Isabela Merced to Star in Warner Bros.’ Remake of “Father of the Bride”

Posted on April 29, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Isabela Merced is joining the wedding party…

The 19-year-old Peruvian American actress/singer, who starred in Dora and the Lost City of Gold, will star opposite Andy Garcia and Gloria Estefan in Warner Bros.‘ remake of Father of the Bride.

Gaz Alazraki, who helmed Club de Cuervos, is directing the feature, which goes before cameras in May.

Like previous iterations of Bride, which includes a Spencer Tracy-fronted 1950 movie and the Steve Martin-starring 1991 feature, the latest remake will center on the father of a soon-to-be bride coming to terms with his daughter’s nuptials.

The latest take, however, will be told through the relationships in a big, sprawling Cuban American family.

Merced will play the sister of the bride, who is being played by Adria Arjona. Garcia is the father.

Matt Lopez wrote the script for the update.

In addition to starring in Dora, in which she toplined as the globe-trotting adventuress, Merced co-starred with Mark Wahlberg in Instant Family, was part of the ensemble for Netflix’s Let It Snow, and appeared with Benicio Del Toro in Sicario: Day of the Soldado.

She next voice-stars in DreamWorks Animation’s Spirit Untamed and will be protected by Jason Momoa in action-thriller Sweet Girl. Both are due to be released this summer.

Merced is signed to Republic Records.

Tonatiuh to Star in ABC’s Drama Pilot “Promised Land”

Posted on April 27, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Tonatiuh has landed a promising new role…

The 28-year-old Latino actor, whose real name Tonatiuh Elizarraraz, has been cast as a lead opposite John Ortiz in ABC’s drama pilot Promised Land.

Written by Matt Lopez and directed by Michael Cuesta, Promised Land is an epic, generation-spanning drama about two Latinx families vying for wealth and power in California’s Sonoma Valley.

Tonatiuh will play Antonio Sandoval, one of five children of the Sandoval family, a wealthy vineyard-owning clan in the Sonoma Valley. Antonio has been living in New York after being cast into exile by his father Joe (Ortiz), but is called back into the fold when the family faces a threat from the outside. Whether Antonio has forgiven or forgotten the treatment he received from his family remains an open question.

In addition to Ortiz, Tonatiuh joins previously announced series regulars Cecilia Suárez as Lettie Sandoval, matriarch of the Sandoval family, Augusto Aguilera as Mateo Sandoval, the hardworking, highly capable general manager of the Heritage Vineyard and stepson to patriarch Joe Sandoval, Mariel Molino as Camila Sandoval, the youngest daughter of the Sandoval family, Christina Ochoa as Veronica Sandoval, the eldest daughter of the Sandovals, as well as Andres Velez Carlos Rincón, a young immigrant who comes to the Heritage Vineyard in search of a better life.

Lopez executive produces with Cuesta and Adam Kolbrenner of Lit Entertainment Group. ABC Signature is the studio.

Tonatiuh is best known for his major recurring role as Marcos on all three seasons of Starz’s Vida. He stars in the indie feature Drunk Bus, alongside Charlie Tahan and Kara Hayward, which premiered virtually at the 2020 SXSW Film Festival. He’s also set to recur in Peacock’s Angelyne alongside Emmy Rossum, who plays the title character.

Gloria Estefan to Star in “Father of the Bride” Reboot

Posted on April 23, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Gloria Estefan is circling the mother of a role…

The 63-year-old Cuban-American singer, songwriter, actress and businesswoman is in talks to star opposite Andy Garcia in Warner Bros. and Plan B’s Cuban-American reboot of the Father of the Bride films.

Directed by Gaz Alazraki, the film is being penned by Matt Lopez. Estefan would play Garcia’s wife, with Adria Arjona tapped to play the bride-to-be.

The film will tell the story of a father coming to grips with his daughter’s upcoming wedding through the prism of multiple relationships within a big, sprawling Cuban-American family. It will be more of a rom-com than previous versions of film. While this will mark the third iteration of the story, sources say this will be more in the vein of the original Spencer Tracy film and not the Steve Martin franchise from the 1990s.

WB execs thought it was a long shot that Estefan would be interested, but between Lopez’s script and Garcia’s and Alazraki’s involvement, the opportunity for Estefan was simply too hard to pass up.

“A resounding YES was my answer to the invitation to join my good friend, the incredibly talented Andy Garcia, for this new and wonderfully warm and funny incarnation of the classic, Father of the Bride! I’ve been a fan of director Gaz Alazraki since I saw his record-breaking comedy Nosotros Los Nobles and can’t wait to experience how he brings this amazing script by Matt Lopez to life,” Estefan said.

Estefan’s music has people running to the dance floor for decades going all the way back to when she was the lead singer of Miami Sound Machine and “Conga” hit the airwaves in 1985. Since then her musical library could rival any singer in the world, and Hollywood has been no stranger to using her music in dozens of movies. Estefan has rarely made the jump to the big screen herself, with this only being the third time she has acted in a movie. She made her acting debut opposite Meryl Streep in 1999’s Music of the Heart, also providing the Oscar-nominated song of the same title. Most recently she appeared in Kenny Ortega’s A Change of Heart.

