Saban Films Acquires North American Rights to Paz Vega’s Action Thriller “American Night”

Posted on August 24, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Paz Vega will be spending the Night in the United States…

Saban Films has acquired the North American rights to the action thriller American Night, starring the 45-year-old Spanish actress.

The announcement comes ahead of the film’s debut at the Venice Film Festival, with plans to release it in theaters this fall.

The first feature from writer-director Alessio Della Valle is a neo-noir set in New York City’s corrupt contemporary art world, which stars Emile Hirsch, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Vega, Jeremy Piven, Michael Madsen and more.

The film follows art dealer John Kaplan (Meyers) and Michael Rubino (Hirsch), the ruthless head of New York’s mafia, as they fight for money, art, power and love.

American Night hails from Martha Productions, Pegasus Entertainment, QMI and RAI Cinema. Martha Capello and Ilaria Dello Iacono produced the film, with Giorgio Ferrero exec producing.

“We look forward to working with Director Alessio Della Valle on his feature directorial debut American Night,” said Saban Films’ Bill Bromiley. “His experiences travelling the world have equipped him with a unique perspective and make him such a gifted filmmaker.”

Paz Vega to Star in the Neo-Noir Thriller “American Night”

Posted on May 5, 2019 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a big Night for Paz Vega…

The 43-year-old Spanish actress will star in American Night, a neo-noir thriller helmed by first-time film director Alessio Jim Della Valle.

Vega, who rose to acclaim in the United States after starring opposite Adam Sandler in Spanglish, will star opposite Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Emile Hirsch and Jeremy Piven in the film.

Written by Della Valle, the plot follows Michael Rubino (Hirsch) who has just become the Don of the New York Mafia, but his greatest dream is to devote his life to painting and become a great artist. John Kaplan (Meyers), an art dealer, may feel like his life is in shambles, but he still has the best eye for spotting fakes in the world. Their paths, apparently distant, cross when Andy Warhol’s Pink Marilynis stolen, setting off a series of unexpected events that upend their lives.

Vega will play Sarah, who works as a museum curator and has earned her success without any shortcuts. Her only problem is being hopelessly in love with Kaplan

Rounding out the cast are Fortunato Cerlino, Annabelle Belmondo, Mara Lane, and Alba Amira Ramadaniwith cameo appearances featuring Michael Madsen, Maria Grazia Cucinotta, Marco Leonardi, and international popstar Anastacia, who is writing and performing the song and main musical theme for the film.

The film also features artwork by Andy Warhol, Mario Schifano, Jeff Koons, Annamaria Barbaro, Gotti Bernhoft, Tullio Crali, Davide Dall’Osso, Emanuele Giannelli, Anthony Moman, Kouhei Nakama, Andrea Roggi, and Simon Thompson.

Vega’s previous credits include I’m So Excited, Mary of Nazareth, 10 Items or Less and Grace of Monaco.

Lorenza Izzo to Star in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time In Hollywood”

Posted on August 23, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

Lorenza Izzo is heading to Hollywood…

The 28-year-old Chilean actress and model has landed a role in the Quentin Tarantino-helmed film Once Upon a Time In Hollywood.

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, the film visits 1969 Los Angeles, where one-time TV star Rick Dalton (DiCaprio) and his longtime stunt double Cliff Booth (Pitt) make their way in an industry they hardly recognize anymore. The plot features multiple storylines in a tribute to the final moments of Hollywood’s golden age.

The large ensemble cast also includes Margot Robbie, Timothy Olyphant, Luke Perry, Damian Lewis, Dakota Fanning, Al Pacino, Emile Hirsch, Clifton Collins Jr., Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Scoot McNairy, Keith Jefferson and Nicholas Hammond.

Tarantino,David Heyman and Shannon McIntosh are producers on the film, which is slated for release July 26.

Izzo recurs in the final season of Hulu’s Casual series and appears in Universal Pictures’ The House with a Clock in Its Walls.

de la Huerta to Star in Dramatic Comedy “Puppy Love”

Posted on March 15, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Paz de la Huerta is a lucky dog…

The 32-year-old Spanish American actress will star opposite Hopper Penn in Puppy Love, a dramatic comedy written and to be directed by Michael Maxxis, a music video and commercials director making his feature film debut.

The film is based on Maxxis’ actual cousin and follows a year in the life of Morgan Fairchild (Penn), who marches to the distant sound of his own offbeat drum and meets and falls in love with Carla (de la Huerta), who is homeless. The relationship grows and develops into something kind, endearing and beautiful even in their otherwise odd circumstances.

Singer Elle King, rapper Mickey Avalon and Wayne Newton will also appear in the film, with Nirvana and Foo Fighters record producer Butch Vig producing the soundtrack.

Michael Madsen, Donald Cerrone, Rosanna Arquette and Colleen Camp are also on board.

Principal photography is set to begin next week in Edmonton.

de la Huerta’s credits include notable roles in the films The Cider House Rules, A Walk to Remember and Enter the Void, and a memorable role on HBO’s drama series Boardwalk Empire.

