Allen Maldonado Co-Developing Comedy Series “Get Buckets” for Fox TV

Allen Maldonado is expanding his buckets list…

Fox is developing the single-camera comedy series Get Buckets with the 39-year-old Afro-Puerto Rican actor and filmmaker and his fellow executive producers/writers Stephen Falk, Darrell Britt-Gibson and Brandon Mychal Smith.

Allen MaldonadoMaldonado, Britt-Gibson, and Smith will also star.

Get Buckets follows three estranged brothers who must band together following their billionaire father’s untimely death to figure out how to run the professional basketball team he left behind — and how to be a family.

In addition to Falk, Maldonado, Britt-Gibson and Smith, Blake Griffin, Ryan Kalil, and Noah Weinstein of Mortal Media will also executive produce. Fox Entertainment is the studio.

Maldonado is gearing up for his return to the small screen in Season 2 of the Starz wrestling drama series Heels in the role of Rooster Robbins. Additionally, he’ll reprise the role of Coach Long in ABC’s The Wonder Years for its sophomore season dropping this summer.

On film, he currently stars as Kyle in House Party, the reboot/remake of the 1990 comedy of the same name. Other credits include Straight Out of ComptonMaya and the ThreeThe Last O.G., and Black-ish.

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

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.

Gabriel Iglesias

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 LangdaleI, 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 LegacyUglyDollsFerdinandThe StarCocoThe Nut Job and The Nut Job 2: Nutty by NatureSmurfs: The Lost Village and Norm of the North. Additional film credits include Magic MikeMagic 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.

Kate del Castillo Signs with Buchwald

Kate del Castillo has new representation…

The 49-year-old Mexican actress and telenovela star has signed with Buchwald.

Kate del Castillo

del Castillo stars in Telemundo’s hit drama La Reina del Sur.

One of the highest rated Spanish-language series in the world, La Reina del Sur adapts the bestseller by Spanish novelist Arturo Perez-Reverte. In the crime drama, which recently wrapped filming for Season 3, del Castillo plays Teresa Mendonza, a woman from Mexico who becomes the most powerful drug trafficker in southern Spain.

Castillo recently completed a two-series deal with Telemundo. Her production company, Cholawood, has a first-look development deal with Boomdog, the Mexico City-based division of Endemol Shine North America.

The actress starred opposite Will Smith as the villain in Sony’s Bad Boys for Life, also recently featuring on NBC’s sitcom Mr. Mayor, from creators Tina Fey and Robert Carlock, and the Netflix animated series Maya and the Three, created by Jorge R. Gutiérrez.

She rose to acclaim in America with her performance in Fox Searchlight’s Under the Same Moon, which is one of the highest-grossing Spanish-language theatrical releases in U.S. history, and has also featured in such films as BordertownNo Good Deed and All About Nina.

del Castillo has also appeared in series including PBSGolden Globe and Emmy-nominated drama American Family, The CW’s Jane the Virgin and Showtime’s Weeds, among others. Her one-woman Off-Broadway show, The Way She Spoke, made her the first Latina actress to earn Drama Desk, Drama League and Lucille Lortel Award nominations.

A philanthropist and outspoken global activist, del Castillo was appointed Ambassador for the Mexican Commission on Human Rights to combat human trafficking in 2009.

Lindsey Olivares Claims Two Annie Awards for Netflix’s “The Mitchells vs. The Machines”

Lindsey Olivares is celebrating a big night…

The Latina production designer, character designer and caricature artist claimed two awards at the 49th annual Annie Awards, which honor the year’s best in animated fare across movies, television and video games.

Lindsey OlivaresOlivares, the production designer and lead character designer on Netflix’s The Mitchells vs. The Machines, took home the award for Character Design, Feature for her work on the acclaimed animated film, which was named Best Feature.

Olivares also was along the design team winning the Production Design, Feature award for The Mitchells vs. The Machines.

The Annies are presented by ASIFA-Hollywood.

