Lana Parrilla to Appear on Season 2 of Netflix’s “The Lincoln Lawyer”

Lana Parrilla is lawyering up…

The 45-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress has joined the cast of Netflix’s hit series The Lincoln Lawyer for Season 2 in a recurring role.

Lana ParrillaShe will play Lisa Trammell, a beloved chef and community advocate struggling to keep her restaurant afloat as a predatory real estate developer threatens the neighborhood around her.

Based on the series of bestselling novels by Michael ConnellyThe Lincoln Lawyer follows the redemption of Mickey Haller (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), a Los Angeles attorney who regains much of what he lost due to addiction with hard work and hustle. His success is also thanks to his devoted supporters: his ex-wives Maggie (Neve Campbell) and Lorna (Becki Newton), his driver and unofficial sponsor Izzy (Jazz Raycole), and the best investigator in town—and Lorna’s newly minted fiancé—Cisco (Angus Sampson).

The 10-episode second season will be based on the fourth book in The Lincoln Lawyer series by Connelly, The Fifth Witness.

Season 2 will be executive-produced by co-showrunners Ted Humphrey and Dailyn Rodriguez; as well as Connelly, David E. Kelley, Ross Fineman, Barry Jossen and Tana Jamieson. The series is produced by A+E Studios for Netflix.

Parrilla is best known for her portrayal of the Evil Queen/Regina Mills in ABC’s Once Upon a Time across the show’s seven seasons. Most recently she starred as Rita Castillo in Marc Cherry’s dark dramedy Why Women Kill. She’s also appeared in various hit shows including Spin CityNYPD BlueSix Feet Under24Lost and The Shield.

Her film credits include 2000’s Very Mean Men alongside Matthew Modine and Ben Gazzara, as well as 2020’s The Tax Collector opposite Jimmy Smits and George Lopez.

Lana Parrilla to Star Opposite J.Lo in Netflix’s AI Drama “Atlas”

Lana Parrilla is heading out of this world…

The 45-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress will star opposite Jennifer Lopez in Netflix’s AI drama Atlas, directed by Brad Peyton.

Lana ParrillaParrilla joins Simu Liu, Sterling K. Brown and Abraham Popoola in the film penned by Aron Eli Coleite and Leo Sardarian.

In Atlas, an intelligence analyst gets stranded on a distant planet and must learn to fight inside a military-grade mech suit in order to survive.

Parrilla played Regina Mills, aka The Evil Queen, for 156 episodes on ABC’s hit series Once Upon a TimeHer work on the show earned her the NHMC Impact Award; an ALMA Award for Outstanding TV Actress; a Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Actress: Fantasy / Sci-Fi; and, as voted by fans, TV Guide’s Best Villain twice.

She recently starred on Marc Cherry’s Paramount+ series Why Women Kill, a role for which she received a Gracie Award for Best Supporting Actress in Comedy. She also starred alongside Bobby Soto, Shia LaBeouf and George Lopez in David Ayer’s indie thriller The Tax Collector.

Prior to that, Parrilla was a series regular on ABC’s sitcom Spin CityGraham Yost’s Boomtown24, Swingtown, and on Jerry Bruckheimer’s medical drama Miami Medical

In addition to her on-screen work, Parrilla stepped behind the camera and went on to direct one of the final episodes of Once Upon a Time. She also executive produced the documentary Split at the Root, which premiered this year at SXSW.

Rosario Dawson to Executive Produce the Border Crisis Documentary “Split At The Root”

Rosario Dawson is laying down roots on an important new project…

The 42-year-old Puerto Rican and Cuban American actress and activist has joined the upcoming SXSW documentary Split At The Root as an executive producer alongside Lana Parrilla.

Rosario Dawson

The Linda Goldstein Knowlton-directed film is scheduled to play in the Austin festival’s Documentary Spotlight section.

Split at the Root follows the emotional journey of mothers separated from their children at the U.S. border and the grassroots initiative that, against all odds, reunites those families. When a Guatemalan mother seeking asylum was separated from her kids under the Zero Tolerance Policy, a Facebook post by a mom in Queens coalesced into a movement as thousands of like-minded women across the U.S. refused to stand by quietly. Immigrant Families Together was born – a rapid response group committed to doing what the government couldn’t – or wouldn’t do: reunite parents with their children separated by the Zero Tolerance Policy.

