Rosario Dawson Among Voice Cast of Immersive Animated Series “Ghosts of Ruin”

Rosario Dawson is embracing the ruins

The 44-year-old Puerto Rican and Cuban American actress and activist has been cast in the immersive animated series Ghosts of Ruin.

Rosario DawsonDawson is part of a voice cast that includes Nathalie Emmanuel and Tony Revolori on the animated series, which follows a group of gamers as they compete in the first-ever neural reality battle royale game, named “Ruin.” However, a malicious virus appears and transforms their utopia into hell.

Protagonist Lee (Revolori) joins the ranks of the upcoming battle royale thanks to his gaming skills, but the game itself contains a dark and secret entity hunting each of the plays down.

Dawson, who will also be returning as Ahsoka in August, plays badass gaming gunslinger Prism and one of Lee’s fellow contestants. She is described as a standoffish pro gamer with one goal: to be the world’s undisputed champion — will deliver in an upcoming episode. Attendees watched three versions of her character’s quippy dialogue and overwhelmingly voted for option C, which landed the biggest burn against her ex-lover.

Emmanuel will voice Dr. Angela Tucci, who is teased as “a very monumental, pivotal character in the run of the show.”

“I’ve wanted her on the show from the very beginning, because I’m a big fan of hers,” said showrunner Michael Ryan. “She’s amazing. And I think the part she’s playing is so perfect. I can’t wait to record her.”

Ryan also offered a little more detail on who Emmanuel will voice. “She’s pretty much running the neural reality,” he teased. “Everything I’ve watched Nathalie in, her acting is so strong and her sense of presence and strength really comes through and I really think that’s going to be perfect.

Also starring in the show are K-Pop star AleXa, Karen Strassman and John Bentley, as well as Josh Keaton, Justin Long, Cherise Boothe, Harron Atkins, Michael Longfellow and JB Blanc.

“Ghosts of Ruin” will debut this fall via the Gala Film website, the film and TV division of Web3 company Gala. Though no streaming service is attached to the project yet, Battle Island plans to shop the project to other platforms for a wider release.

Aubrey Plaza to Star in Francis Ford Coppola’s Passion Project “Megalopolis” 

Aubrey Plaza is having a mega moment…

The 38-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress/comedian will star in Francis Ford Coppola’s passion project Megalopolis

Aubrey PlazaThe film stars Adam Driver, Forest WhitakerNathalie EmmanuelJon Voight and Laurence Fishburne.

Coppola is directing the project from his own script.

The contemporary drama is described as follows: The fate of Rome haunts a modern world unable to solve its own social problems in this epic story of political ambition, genius and conflicted love.

The film’s budget will be just under $100 million, and production begins this fall.

Plaza recently starred in the film Emily the Criminal, which premiered earlier this year Sundance Film Festival.

She is also set to star in the next season of HBO’s hit anthology series The White Lotus.

Universal Announces Plans to End Michelle Rodriguez’s Fast & Furious Franchise with Two Final Films

It’s the beginning of the end for Michelle Rodriguez.

Universal Pictures is planning to wrap up its Fast & Furious core film franchise, starring the 42-year-old Puerto Rican and Dominican American actress, with two final movies that will bring to a close a franchise.

Michelle Rodriguez The Limit

The Fast & Furious films have revved their way to become the highest-grossing movie series in the studio’s history. Justin Lin, who’s in post-production on F9, is in talks to direct the final two installments and bring a saga that began nearly 20 years ago to a close.

It’s early days on when this will begin production but it seems likely they will tell a big story over two films that will focus on franchise patriarch Vin Diesel and bring back Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Jordana Brewster, Nathalie Emmanuel and Sung Kang.

F9 — which is the fifth film in the franchise directed by Lin and which premieres next Memorial Day — continues the storyline of the core cast and Charlize Theron, and adds John Cena, Helen Mirren, Grammy-winner Cardi B and reggaeton star Ozuna. They are just beginning to put the final two vehicles together. There’s speculation that Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham — core cast members who peeled off for the F&F spinoff Hobbs & Shaw after Johnson and Diesel had a falling out — will be back for the finale.

There’s also an opportunity to pull off the motorhead’s answer to Marvel’s Avengers, a configuration that might include Wonder Woman’s Gal Gadot, also part of the ensemble earlier in her career.

It might not have seemed probable back when The Fast & Furious launched the franchise in 2001 with Diesel and Paul Walker as lead-footed protagonists, but the entire series has eclipsed Jurassic Park to become Universal’s biggest. The eight movies and the spinoff have grossed around $5.7 billion; Jurassic is also over $5 billion and has its next installment, Jurassic World: Dominion, shooting in London.