Adria Arjona to Star in Warner Bros. & Plan B’s Reboot of “Father of the Bride”

Posted on April 22, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Adria Arjona is heading down the aisle…

The 29-year-old Puerto Rican actress will star as Andy Garcia’s daughter and the bride-to-be in Warner Bros. and Plan B’s reboot of Father of the Bride.

Gaz Alazraki has been set to helm the studio’s new reboot, which will revolve around a Cuban-American family, with Matt Lopez penning the script.

While this will mark the third iteration of the story, sources say this will be more in the vein of the original Spencer Tracy film and not the Steve Martin franchise from the 1990s.

Dede Garner and Jeremy Kleiner will produce for Plan B Entertainment. Garcia will executive-produce.

Arjona’s breakout role came on Legendary’s Pacific Rim: Uprising, where she co-starred opposite John Boyega and Scott Eastwood. She would follow that up with key roles in Life of the Party, Triple Frontier and most recently in the Michael Bay action pic 6 Underground.

She can be seen next in Sony’s extended Marvel Universe film Morbius, which also stars Jared Leto and Matt Smith.

Arjona was recently tapped for the female lead in the anticipated Rogue One spinoff series Andor, which also stars Diego Luna and Stellan Skarsgard.

Cecilia Suárez to Star in ABC Drama Pilot “Promised Land”

Posted on April 19, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Cecilia Suárez has landed a new starring role…

The 49-year-old Mexican actress and activist has been set as a lead opposite Augusto Aguilera in John Ortiz’s ABC drama pilot Promised Land.

Written by Matt Lopez, Promised Land is an epic, generation-spanning drama about two Latinx families vying for wealth and power in California’s Sonoma Valley.

Suárez plays Lettie Sandoval, the matriarch of the Sandoval family, a wealthy vineyard-owning family in the Sonoma Valley. Lettie will do anything to keep her family, with all its fraying allegiances, intact. She is proud of the fortune the Sandovals have built, but the arrival of a figure from Lettie’s past soon causes her to question whether the cost of achieving the American Dream is too high.

Aguilera will play Mateo Sandoval,t he hardworking, highly capable general manager of the Heritage Vineyard, but as the stepson to patriarch Joe Sandoval (Ortiz), he has never felt fully accepted by the wealthy, vineyard-owning Sandoval family. Mateo finds himself at a crossroads when a young immigrant who reminds him of his roots arrives to work in the Sandoval household.

Previously cast in the pilot are Mariel Molino as Camila Sandoval, the youngest daughter of the Sandoval family, Christina Ochoa as Veronica Sandoval, the eldest daughter of the Sandovals, as well as Andres Velez as Carlos Rincón, a young immigrant who comes to the Heritage Vineyard in search of a better life.

Suárez just wrapped the title role in Latido Films’ feature Alegria, directed by Violeta Salama. She can be seen in the new Netflix Spanish mini-series Someone Has To Die, written and directed by her long-time collaborator Manolo Caro.

She also starred in the Amazon limited series 3 Caminos. For the last three seasons, she starred in Manolo Caro’s popular Netflix series: The House of Flowers (La Casa de las Flores). She also is the first Spanish speaking actress to be nominated for an International Emmy Award for her role in the Capadoccia series for HBO.

Aguilera recently recurred as Liver opposite Ray Romano and Cristin Milioti in HBO Max’s Made For Love, a half-hour series adaptation based on Alissa Nutting’s tragicomic novel. Aguilera was also seen as one of the leads in Nic Refn’s Amazon series Too Old To Die Young, opposite Miles Teller.

He was previously seen in 20th Century Fox’s The Predator, directed by Shane Black and the Hulu pilot Citizen directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon as well as the Audience Network series Ice directed by Antoine Fuqua.

Mariel Molino to Star in ABC’s Drama Pilot “Promised Land”

Posted on March 30, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Mariel Molino is headed to the Promised Land…

The Mexican American actress has been cast as a lead alongside Christina Ochoa in ABC’s drama pilot Promised Land.

Written by Matt Lopez, the project is an epic, generation-spanning drama about two Latinx families vying for wealth and power in California’s Sonoma Valley.

Molino will play Camila Sandoval, the youngest daughter of the Sandoval family, a wealthy vineyard-owning family in the Sonoma Valley. Her flirtatious, party-girl attitude masks a deeply flawed young woman who craves the achievements of her other siblings but has no idea how to attain them. No one expects anything from Camila. That makes her dangerous.

Ochoa plays her sister, Veronica Sandoval, the eldest daughter of the Sandovals.

Lopez executive produces with Adam Kolbrenner of Lit Entertainment Group. ABC Signature is the studio.

This marks the first major English-language role for Molino, who was born to Mexican parents in San Diego. She starred in Amazon’s Spanish-language original movie Locas por el Cambio, which was released on Amazon Prime in November. Her television credits include recurring roles in NBC Universo’s El Vato and Amazon’s Juego de las Llaves.