Producers for Split at the Root include Emmy-nominated writer/producer Marti Noxon of Tiny Pyro Productions, Noxon’s President of Production Maria Grasso, Miranda Bailey of Cold Iron Pictures.

Dawson has produced fiction and nonfiction projects ranging from This Is Not A War Story, nominated for The John Cassavetes Spirit Award, the award-winning documentary The Need To Grow which she also has narrated, and produced two projects for Free Speech TelevisionThe Assembly as well as Telethon for America 2020, both of which she co-hosted.

Behind the cameras, Dawson is highly active in political, social and environmental causes and has been involved with many social justice organizations including Amnesty International, Voto Latino, Save The Children, Doctors Without Borders and RESPECT!

“When it comes to immigration policy in this country, it is more than just a political crisis—we’re suffering a crisis of our very humanity. And one way to change the debate in Washington is by changing the language we use and the stories we produce such as Split the Root, opening the lens wider so people get the full picture. By having those who have come to the US to seek asylum front-and-center in this film and showing how every person can make a true difference to create change is why I wanted to join the producing team of this film” said Dawson.

Noxon added, “From the moment I heard the story of mothers on this side of the border helping mothers and children on the other side, I was compelled to know more. I couldn’t imagine any parent who knows the wrenching pain of being separated from their children who wouldn’t relate. And I had total confidence that Linda Goldstein Knowlton and the whole team would capture the beauty, despair, and hope of these women’s journey. I’m proud to be part of it and am so pleased to have Rosario join the team in amplifying these women’s voices and helping to shine a light on the compassionate Americans who supported them along the way.”

“My intention with this film was to tell an intimate, personal story of families separated by the Zero Tolerance policy, told by powerful women from both sides of the border. I couldn’t be more grateful to Marti and Rosario for helping to make this film a reality and bring the spotlight back onto the ongoing experiences of these families” said Goldstein Knowlton.

Parrilla’s television credits include Once Upon a TimeSpin City, Swingtown, Boomtown, Windfall and 24. For her turn as The Evil Queen/Regina Mills in Once Upon a Time, she won a Teen Choice Award for Choice Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actress, an ALMA Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series and a nomination for Best Supporting Actress on Television from the 38th Saturn Awards.

Kalinda Vazquez Signs Multi-Year Overall Deal with Netflix

Life is but a stream for Kalinda Vazquez

Netflix signed a multi-year overall deal with the Latina creator, writer, and producer.

Kalinda VazquezUnder the terms of the deal, Vazquez will create, write and produce new series and other projects at the streamer.

Vazquez, known for her work on Star Trek: Discovery and Fear The Walking Dead, is already writing and developing her first project Arbor Hall, an original YA concept that blends mystery, thriller, and genre story elements.

It tells the story of a Latinx teen girl who investigates the mysterious disappearance of her best friend on the campus of their exclusive boarding school. Along the way, she discovers an underbelly of her school that is far darker than just money and privilege.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled to be joining the Netflix family – it is a huge honor and joy to have a creative home at a place where originality is trumpeted and creators’ unique visions are fostered. I am so excited for what is to come,” Vazquez said in a statement.

“Kalinda is a rare talent with a passion for genre storytelling and a trove of ideas and original concepts,” says Alex Sapot, Netflix Director, Overall Deals. “We’re thrilled and privileged to support her vision and bring her distinctive voice, characters, and stories to the forefront.”

Vazquez is an upper-level film and television writer who has worked on  Star Trek: Short TreksFear the Walking DeadRunaways, and Once Upon A Time.

She’s currently writing an untitled Star Trek movie for Paramount and Bad Robot, as well as adapting the sci-fi novel Roadmarks as a series for HBO with George R.R. Martin producing.

Lana Parrilla to Star in the Indie Drama “Scrap”

Lana Parrilla is scrapping her plans…

The 44-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress and Once Upon a Time alum will star alongside Anthony Rapp and writer-director Vivian Kerr in Scrap, an indie drama from producer Rachel Stander and her A Season of Rain banner.

