witch Mia in the popular Nickelodeon teen series Grachi—couldn’t be more excited about her big screen debut.

“I never did movies, and this has been a wonderful chance with two great actors. I’m so excited!” said the Caracas native who began her career at the age of 5 in television commercials and telenovelas like Ser Bonita No Basta and the children’s series Tukiti, Creci de Una.

But de Faría isn’t solely concentrating on acting… She’s hoping to continue recording and performing music, especially with the success of her Isa TKM-related sold-out live tour and two #1 albums.

“Right now I’m working on my album, but I can’t say much about it yet in the way of details. I can only say that my disc will be very youthful and very much like me,” said de Faría, who admits to being a huge Pink and Beyonce fan.

No word yet on when El Paseo 2 will hit theaters.

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