The Weinstein Company to Release Bichir’s “The Hateful Eight” on Christmas Day

Posted on June 13, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Demian Bichir is preparing for a Hateful Christmas…

The Weinstein Company has announced plans to give Quentin Tarantino’s new movie The Hateful Eight, starring the 51-year-old Mexican actor, an exclusive two-week roadshow in 70mm nationwide beginning Christmas Day.

The plan is to follow that with a digital theatrical release on January 8. The Western shoot-em-up is Tarantino’s follow-up to 2012’s Django Unchained, for which he won the Original Screenplay Oscar. That also was released on December 25.

It will mark the widest 70mm release that the industry has seen in more than 20 years, TWC said. Tarantino has been one of the biggest proponents of the format and was part of the filmmaker-led fight to keep the film stock division open at Kodak, which had decided to scrap the unit altogether until it was resurrected in February.

Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen and Bruce Dern also star in the pic.

Bichir portrays Bob, “The Mexican,” in the film.

Bichir to Star in in Quentin Tarantino’s Post-Civil War Western “The Hateful Eight”

Posted on November 6, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Demián Bichir is hateful…

The 51-year-old Mexican American actor has been cast in Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight, the epic post-Civil War Western from The Weinstein Company.

The plot: A stagecoach hurtles through the wintry Wyoming landscape. The passengers, bounty hunter John Ruth and his fugitive Daisy Domergue, race towards the town of Red Rock where Ruth, known in these parts as “The Hangman,” will bring Domergue to justice. Along the road, they encounter two strangers: Major Marquis Warren, a former Union soldier-turned-infamous bounty hunter, and Chris Mannix, a Southern renegade who claims to be the town’s new sheriff.

Losing their lead on the blizzard, Ruth, Domergue, Warren and Mannix seek refuge at Minnie’s Haberdashery, a stagecoach stopover on a mountain pass. When they arrive at Minnie’s, they are greeted not by the proprietor but by four unfamiliar faces: Bob (portrayed by Bichir), who’s taking care of Minnie’s while she’s visiting her mother, is holed up with Oswaldo Mobray, the hangman of Red Rock, cow-puncher Joe Gage, and Confederate Gen. Sanford Smithers. As the storm overtakes the mountainside stopover, the eight travelers come to learn they may not make it to Red Rock after all.

Bichir, making his first appearance in a Tarantino film, joins a cast that includes Channing Tatum, Samuel L Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen and Bruce Dern.

The Hateful Eight begins shooting early next year in Telluride, with The Weinstein Company eyeing a 2015 release.

Trejo to Star in the Crime Thriller “Hope Lost”

Posted on March 14, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a case of hope lost for Danny Trejo…

The 69-year-old Mexican American actor, best known for his roles in the Machete films, has signed on to star opposite Mischa Barton in Hope Lost, a new crime thriller being financed and produced by Italian company AMBI Pictures.

B-movie favorites Michael Madsen and Daniel Baldwin have signed on to co-star in the feature film, which is set in the world of sex trafficking.

Italian director David Petrucci will helm Hope Lost, with shooting set to begin later this month in Rome.

Barton will play a young Romanian girl, bored with small town life, who dreams of entering the glamorous world she sees on Italian soap operas. One night at a club she meets Gabriele, who claims to be a TV producer who wants to cast her in a reality TV show he is making in Italy. But when she arrives, she is sold to the pimp Manol (Madsen) and forced to make her living on the street. Things get darker with the arrival of Ettore (Trejo), a sadist who makes snuff movies.

Alba Preparing to Reprise Her Role in the “Sin City” Sequel

Posted on August 27, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Jessica Alba is losing her hair (color) in her quest to prepare for her return to Sin City…

The 31-year-old half-Mexican American has revealed her transformation back into her Sin City character Nancy Callahan via her Twitter and Instagram accounts.

Alba—who is returning to her iconic role for the sequel to the cult classic, which is being called Sin City: A Dame to Kill For—shared images of her blonde transformation.

“”Bye Bye Brown Hair” r u on viddy yet? I’m documenting my brown to Sin City blonde!” wrote Alba before getting her makeover.

Alba later followed up with more photos that showed her during the hair coloring process. Once she completed her transformation, she shared a photo of herself with her newly-lightened locks and wrote,

“She got roots that Nancy #sincity2.”

But Alba isn’t just changing her hair color… She’s also getting physical for the role.

The following day, Alba shared a photo of herself during training lessons at the gun range.

“What a way to start the day -training for a movie is sorta fun,” she announced.

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For will focus on earlier story of Clive Owen‘s Dwight McCarthy, whose life is turned upside down when Ava, a woman from his past, returns and causes all sorts of problems for him.

Directed by Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller, the film is slated for an October 4, 2013 release.

Alba’s co-stars include Mickey Rourke, Rosario Dawson and Michael Madsen.

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