Lana Parrilla

Beth DoverKhleo ThomasBrad Schmidt and Julianna Layne have also joined the cast of the film, which is now shooting.

Kerr plays Beth, who has recently been laid off and struggles to maintain the appearance of a successful middle-class lifestyle as she bounces around Los Angeles. Hoping to land a new job and change her situation before her estranged older brother Ben (Rapp) finds out, Beth must confront her own pride before she can reconnect with him and provide for her young daughter Birdy (Layne).

Parrilla, whose most recent credits include Paramount+’s Why Woman Kill, will play Ben’s wife, a successful attorney who is secretly struggling with IVF and re-evaluating her own conflicted relationship with motherhood. Dover plays the principal at Birdy’s school. Schmidt plays Beth’s troubled ex, and Thomas is her potential love interest.

Kerr’s screenplay was a finalist in Final Draft’s Big Break Screenplay Competition; it later became a short film that starred Kerr and Rapp.

The adaptation is the directorial debut for Kerr.

Camila Perez to Star Opposite Eugenio Derbez in Apple TV+’s Bilingual Comedy Series “Acapulco”

Camila Perez is headed south of the border…

The Colombian actress will star opposite Eugenio Derbez in Acapulco, Apple TV+’s bilingual comedy series inspired by 3Pas Studios and Pantelion Films’ 2017 Derbez starrer How to Be a Latin Lover.

Camila Perez

Perez joins a list of cast newcomers that includes Enrique Arrizon, Damian Alcázar and Raphael Alejandro.

Richard Shepard will direct the pilot episode for Lionsgate Television.

Created by Austin Winsberg, Eduardo Cisneros and Jason Shuman, Acapulco is a half-hour Spanish- and English-language comedy that centers on Maximo (Arrizon), a young Mexican man whose dream comes true when he gets the job of a lifetime at the hottest resort in Acapulco. But soon he realizes that the gig is far more complicated than he ever imagined as all of his beliefs and morals start to be questioned.

The series takes place in 1984, with Derbez narrating and playing the present-day version of the main character.

Also reprising his role from the movie is Alejandro, who plays Hugo, Older Maximo’s nephew.

Alcázar joins the cast as Don Pablo, the head of operations at the Acapulco resort. Perez will play Julia, the resort’s front desk receptionist.

Perez’s credits include Gotham and A Teacher.

Arrizon’s credits also include An Unknown Enemy.

Alcázar has been seen in The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian and The Perfect Dictatorship.

Alejandro starred on Once Upon A Time.

Kalinda Vazquez to Write “Star Trek” Film for Paramount Pictures

Kalinda Vazquez has landed an out of this world opportunity…

The Latina television writer and producer has been set by Paramount Pictures to write a Star Trek film.

Kalinda Vazquez

JJ AbramsBad Robot is producing.

Vazquez has written on Star Trek: Discovery, and insiders say this is a blind deal for an original movie that she hatched, one that expands her role in the Star Trek Universe.

Vazquez was a co-executive producer on Fear the Walking Dead. She also got her name from the original Star Trek series, after a character from the second-season episode “By Any Other Name.” In the 1968 episode, the character’s name was Kelinda.

Vazquez just made a splash in teaming with Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin on an HBO series adaptation of the Roger Zelazny sci-fi novel Roadmarks.

Vazquez’s television credits include Marvel’s Runaways, Once Upon a Time, Nikita, Human Target and Prison Break, and she recently adapted Barrier, based on a Brian K. Vaughan graphic novel, for Legendary Television.

Lana Parrilla to Star on CBS All Access’ Anthology Series “Why Women Kill”

Lana Parrilla has landed a kill-er role…

The 43-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress has joined the cast for the second season of CBS All Access’ anthology series Why Women Kill.

Lana Parrilla

Parrilla, who won a Teen Choice Award for her role as The Evil Queen/Regina Mills on ABC’s Once Upon a Time, is part of a roster of new cast additions that includes Queen of the South’s Veronica Falcón, B.K. Cannon, Jordane Christie and Matthew Daddario.