The The Mitchells vs. The Machines victory in the Best Feature race gives it front-runner status leading up to the Oscars next month. Last year, eventual Animated Feature Oscar winner Soul from Pixar won the top Annie Awards prize, the 14th time in 20 years the society and the Academy have matched their top picks.

Lin-Manuel Miranda and Germaine Franco won in the Music, Feature category for their score/soundtrack work on Walt Disney Animation StudiosEncanto.

Evan Monteiro won the award for Character Design, TV for his work on Arcane, while Sebastian Trujillo among the animation team on Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings that claimed the Character Animation, Live Action prize.

Gustavo Santaolalla won alongside Tim Davies in the Music, TV category for their work on Netflix’s Maya and the Three.

Hugo Covarrubias won in the Short Subject category for Bestia, which he co-wrote with Martín Erazo.

Here’s the full list of winners:

Best Feature
The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix

Independent Feature
Flee
Neon, Final Cut For Real, Sun Creature, Vivement Lundi !, MostFilm, Mer Film, VICE, Left Hand Films, Participant

Directing, Feature
The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix
Directors: Mike Rianda, Jeff Rowe

Directing, TV
Arcane
Episode: The Monster You Created
A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix
Directors: Pascal Charue, Arnaud Delord, Barthelemy Maunoury

Storyboarding, Feature
Encanto
Walt Disney Animation Studios
Storyboard Artist: Jason Hand

Storyboarding, TV
Arcane
Episode: When These Walls Come Tumbling Down
A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix
Storyboard Artist: Simon Andriveau

General TV Production
Arcane
Episode: When These Walls Come Tumbling Down
A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix

Children’s TV Production
Maya and the Three
Episode: The Sun and the Moon
A Netflix Series

Preschool TV Production
Ada Twist, Scientist
Episode: Twelve Angry Birds
Laughing Wild, Higher Ground Productions, Wonder Worldwide, Netflix

Writing, Feature
The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix
Writers: Mike Rianda, Jeff Rowe

Writing, TV
Arcane
Episode: The Monster You Created
A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix
Writers: Christian Linke, Alex Yee

Voice Acting, Feature
The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix
As ‘Katie Mitchell’: Abbi Jacobson

Voice Acting, TV
Arcane
Episode: When These Walls Come Tumbling Down
A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix
As ‘Jinx’: Ella Purnell

Editing, Feature
The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix
Editorial Team: Greg Levitan, Collin Wightman, T.J. Young, Tony Ferdinand, Bret Allen

Editing, TV
What If…?
Episode: What If…Ultron Won?
Marvel Studios
Editorial Team: Joel Fisher, Graham Fisher, Sharia Davis, Basuki Juwono, Adam Spieckermann

Animated Effects, Feature
The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix
FX Team: Christopher Logan, Man-Louk Chin, Devdatta Nerurkar, Pav Grochola, Filippo Maccari

Animated Effects, TV
Arcane
Episode: Oil and Water
A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix
FX Team: Guillaume Degroote, Aurélien Ressencourt, Martin Touzé, Frédéric Macé, Jérôme Dupré

Character Animation, Feature
Encanto
Walt Disney Animation Studios
Animator: Dave Hardin

Character Animation, TV
Arcane
Episode: The Monster You Created
A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix
Animator: Léa Chervet

Character Animation, Live Action
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Marvel Entertainment, Weta Digital
Animation Team: Karl Rapley, Sebastian Trujillo, Richard John Moore, Merlin Bela Wassilij Maertz, Pascal Raimbault

Character Animation, Video Game
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Insomniac Games
Animation Team: Insomniac Games Animation Team

Character Design, Feature
The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix
Designer: Lindsey Olivares

Character Design, TV
Arcane
Episode: Some Mysteries Better Left Unsolved
A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix
Designer: Evan Monteiro

Music, Feature
Encanto
Walt Disney Animation Studios
Score: Germaine Franco, Lin-Manuel Miranda

Music, TV
Maya and the Three
Episode: The Sun and the Moon
A Netflix Series
Score: Tim Davies, Gustavo Santaolalla

