Oscar Isaac In Talks to Star In & Executive Produce Crime Thriller “Helltown”

Posted on March 13, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Oscar Isaac may be hell bound

The 44-year-old Cuban-Guatemalan actor is in talks to star in and executive produce Helltown, a project based on the book of the same name by Casey Sherman.

Filmmaker Ed Berger is set to direct and executive produce the eight-episode crime thriller in development at Amazon Studios from Mohamad El Masri, Robert Downey Jr. and Susan Downey’s Team Downey.

Written by El Masri, who serves as executive producer and showrunner, Helltown centers on Kurt Vonnegut (Isaac) before he was a renowned author and cultural lightning rod. In 1969 Kurt was a struggling novelist and car salesman living life with his wife and five children on Cape Cod. When two women disappear and are later discovered murdered underneath the sand dunes on the outskirts of Provincetown, Kurt becomes obsessed and embroiled in the chilling hunt for a serial killer and forms a dangerous bond with the prime suspect.

Isaac would executive produce with Gena Konstantinakos through his Mad Gene banner.

Isaac, who recently headlined Marvel’s Disney+ series Moon Knight, can be seen alongside Rachel Brosnahan in the revival of Lorraine Hanberry’s The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window, directed by Anne Kauffman at the BAM Harvey Theater.

Last year, he was nominated for a SAG and Emmy award for HBO’s Scenes from a Marriage.

Isaac launched Mad Gene in 2019 with his wife, writer and director Elvira Lind. The company’s first project, short film The Letter Room, was nominated for a 2021 Academy Award.

First Trailer Released for Zoe Saldaña’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3”

Posted on December 2, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Zoe Saldaña is on guard…

The first trailer has been released for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, starring the 44-year-old Puerto Rican and Dominican American actress, which marks the end of an era for Marvel.

The film is the final adventure of this iteration of the cosmic team, and it is also a final Marvel bow for James Gunn, who has departed the MCU to take a job as a top executive at DC Studios, where he co-runs its film, television and animation efforts.\

In addition to Saldaña, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 also stars Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Sean Gunn, Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel, and introduces the character Adam Warlock, played by Will Poulter.

The first Guardians of the Galaxy was a game-changer for Marvel, which had already made $1 billion brands out of so-called “B-level” characters such as Iron Man.

But 2014’s Guardians took that formula to new heights, turning obscure characters into a global brand. The film, which earned $773.3 million internationally, ushered in an era in which quirky filmmakers such as Gunn put their own stamps on Marvel properties. A sequel followed in 2017, with the third eyed for 2020 before Gunn was fired from the property over old, offensive tweets before eventually being reinstated.

The Guardians, and the voice Gunn established, have been important to Marvel in between Vols. 2 and 3.

The characters appeared in Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, released last month on Disney+.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 opens on May 5, 2023.

The new trailer is soundtracked by the 1996 top 40 Billboard Hot 100 hit “In the Meantime,” by (appropriate to the intergalactic films) Spacehog.

The soundtracks to the first two installments in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, both of which were studded with carefully curated 1970s pop gems, were both big hits.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1, which featured such hits as Blue Swede’s “Hooked on a Feeling” and Redbone’s “Come and Get Your Love,” topped the Billboard 200 for two consecutive weeks in August 2014.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 2, which contained such hits as ELO’s “Mr. Blue Sky” and Looking Glass’ “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl),” reached No. 4 in 2017.

Aubrey Plaza to Star in Marvel’s “WandaVision” Spinoff Series “Agatha: Coven of Chaos”

Posted on November 5, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Aubrey Plaza is joining the coven…

The 38-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress and comedian, who is currently starring on Season 2 of HBO’s The White Lotus, has been cast opposite Kathryn Hahn and Joe Locke in Agatha: Coven of Chaos, Marvel’s upcoming WandaVision spinoff series for Disney+.