Christina Ochoa to Star in Matt Lopez’s Latinx Family Drama Pilot “Promised Land”

Posted on March 29, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

There’s plenty of promise in Christina Ochoa’s future…

The 36-year-old Spanish actress and Animal Kingdom star is set as a lead in ABC’s Promised Land, Matt Lopez’s Latinx family drama pilot.

Formerly titled American Heritage, the project is an epic, generation-spanning drama about two Latinx families vying for wealth and power in California’s Sonoma Valley.

Ochoa will play Veronica Sandoval, the eldest daughter of the Sandovals, a wealthy vineyard-owning family in the Sonoma Valley. Veronica is the highly capable heir to the Heritage Wines empire and her father Joe’s trusted Number Two. But her drive and ambition have left her with some glaring personal blindspots, and Veronica’s seemingly perfect life soon starts to unravel.

Lopez writes and executive produces. Adam Kolbrenner of Lit Entertainment Group also exec produces. ABC Signature is the studio.

Up next for Ochoa is Boon, the western sequel film from Yellowstone’s Neal McDonough. She stars as Renn Randall in TNT’s Animal Kingdom, which was recently renewed for a sixth and final season, and as Ashley Morales in ABC’s A Million Little Things. She has also appeared in Valor, Blood Drive, Matador and I Hate My Teenage Daughter.

Andy Garcia to Star in the Latinx-Themed “Father of the Bride” Reboot

Posted on March 19, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Andy Garcia has landed the father of all roles…

The 64-year-old Cuban actor will star in Warner Bros. and Plan B’s reboot of Father of the Bride.

Gaz Alazraki has been set to helm the studio’s new reboot, which will revolve around a Latinx family, with Matt Lopez penning the script.

The film will tell the story of a father coming to grips with his daughter’s upcoming wedding through the prism of multiple relationships within a big, sprawling Cuban-American family. It will be more of a rom-com than previous versions of film. While this will mark the third iteration of the story, sources say this will be more in the vein of the original Spencer Tracy pic and not the Steve Martin franchise from the 1990s.

“I’m very excited to join The Father of the Bride, a beloved film that has brought so much joy to so many over the years and to represent my Cuban culture and heritage in this story,” Garcia said. “I commend Warner Bros. for their foresight and celebrate this opportunity they have created. I am looking forward to my collaboration with our talented director Gaz Alazraki and producers Jeremy Kleiner and Dede Gardner from Plan B. “

Dede Garner and Jeremy Kleiner will produce for Plan B Entertainment. Garcia will exec produce.

The veteran actor best known for roles in the Ocean Eleven franchise and The Godfather Part III, Garcia can be seen next opposite Katey Sagal in the highly anticipated ABC drama Rebel.

ABC Orders Pilot for Matt Lopez’s Latinx Family Drama “Promised Land”

Posted on February 22, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Matt Lopez’s promise continues…

The Latino screenwriter’s hourlong Latinx family drama Promised Land has secured a pilot order at ABC.

Previously known as American Heritage, the project is an epic, generation-spanning drama about two Latinx families vying for wealth and power in California’s Sonoma Valley.

ABC bought the project pre-emptively with a put-pilot commitment last year.

Lopez, who has written feature films including Bedtime Stories, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and Race to Witch Mountain, writes and executive produces.

ABC Signature is the studio.

Lopez created the NBCUniversal International drama series Gone, starring Chris Noth, which aired on WGN America in the U.S. He also is adapting Helen Cresswell’s young-adult novel Moondial into an ambitious time-travel drama for Fulwell 73. On the feature side, he’s writing a new Father of the Bride film for Warner Bros. revolving around a Latinx family, a first for the franchise.

Gaz Alazraki to Direct Warner Bros. New Latinx “Father of the Bride” Film

Posted on February 5, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Gaz Alazraki is taking on the father of a project…

The 38-year-old Mexican filmmaker, the writer and director of Mexico’s record breaking comedy Nosotros los Nobles, will helm Warner Bros. new take on the classic story Father of the Bride.

This latest take on the film will center around a Latinx family, with Matt Lopez penning the script.

The film will tell the story of a father coming to grips with his daughter’s upcoming wedding through the prism of multiple relationships within a big, sprawling Cuban-American family.

It will be more of a rom-com than previous versions of film. While this will mark the third iteration of the story, sources say this will be more in the vein of the original Spencer Tracy film and not the Steve Martin franchise from the 1990s.

Dede Garner and Jeremy Kleiner will produce for Plan B Entertainment.

Alazraki has quickly become a rising star in the directing ranks and one of the most prominent filmmakers coming out of Mexico. He wrote and directed Nosotros Los Nobles, which was distributed by Warners International.

He created, wrote and directed Club de Cuervos, Netflix’s first international original series, which has become one of the biggest international series in the streamer’s history.

Alazraki is currently directing the pilot for Apple’s Acapulco.

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