Sponsored Production
A Future Begins
Nexus Studios

Special Production
Namoo
Baobab Studios

Production Design, Feature
The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix
Design Team: Lindsey Olivares, Toby Wilson, Dave Bleich

Production Design, TV
Arcane
Episode: Happy Progress Day!
A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix
Design Team: Julien Georgel, Aymeric Kevin, Arnaud Baudry

Short Subject
Bestia
by Hugo Covarrubias and co-written with Martín Erazo.
Trebol 3 Producciones, MALEZA Estudio

Student Film
Night of the Living Dread
Student director: Ida Melum
Student producer: Danielle Goff
School: National Film and Television School, UK

Winsor McCay Award
Ruben Aquino
Lillian Schwartz
Toshio Suzuki

Special Achievement Award
Glen Vilppu

Ub Iwerks Award
Python Foundation

June Foray Award
Renzo & Sayoko Kinoshita

Alanna Ubach to Appear on Season 2 of HBO Max’s “The Flight Attendant”

Alanna Ubach is taking Flight

The 46-year-old Puerto Rican and Mexican American actress will appear on Season 2 of HBO Max’s critically acclaimed series The Flight Attendant as a recurring guest star.

Alanna UbachUbach will appear in the new season—which is currently in production—alongside returning series regulars Kaley Cuoco, Zosia Mamet, Griffin Matthews, Deniz Akdeniz and Rosie Perez; new series regulars Mo McRae, Callie Hernandez and JJ Soria; returning recurring guest stars T.R. Knight, Yasha Jackson and Audrey Grace Marshall; and new recurring guest stars Cheryl Hines, Jessie Ennis, Mae Martin, Margaret Cho, Santiago Cabrera and Shohreh Aghdashloo.

The Max Original, based on Chris Bohjalian’s 2018 novel of the same name, centers on Cassie Bowden (Cuoco), a reckless flight attendant with an alcohol problem who in Season 1, wakes up in the wrong hotel, in the wrong bed, with a dead man—and no idea what happened.

Season 2 finds Cassie living her best sober life in Los Angeles while moonlighting as a CIA asset in her spare time. But when an overseas assignment leads her to inadvertently witness a murder, she becomes entangled in another international brouhaha.

Ubach will play Carol Atkinson, also known as Black Market Carol, a perfectly groomed, icy flight attendant who is not a fan of Cassie.

Ubach is best known for her work in the Legally Blonde films, along with her turn as Mamá Imelda in Disney/Pixar’s Coco, and as Jo Hernandez-Frumpkis in the Bravo series Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce.

She recurs opposite Kate Beckinsale on the Paramount+ series Guilty Party, and will return for the sophomore seasons of Disney+’s Monsters at Work, HBO’s Euphoria, and Hulu’s Crossing Swords.

The actress has also appeared in Netflix’s Maya and the Three, Fox’s Filthy Rich, FX’s Snowfall, AMC’s Dietland, Amazon’s Hand of God, Showtime’s Californication and HBO’s Hung, among others.

Additional film credits include BombshellGloria Bell, To the Bone, Bad TeacherRango, Waiting and its sequel Still Waiting and Clockwatchers.

Diego Luna to Receive 2021 Platino Award of Honor

Diego Luna is being celebrated for his platinum career.

This year’s seventh edition of the Ibero-American Platino Awards (Premios Platinos) will honor the 41-year-old Mexican actor, director, producer and festival organizer with the Platino Award of Honor.

Diego Luna

An itinerant award show by design, this year’s Platinos will be held on October 3 in Madrid.

Luna will be the youngest recipient of the career achievement honor, joining previous winners Miguel Rafael Martos Sánchez, often simply referred to as Raphael, one of Spain’s most iconic entertainers of the 20th century; Adriana Barraza, the Oscar nominated Spanish-English-language crossover star of Alejandro Iñárritu’s Babel and Amores Perros; Oscar and three time Primetime Emmy nominee Edward James Olmos (Stand and Deliver); Oscar nominee Antonio Banderas (Pain and Glory); and Primetime Emmy (The Burning Season) and BAFTA (“Dona Flor e Seus Dois Maridos) nominee Sonia Braga.