Details about Plaza’s role are being kept under wraps, but she’s believed to be playing a villain opposite Hahn and Locke, according to Deadline.

Hahn is reprising her role as WandaVision bad gal Agatha in the series. Emma Caulfield Ford is also set to reprise the role of Dottie from WandaVision.

Hahn’s Agatha Harkness appeared in Disney+’s WandaVision, from series creator Jac Schaeffer.

WandaVision centered on Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany), two superpowered beings living their ideal suburban lives in the town of Westview, NJ, who begin to suspect that everything is not as it seems. Agatha, who won viewers over with her “Agatha All Along” number, is a witch from Salem and fan-favorite breakout character.

Schaeffer, who is under a joint overall deal with Marvel and 20th Television, serves as writer and executive producer on the spinoff.

Agatha: Coven of Chaos is expected to drop on Disney+ next year.

Shakira Barrera to Star in Marvel Studios’ “Ironheart

Posted on September 7, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Shakira Barrera has ironed out her latest plans…

The Nicaraguan-American actress/dancer has joined the cast of Marvel Studios’ Ironheart as a series regular, according to Deadline.com.

The six-episode series created by Chinaka Hodge will star Dominique Thorne as Marvel character Riri Williams, a genius inventor and creator of the most advanced suit of armor since Iron Man.

The previously announced members of the cast include Anthony Ramos, Manny Montana, Alden Ehrenreich, Regan Aliyah, Shea Couleé and Zoe Terakes.

Sam Bailey and Angela Barnes are directing, with Ryan Coogler’s Proximity among the production entities.

Coogler, Ironheart head writer Chinaka Hodge, Zinzi Coogler, and Sev Ohanian serve as executive producers alongside Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Brad Winderbaum and Zoie Nagelhout.

Barrera can currently be seen as a series regular in the Freevee series Sprung opposite Garrett Dillahunt and Martha Plimpton. She also recently wrapped a recurring arc in OWN’s legal drama All Rise as part of the show’s third season.

She’s notably known for her portrayal of lady wrestler Yolanda in GLOW and Lulu in It’s Bruno, both for Netflix.

Her other TV credits include TNT’s Animal Kingdom, Showtime’s Shameless, and USA Network’s Queen of the South.

On the film side, she appeared in Daniela Garcia’s short film Huella, The Collection opposite Alex Pettyfer, and The Knocking opposite Shiloh Fernandez.

Outside of acting, Barrera serves as a goodwill ambassador for organizations that specialize in humanitarian aid in Nicaragua.

Tessa Thompson to Star in the sci-fi thriller “Ash”

Posted on August 29, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Tessa Thompson is ready to kick ash…

The 38-year-old part-Panamanian and part-Mexican American actress will star opposite Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the sci-fi thriller Ash, which the Grammy-winning musician and filmmaker Flying Lotus — otherwise known as Steven Ellison — will direct as his sophomore feature.

Neill Blomkamp will executive produce the film, which its financier XYZ Films will rep for worldwide sales at the upcoming Toronto Film Festival.

The new film, for which the multi-hyphenate will also compose an original score, watches as a woman (Thompson) wakes up on a distant planet and finds the crew of her space station viciously killed, and must then decide if she can trust the man (Gordon-Levitt) sent to rescue her. But as their investigation into what happened sets in motion a terrifying chain of events, he begins to wonder how innocent she really is.

Jonni Remmler wrote the original screenplay for the film, looking to go into production in New Zealand next year.

It is Flying Lotus’ follow-up to the Sundance-premiering body horror anthology, Kuso. XYZ Films and GFC Films will produce, with Blomkamp exec producing alongside Echo Lake Entertainment.

“It’s an absolute dream come true to collaborate with some of the most talented actors out there!,” said Flying Lotus.

Thompson is an Emmy– and BAFTA Award-nominated actress and producer who reprised her Marvel role as Valkyrie for the recent Thor: Lover and Thunder, also recently returning for the fourth season of HBO’s Westworld.

