HanWay Films Boards Melissa Barrera’s Erotic Thriller “The One”

Posted on May 9, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Melissa Barrera’s latest project has more support…

HanWay Films has boarded The One, an erotic thriller starring the 32-year-old Mexican actress and Nicholas Hoult and will launch sales at the Cannes Film Festival.

The project comes from writer-director team Kevin Armento and Jaki Bradley and is billed as “a nightmarish horror about the romantic and psychological warfare waged by our beloved popular entertainment — and also begs the question… are we, the viewers, complicit?”

Barrera, who’s coming off box office horror hit Scream VI, leads the cast opposite Hoult.

Barrera plays Taylor, whose last-ditch effort to find love by becoming a contestant on a reality dating show begins to feel terrifyingly real as she becomes a finalist. Amidst an opulent beachfront setting, fairy-tale dates and champagne, “pursuit turns into obsession and rivalry turns into treachery as reality itself blurs.”

HanWay Films is handling worldwide sales, with WME Independent and UTA co-repping the film for North America. Hoult also produces alongside Whitaker Lader via their production company Dead Duck Films.

Riley Keough will also produce with Gina Gammell via their production company Felix Culpa.

Barrera can be seen next in Your Monster and Anthony McCarten’s The Collaboration, based on the play of the same name.

Her other credits include appearing in Carmen opposite Paul Mescal, Netflix’s Keep Breathing, All the World is Sleeping, Vida and Warner Bros. In the Heights.

Lana Condor is also starring.

“We’ve been dreaming up this project for years, and are thrilled to now bring it to life with our actual dream team,” said Armento and Bradley in a statement. “Nick, Melissa, Riley, and Lana are some of the most exciting talents around, and their passion for this film – shared by our incredible producing partners – has us even more eager to make this nightmare a reality.”

Melissa Barrera to Star in Radio Silence’s Untitled Monster Thriller

Posted on April 15, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Melissa Barrera has reportedly landed a monster role…

The 32-year-old Mexican actress has been cast in Radio Silence’s Untitled Monster Thriller at Universal.

Radio Silence’s Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett, who directed the recent Scream films that Barrera has starred in, will helm the project with Scream producer Chad Villella serving as producer alongside William Sherak, Paul Neinstein and James Vanderbilt at Project X Entertainment.

The script was written by Stephen Shields, with revisions by Guy Busick.

Universal Monster films are rooted in the horror genre, with no restrictions on budget, rating or genre. They are not part of a shared interconnected universe, which allows each film to stand on its own. This new direction is filmmaker-driven, inviting innovative filmmakers with original, bold ideas for these characters to develop the stories and pitch them.

Radio Silence has been loosely developing the project since last year following the success of their first Scream pic, but given the success of that film, Paramount moved fast to get Scream VI up and running. While they began meeting with other talent, it became evident pretty quickly that Barrera was the perfect fit for the role following two successful shoots with the rising star and offered her the part.

Barrera is in theaters as the lead of Scream VI, which is the highest-grossing film of the franchise. She next will be seen this spring in the modern musical reimagining of Carmen, opposite Paul Mescal for Sony Pictures Classics.

Also upcoming for Barrera is God’s Country, directed by Egor Abramenko as his American directorial debut; Your Monster from Merman Productions; and The Collaboration written by four-time Oscar nominee Anthony McCarten (Bohemian Rhapsody), based off the acclaimed play.

She most recently was seen in the independent film All the World Is Sleeping as well as Netflix’s global hit Keep Breathing and STX’s supernatural thriller Bed Rest, which was also Barrera’s producorial debut.

Melissa Barrera & Jenna Ortega’s “Scream VI” Breaks Franchise Record with $44.5 Million Opening Weekend

Posted on March 12, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega are officially Scream queens…

The 32-year-old Mexican actress and singer and her 20-year-old Puerto Rican and Mexican American’s Scream VI collected $44.5 million in its opening weekend, a great start for Paramount and Spyglass Media’s long-running slasher film series.

The ticket sales were enough to top domestic box office charts over two newcomers, Sony’s prehistoric sci-fi thriller 65 and Focus Features’ heartwarming comedy Champions, as well as last weekend’s victor Creed III.

The initial haul for Scream VI is frighteningly strong for the sixth installment in a franchise. Not only did it greatly improve upon the start of last year’s hit reboot Scream, which scored with $30 million, but it crushed the series’ opening weekend record, previously set by 2000’s Scream 3 with $34 million. Scream VI cost $35 million, so it’ll easily turn a profit in its theatrical run.

“It’s extraordinary to have this type of result after six films,” says Chris Aronson, Paramount’s president of domestic distribution. “We blew away the opening of the last ‘Scream.’ That doesn’t happen.”

The R-rated “Scream VI” added another $22.6 million from 53 international markets, bringing its global tally to $67.1 million.

“Reviews and audience scores are very good, and international business should be solid,” says David A. Gross, who runs the film consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research. “27 years after launching in 1996, the franchise is healthier than ever.”

Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, Scream VI follows survivors of Ghostface’s murders as they leave Woodsboro behind for a fresh start in New York City. Courteney Cox, Barrera, Ortega and Hayden Panettiere return for the film, which is the first installment without Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott. The actor departed the film because she felt “the offer that was presented to me did not equate to the value I have brought to the franchise.

”Opening weekend audience members skewed slightly male (51%), while 71% were between the ages of 18-24.

Melissa Barrera Starring in New Genre Film “God’s Country”

Posted on February 6, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Melissa Barrera is heading to God’s country…

Matt Reeves’ 6th & Idaho is teaming up with ZQ Entertainment to produce God’s Country, a new genre film starring the 32-year-old Mexican actress and Scream reboot star.

The film will mark the American directorial debut of Egor Abramenko.

The film, which will head into production this summer, will see Barrera playing a young Salvadoran woman who travels to Kentucky to meet her fiancé. What she uncovers is something sinister beyond comprehension, as her American dream curdles into a nightmare of biblical proportions.

Will Soodik wrote the script. Reeves and Rafi Crohn will produce for 6th & Idaho, alongside ZQ Entertainment’s Ara Keshishian and Petr Jákl (who financed the development), Adam Kassan (End of Watch), and Barrera.

“Egor is an exciting emerging talent,” Reeves told Deadline, “and I’m thrilled to be making a monster movie together.”

Barrera is best known for her turns in Paramount/Spyglass’ Scream reboot, Jon M. Chu’s adaptation of the Lin-Manuel Miranda musical In the Heights for Warner Bros. and HBO Max and the acclaimed Starz series Vida.

She’ll next be seen in Scream VI, which is out March 10; Sony Pictures Classics’ Carmen with Paul Mescal; and the Anthony McCarten-scripted feature The Collaboration, based on the acclaimed play.

Gravitas Ventures Acquires North American Rights to Melissa Barrera’s Drama “All the World is Sleeping”

Posted on January 26, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Melissa Barrera will be sleeping throughout the U.S.

Gravitas Ventures has picked up the North American rights to the drama All the World is Sleeping, starring the 32-year-old Mexican actress and Scream reboot star.

The film is slated for release in theaters and on demand on March 17.

Written and directed by Ryan Lacen, All the World is Sleeping follows Chama (Barrera), who as a young girl in New Mexico, strived to be different from her mother. Now in her twenties, she’s found herself falling into a similar cycle of generational addiction. This struggle then threatens her balance as a mother to her own daughter. As Chama tries to keep it all together, a harrowing accident will spiral her out of control, causing her daughter to be taken from her custody. With nothing left, she’ll have to confront her past in order to fight for a future — one that can either guide her closer to getting her daughter back or lead her deeper into this dangerous cycle.

The film also stars Jackie Cruz, Jorge Garcia, Kristen Gutoskie, Valentina Herrera, Lisandra Tena and Luis Bordonada.

“This film is not only based on the lived experiences of seven women with a history of addiction, it was made by them. Through a unique collaboration with the non-profit Bold Futures, their stories and input shaped this film throughout its development and production,” Lacen told Deadline. “As a director, whose own family has been affected by addiction, my intention was to create a film that felt truthful while unraveling in a unique, visually cerebral way. All the World is Sleeping is grounded in the axiom that while this is a movie, we understand that these moments are happening all around us. Hopefully it gets the audience talking.”

“We are thrilled to be bringing All the World is Sleeping to theaters and homes this upcoming March,” added Gravitas’ Senior Director of Acquisitions, Danielle Gasher. “Melissa Barrera delivers an incredible performance as a young mother battling addiction. We are proud to be the North American partner for such a hard-hitting drama.”

Barrera was introduced as Sam Carpenter — the daughter of Ghostface killer Billy Loomis, who comes to have her own brush with death — in 2022’s Scream relaunch from Paramount, and will reprise the role in the classic horror franchise’s latest entry Scream IV, out on March 10.

Also coming up for her is the Kwame Kwei-Armah film The Collaboration, based on the play of the same name, which has her starring alongside Paul Bettany, Daniel Brühl, Jeremy Pope and more.

Melissa Barrera to Star in the Warhol-Basquiat film “The Collaboration

Posted on September 8, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Melissa Barrera has a new collaboration…

The 32-year-old Mexican actress and singer will star in Muse of Fire’s Warhol–Basquiat film The Collaboration, based on the acclaimed play by four-time Oscar nominee Anthony McCarten.

Barrera will star alongside Jeremy Pope, Paul Bettany and Daniel Brühl in the project.

The Collaboration revolves around the relationship of the two iconic artists, starting in the summer of 1984. International superstar Andy Warhol (Bettany) and the art scene’s newest wunderkind, Jean-Michel Basquiat (Pope), agree to work together on what may be the most talked about exhibition in the history of modern art. But can these two creative giants co-exist with such opposing views of life and art?

Today, Warhol and Basquiat’s works sell for tens of millions.

Barrera will play the role of Maya, a formidable truth-teller who loves Basquiat and is wary of Warhol.