A child actor who excelled from an early age, Luna’s first film appearance was in Javier Bourges’ 1991 Mexican Academy Award-nominated short The Last New Year.” He appeared in several telenovelas throughout the ‘90s, joined on screen for the first time by his longtime collaborator and close friend Gael García Bernal in El abuelo y yo in 1992. Alternating between film and television over the next decade, his international breakout came with García Bernal and Spain’s Marbel Verdú in Alfonso Cuarón’s seminal coming-of-age road trip film “Y Tu Mamá También.”

Shortly after, Luna began his Hollywood career appearing alongside Bon Jovi in John Carpenter’s Vampires: Los Muertos and in Salma Hayek’s Oscar-winning biopic Frida.

In the decades since, Luna has continued to work on both Latin American and U.S. productions while also taking turns as a producer, writer and director. He also, again with García Bernal, launched the nomadic documentary film festival Ambulante, as well as their own production label, first Canana in 2005 and now La Corriente del Golfo.

Most recently, he created and hosts the Amazon Original conversation series Pan y Circo and is starring in the Disney+’s Andor, a spinoff series following his Rogue One: A Star Wars Story character Cassian Andor.

He was also recently confirmed as a voice actor for Netflix’s upcoming animated series Maya and the Three, where he will team with frequent collaborator Jorge Gutierrez (The Book of Life).

Last year’s ceremony was, like so many, forced online by the COVID-19 pandemic. But this time around, the Platinos are planning an in-person event to celebrate the best offerings from the Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American screen industries.

At 11 nominations each, the two standout titles are Fernando Trueba’s Colombian drama Memories of My Father and Jayro Bustamante’s Guatemalan thriller La Llorona.

The Platino Awards are promoted by EGEDA (Spain’s Entity for the Rights Management of Audiovisual Producers) and FIPCA (the Ibero-American Federation of Film and Audiovisual Producers) and have the support of the Ibero-American film academies and institutes as well as numerous sponsors in Europe and Latin America.

Jorge Gutierrez Signs Overall Deal with Netflix

Jorge Gutierrez has more Netflix projects in his future…

The 45-year-old Mexican animator/writer/director has signed an overall deal with the streaming giant for original content.

Jorge Gutierrez

Under the pact, the Emmy-winning talent will write, direct, and produce new animated films, series and interactive projects across preschool, kids & family and adult animation via his Mexopolis production company.

Gutierrez is the creator, writer and director of the upcoming Netflix animated limited series Maya and the Three, a Mesoamerican fantasy epic set to premiere globally in 2021. Set in a mythical Mesoamerican inspired world, in Maya and the Three, a warrior princess embarks on a quest to recruit three legendary fighters to help save the world of men and gods.

Gutierrez is 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 Award nomination for Best Animated feature film. He’s also the writer and director of the Emmy-nominated Son of Jaguar VR short for Google.

Along with his wife and muse, Sandra Equihua, they created the multiple Annie and Emmy­–winning animated television series El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera for Nickelodeon. Born in Mexico City and raised in Tijuana, Gutierrez has completed various films, cartoons, illustrations, and paintings exploring his love with Mexican pop and folk culture.

“Jorge was one of the first creators to join Netflix Animation and has been an incredible partner ever since,” said Melissa Cobb, Vice President of Original Animation, Netflix. “He is committed to authenticity in his work, creating fantastical stories and characters inspired by his culture that are universally resonant and a tireless champion and mentor to the next generation of storytellers. We are honored that he’s chosen Netflix as his home and we can’t wait to share his work with kids and families around the world.”

“Dang! I could not be more thankful to extend my creative love affair with my beloved Netflix!,” said Gutierrez. “Melissa Cobb and the entire Netflix Animation team match my endless passion for diversity and inclusion in front and behind the camera. After all the kindness that has been shown to me, I look forward to mentoring and empowering diverse storytellers from not only North America, but also Central and South America. My mustached heart has a six pack and I can’t wait to create new stories and bold new worlds. What a time to be alive!”