Other notable big-screen credits from recent years include Rebecca Hall’s directorial debut Passing, and Prime Video’s Sylvie’s Love, which she also executive produced, as well as Selma, Dear White People and the Creed films.

Among Thompson’s upcoming projects is Creed III, which is currently in post-production, with its release set for next March. Her production company Viva Maude is actively in development on projects including Secret Lives of Church Ladies, Luster and Who Fears Death.

Rafael Casal Lands Major Role in Second Season of Disney+’s Marvel Series “Loki”

Posted on July 18, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Rafael Casal is joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe…

The 36-year-old part-Spanish and Cuban American actor will appear in a major role in the upcoming second season of Disney+’s Marvel series Loki.

A representative for Marvel declined to comment on the casting, but word of Casal’s addition started trickling out when a photo from the set of Season 2 leaked online.

It features Casal walking alongside Tom Hiddleston and Owen Wilson, who are back, reprising their roles as anti-hero Loki and Mobius, respectively.

Details about Casal’s character are being kept under wraps; online speculation includes a hypothesis that he could be playing Zaniac.

Following strong reviews and record viewing numbers for the original installment, Loki became the first Marvel series for Disney+ to get a second season.

Loki is set in a Marvel Cinematic Universe-adjacent world, in which the God of Mischief is a fish-out-of-water when he lands in trouble with the bureaucratic TVA (Time Variance Authority) after absconding with the Tesseract.

Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead are co-directing a majority of the episodes in the new season. Hiddleston and Michael Waldron, who wrote and served as showrunner in Season 1, executive produce. Eric Martin is penning all six episodes.

Casal, along with Daveed Diggs, co-wrote, produced and starred in the 2018 movie Blindspotting.

The two co-created and executive produce Starz’s Blindspotting series spinoff, which debuted earlier this year, with Casal as showrunner and reprising his role from the movie.

The series, which has been renewed for a second season, earned an Indie Spirit Award and Gotham Award nominations for Best New/Breakthrough series.

Casal’s acting credits also include Good Lord Bird, Bad Education and Are You Afraid of the Dark?

Josh Segarra to Star in Next Installment of “Scream”

Posted on June 16, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Josh Segarra is screaming with excitement.

The 36-year-old Puerto Rican actor and Arrow alum will star in the next installment of Paramount and Spyglass Media’s Scream.

Segarra is among a list of new cast additions that includes Jack Champion, Liana Liberato and Devyn Nekoda.

Melissa Barrera, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding and Jenna Ortega will reprise their roles after making their first appearance in the most recent sequel, with Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett returning to direct.

Hayden Panettiere is returning to reprise her role from a previous installment and Dermot Mulroney is also on board.

The new outing is due to shoot this summer and follows the bloody success of the fifth installment, released in January, which grossed more than $81 million domestically and $140 million worldwide.

Plot details are being kept under wraps outside of it following the four survivors of the Ghostface killings as they leave Woodsboro behind and start a fresh chapter.

The film will be released on March 31, 2023.

James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick are penning the script. Vanderbilt will also produce along with his Project X Entertainment partners Paul Neinstein and William Sherak.

Original Scream scribe Kevin Williamson and the third member of Radio Silence, Chad Villella, are executive producing alongside Spyglass’ Gary Barber and Peter Oillataguerre, Ron Lynch, Cathy Konrad and Marianne Maddalena.

Segarra is best known for his role on Arrow and can be seen next in Marvel’s She-Hulk: Attorney At Law.

Manny Montana to Star in Marvel Studios’ Disney+ Series “Ironheart”

Posted on June 15, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Manny Montana is putting his (iron)heart into his work…

The 38-year-old Mexican American actor, who rose to acclaim on NBC’s Good Girls, will star as a series regular opposite Dominique Thorne in Marvel Studios’ Disney+ series Ironheart.

Details about his character are being kept under wraps.