McCarten penned the screen adaptation of his play, which made its world premiere at London’s Young Vic Theatre in February, with Bettany and Pope as Warhol and Basquiat, respectively. Renowned theatre director and writer Kwame Kwei-Armah is making his feature directorial debut with the project, after directing the play in its original run.

Production on The Collaboration begins this month in Boston at Marina Studios’ Quincy location.

Once production on the Collaboration film has wrapped, the play will head to Broadway, with Kwei-Armah, Bettany and Pope again returning. December 20 has been set as opening night, with previews beginning at MTC’s Samuel J. Friedman Theatre on November 29.

Barrera is best known for her turns in Paramount/Spyglass’ recent Scream reboot, Jon M. Chu’s film adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hit Broadway musical In the Heights for Warner Bros. and HBO Max, and the acclaimed Starz series, Vida.

She more recently led Keep Breathing, the Netflix series, which rose to #1 on the streamer when it premiered in late July.

She’s currently in production on Scream 6, reprising her role as Sam Carpenter, and will next be seen in Benjamin Millepied’s musical Carmen, which is world premiering this month at the Toronto Film Festival.

Tony Revolori to Star in “Scream 6”

Posted on July 15, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Tony Revolori is getting his scream on…

The 26-year-old Guatemalan American actor and Samara Weaving have been added to the cast of Scream 6.

Revolori and Weaving join an ensemble cast that includes Melissa Barrera, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding and Jenna Ortega, who toplined the fifth film in the franchise, along with Hayden Panettiere, Courteney Cox, Dermot Mulroney, Jack Champion, Liana Liberato, Devyn Nekoda, Josh Segarra and Henry Czerny.

The next installment in the horror franchise from Spyglass Media and Paramount Pictures will pick up with Sam (Barrera), Mindy (Brown), Chad (Gooding) and Tara (Ortega)—four survivors of the most recent batch of Ghostface killings—as they leave Woodsboro behind and start a fresh chapter.

Details as to the characters Weaving and Revolori will be playing have not been disclosed.

Radio Silence’s Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, who helmed the last Scream film, return as directors. James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick co-wrote the screenplay.

Revolori is best known for his collaboration with Wes Anderson on films like The Grand Budapest, The French Dispatch and the upcoming Asteroid City, and for his role as Flash Thompson in the most recent trilogy of Spider-Man films.

He stars in the Apple series Servant and will soon be seen in the Disney+ series Willow.

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.

Melissa Barrera Officially Confirmed for Return to “Scream” Reboot Sequel

Posted on May 14, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

There are more screams in Melissa Barrera’s future.

Spyglass Media and Paramount have officially confirmed that the 31-year-old Mexican actress and singer will be returning for the Scream sequel, with directors Radio Silence (Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett) returning and James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick co-writing the screenplay.

In addition to Barrera, the new generation of actors also coming back include Jenna Ortega, Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding.

Cameras will begin rolling early this summer for a theatrical release around the world on March 31, 2023.

In the next installment, the four survivors of the Ghostface killings leave Woodsboro behind and start a fresh chapter.

Scream architect 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.

After celebrating the franchise’s 25th Anniversary, the latest Scream earned a “Certified Fresh” score from Rotten Tomatoes and went on to gross more than $140 million at the global box office; part of Paramount’s proof that there’s appetite among moviegoers for lower budget as we come out of this pandemic.

Also starring in the movie were Kyle Gallner, Mikey Madison, Dylan Minnette, Jack Quaid, Marley Shelton, Sonia Ammar with original franchise members Courteney Cox, David Arquette and Neve Campbell.

The film is available now on digital, 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray and is currently streaming on Paramount +.

Through five movies the Scream series counts over $744M at the worldwide box office.

Jenna Ortega & Melissa Barrera’s “Scream” Debuts at the Top of the Box Office Charts

Posted on January 17, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Jenna Ortega & Melissa Barrera have plenty of reason to scream…

Scream, starring the 19-year-old Mexican American & Puerto Rican actress and the 31-year-old Mexican actress, has dethroned Spider-Man: No Way Home over the four-day Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, becoming the first film to unseat the superhero phenomenon since it debuted on December 17.

The slasher revival grossed $34 million from 3,664 locations to top the box office. The impressive haul means that Paramount and Spyglass Media, the companies behind the reboot, will have one very profitable movie on their hands. Scream cost a mere $25 million to produce.

Scream has brought back a moribund franchise to life, introducing younger audiences to a series of films that had been left for dead after the box office disappointment of 2011’s Scream 4.

The key to its appeal was that Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, the directing duo behind Ready or Not, paid homage to the films that came before Scream while updating the series with a savage twist on toxic fandom that resonated with younger crowds.

The filmmakers brought back series veterans Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette and paired them with newcomers like Barrera, Ortega, Jack Quaid and Dylan Minnette. And the DNA remained largely the same — once again, a serial killer in a Ghostface mask comes up with grisly and creative ways to dispatch the townspeople of Woodsboro, California, an idyllic community with a great school system and a shockingly low life expectancy.

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