The Fast franchise survived the tragic death of cornerstone star Walker, but it’s always good to end the race before the vehicle runs out of gas. There are still plans for other movie spinoffs and TV shows, so there will be no call for the studio to be calling Kars for Kids to cart away a junker.

It is likely that the final two installments will be produced by Diesel through his One Race Films banner, Jeff Kirschenbaum, Lin, Neal Moritz, Joe Roth, Clayton Townsend and Samantha Vincent. They are the producers of F9.

Lin berthed his Perfect Storm Entertainment banner at Universal in a multi-year overall film and TV deal in late summer, and these two films will likely keep him busy for a long time.

Universal Moves Release Date of Michelle Rodriguez’s “F9” to Memorial Day 2021

Michelle Rodriguez is getting some push back…

Universal Pictures has announced plans to move F9, starring the 42-year-old Puerto Rican and Dominican American actress, to May 28, 2021, which is Memorial Day weekend.

Michelle Rodriguez F9

The move comes after MGM moved its James Bond pic No Time to Die, starring Ana de Armas, to April 2, 2021 — which had been the release date for this latest installment of The Fast and the Furious franchise.

In March, F9 drove out of its original May 22, 2020 global day-and-date release amid the coronavirus lockdown. The studio had previously reserved that April 2021 date for Fast & Furious 10.

Justin Lin returns to direct F9 a cast that includes Rodriguez, who portrays Letty Ortiz, Vin Diesel, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Jordana Brewster, Nathalie Emmanuel, Sung Kang, Helen Mirren, Charlize Theron, Cardi B and Ozuna.

The entire franchise, including spinoff Hobbs & Shaw, through nine movies counts $5.9 billion at the worldwide box office.

Helena Bonham-Carter Joins Voice Cast of Netflix’s “Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance”

Helena Bonham-Carter is putting up some Resistance…

The 52-year-old part Spanish actress has joined the all-star voice cast of Netflix’s forthcoming Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance.

Helena Bonham-Carter

Taron EgertonAnya Taylor-Joy and Nathalie Emmanuel have been cast as respective Gefling heroes Rian, Brea and Deet, while Bonham-Carter, Toby JonesAlicia Vikander, Simon Pegg and Andy Samberg also lend their voices to the return of Jim Henson’s classic that will launch globally in 2019.

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance is based on Henson’s 1982 feature The Dark CrystalThe series tells a new epic story, set many years before the events of the movie and realized using classic puppetry with cutting-edge visual effects. We find that the world of Thra is dying. At the heart of Thra is the Crystal of Truth, a source of untold power. But it is damaged, corrupted by the evil Skeksis, and a sickness spreads across the land. When three Gelflings uncover the horrific truth behind the power of the Skeksis, an adventure unfolds as the fires of rebellion are lit and an epic battle for the planet begins.

Also joining the voice cast are Caitriona Balfe, Harris Dickinson, Natalie Dormer, Eddie Izzard, Theo James, Shazad LatifGugu Mbatha-Raw and Mark Strong.

The Skeksis & Mystics will be voiced by Harvey Fierstein, Mark Hamill, Ralph Ineson, Jason Isaacs,Keegan-Michael Keyand Ólafur Darri Ólafsson. Aughra will be voiced by Donna Kimball.

Additional characters will also be voiced by puppeteers from the production.

New Trailer Released for Rodriguez’s “The Fate of the Furious”

Michelle Rodriguez is kicking it into high gear…

Universal Pictures has released a new trailer for The Fate of the Furious, starring the38-year-old Dominican-American actress.

Michelle Rodriguez

Once again, the car criminals-turned-superheroes are back in this upcoming eighth installment, this time going up again a mysterious tech terrorist, who forces an alliance with Vin Diesel’s family leader Dominic Toretto.

F. Gary Gray is at the helm of the sequel, which will bow in theaters April 14.

After Dom is seduced into a world of crime and betray those closest to him, the gang is forced to go against their former leader and end up working with one of their greatest enemies to take him down.

There’s explosions, melodrama, intense fight scenes, witty comebacks, and of course, a lot of cars going really fast –all the elements that have made the Fast & Furious a billion-dollar franchise.

The film sees the return of Diesel, Rodriguez, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Jason Statham, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Nathalie Emmanuel, Elsa Pataky and Kurt Russell along with newcomers Charlize Theron, Helen Mirren and Scott Eastwood.