They join previously announced cast members Allison Tolman and Nick Frost in the series that hails from Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry, Imagine Television Studios and CBS Studios.

This season of the dark comedy features a new ensemble cast and storylines set in 1949 that will explore what it means to be beautiful, the hidden truth behind the facades people present to the world, the effects of being ignored and overlooked by society, and finally, the lengths one woman will go in order to finally belong.

Parrilla will play Rita, the sardonic wife to the wealthy and evil Carlo Castillo. As she waits for her elderly husband to die, Rita runs the garden club with an iron fist and spends much of her time engaging in an affair with a younger lover.

Falcón will play Catherine, Carlo Castillo’s spinster daughter. Prim and proper, Catherine detests her father’s gorgeous wife, Rita, and returns to town after a mysterious accident, seeking a way to destroy her.

Parrilla can be seen in David Ayer’s indie thriller The Tax Collector. Her previous credits include Prior Boomtown, Windfall, Swingtown, Miami Medical, Spin City and 24.

Falcón’s credits include starring roles in Queen of the South, an episode of the anthology Room 104 and Perpetual Grace LTD. Most recently, she appeared in Perry Mason and can next be seen in Marvel’s Winter Falcon, as well as the upcoming films Jungle Cruise, the next installment of The Purge franchise, Ted Melfi’s The Starling and Neil Burger’s Voyagers.

Dania Ramirez to Star in Netflix’s DC Vertigo Comic-Based Series “Sweet Tooth”

Dania Ramirez has landed a Sweet role…

The 40-year-old Dominican actress and Devious Maids star will star in Sweet ToothNetflix’s new drama series based on the DC Vertigo comic.

Dania Ramirez

Ramirez will be part of the series’ core cast of series regulars, which includes Christian ConveryNonso Anozie and Adeel AkhtarWill Forte has a recurring role, while James Brolin serves as the series’ narrator.

The eight-episode Sweet Tooth follows the adventures of Gus (Convery) — part deer, part boy — who leaves his home in the forest to find the outside world ravaged by a cataclysmic event. He joins a ragtag family of humans and animal-children hybrids like himself in search of answers about this new world and the mystery behind his hybrid origins.

Ramirez will reportedly play Aimee, a pioneer in the middle of dystopic America, a lone scavenger in an abandoned city, rebuilding a sustainable habitat and giving orphaned hybrids a home.

The project hails from Robert Downey Jr. and Susan Downey’s Team DowneyJim MickleBeth Schwartz and Warner Bros. Television.

Along with fellow new Netflix series Cowboy Bebop, Sweet Tooth was among of a handful of Hollywood television series and movies to be granted border exemptions by the New Zealand government several weeks ago, a crucial step for any overseas production to be able to film in the country, which has largely eradicated COVID-19.

The tentative plan is for the cast to travel to New Zealand in August, where they’ll self-isolate for two weeks ahead of a potential September 7 start of production, according to Deadline.com. 

Ramirez can currently be seen as one of the leads in the first season of Kevin Williamson’s CBS All Access anthology drama series Tell Me a Story, airing on the CW

She previously starred on Marc Cherry’s Lifetime series Devious  Maids and had major roles on ABC’s Once Upon a Time and NBC’s Heroes

Netflix Renews Joanna Garcia Swisher’s “Sweet Magnolias” for Second Season

There’s more sweetmoments in Joanna Garcia Swisher’s future…

Netflix has renewed Sweet Magnolias, starring the 40-year-old half-Cuban American actress, for a second season.

JoAnna Garcia Swisher

Garcia Swisher, Brooke Elliott and Heather Headley will all return for the next installment.

Sweet Magnolias,based on Sherryl Woods’ popular series of novels published by Harlequin imprint MIRA books, follows lifelong best friends Maddie (Garcia Swisher), Dana Sue (Elliott), and Helen (Headley) as they juggle relationships, family, and careers in the charming small town of Serenity, SC.

Sweet Magnolias is part of Netflix’s push into the romance drama space, based on a bestselling novel with female protagonists. 

Swisher Garcia’s previous television credits include Privileged, Better with YouAnimal PracticeOnce Upon a Time and The Astronaut Wives Club