Ironheart, which is now filming, stars Thorne as Riri Williams, a genius inventor and creator of the most advanced suit of armor since Iron Man.

In addition to Williams, Montana joins Anthony Ramos, with Lyric Ross believed to have a role in the series.

Sam Bailey and Angela Barnes are directing, with Ryan Coogler’s Proximity among the production entities. Coogler, Ironheart head writer Chinaka Hodge, Zinzi Coogler and Sev Ohanian serve as executive producers alongside Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Brad Winderbaum, and Zoie Nagelhout.

Montana starred on NBC’s Good Girls for four seasons as one of the core series regulars. He’s recurring on the current season of FX’s Mayans M.C. and also recurs on the upcoming season of HBO’s Westworld.

Ramón Rodríguez to Star in ABC’s Drama Pilot “Will Trent”

Posted on April 18, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Ramón Rodríguez has found a new will to thrive…

The 42-year-old Puerto Rican actor has been cast in the lead role of ABC’s drama pilot Will Trent, which now has been officially cleared for production.

Rodriguez will also be a producer on the project, which hails from 20th Television.

Rodríguez was approached just a couple of weeks after the series had received a cast-contingent pilot order in early February. Trent’s casting, which comes after lengthy negotiations, removes that contingency.

Rodríguez most recently starred opposite Aubrey Plaza and served as producer on the Hulu pilot Olga Dies Dreaming, which isn’t moving forward.

In Will Trent, written by Liz Heldens and Dan Thomsen based on Karin Slaughter’s bestselling book series, Special Agent Will Trent (Rodríguez) of the Georgia Bureau of Investigations was abandoned at birth and endured a harsh coming-of-age in Atlanta’s overwhelmed foster care system. But now, determined to use his unique point of view to make sure no one is abandoned like he was, Trent has the highest clearance rate in the GBI.

Rodríguez’s Will Trent is a gifted GBI agent and a loner within the law-enforcement community who hides the severe dyslexia that went untreated during his traumatic childhood in foster care. But with the Bureau’s best clearance rate, he couldn’t care less if people don’t like him.

Heldens and Thomsen executive produce along with Slaughter and 3 Arts’ Oly Obst.

Rodríguez’s television series credits include Showtime’s The Affair and Netflix/Marvel’s Iron Fist and The Defenders. In features, he next will be seen starring in the horror film Lullaby from Annabelle director John R. Leonetti. He recently starred in Disney’s The One and Only Ivan alongside Bryan Cranston.

Floriana Lima to Star in NBC’s Drama Pilot “Blank Slate”

Posted on March 28, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Floriana Lima is going blank…

The 41-year-old part-Spanish American actress has been cast as one of the leads in NBC’s Blank Slate, a drama pilot from Dean Georgaris, John Fox, Davis Entertainment and Universal Television.

The series is created by Georgaris and Fox, written by Georgaris and will be directed by Richard Shepard.

Blank Slate draws some parallels to Davis Entertainment’s long-running NBC series The Blacklist.

In Blank Slate, Special Agent Alexander McCoy is a legend in law enforcement, the agent we all hope is out there, the agent we’d all like to be. The only issue is — he doesn’t actually exist. He’s a ghost, a phantom. So what happens when a man claiming to be Alexander McCoy walks through the door with all of his skills and knowledge but with an agenda nobody will see coming?

Lima plays Maya Logan, the seasoned head of a team of Homeland Security agents who’s always a step ahead of everyone else.

Georgaris executive produces via his Georgaris Inc. banner; John Davis and John Fox executive produce for Davis Entertainment. Shepard also executive produces. Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, is the studio.

Lima recently starred in the third season of ABC’s drama A Million Little Things.

She previously was seen in the second season of Netflix and Marvel’s The Punisher, opposite Jon Bernthal.

She joined the CW’s Supergirl in the second season, starring as special crimes investigator Maggie Sawyer, one of the first openly gay characters in mainstream comics.

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