Esai Morales Starring in the Western Thriller “Cottonmouth”

Posted on September 28, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Esai Morales has a serious case of cottonmouth…

The 60-year-old Puerto Rican actor will star in the Western thriller Cottonmouth, which entered production last week in Oklahoma after receiving a SAG interim agreement.

In addition to Morales, who most recently appeared in Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning, the cast also includes Martin Sensmeier, Ron Perlman, Eric Nelsen, Jonathan Sadowski, Alyssa Wapanatâhk, James Landry Hébert and Kimberly Guerrero (The Glorias).

Brock Harris (Wild Game) is directing from a script he wrote alongside Jared Bonner.

Set in 1895, the film follows friends Ed and Frank (Sensmeier and Sadowski) who become brutal enemies in Oklahoma frontier territory when a rivalry develops over a woman (Wapanatâhk) who is set to inherit a prominent saloon. After a bounty hunter (Nelsen) makes Ed disappear to a tortuous prison run by a sinister warden (Perlman), he must learn the ways of an outlaw from a prison-mate (Morales) to escape and exact his revenge.

“Making a western in my home state is the ultimate blessing. With these legendary performers, we’re delivering a tall tale on sacred land,” said Harris. “Revenge is a dish best served with a smoking gun.”

Concourse and Rebullium recently teamed up on thriller Model House, which sold to Shout! Studios at TIFF and will see a rollout across multiple platforms, starting with a theatrical launch in early spring 2024.

Harris’ comedy film Dance Dads (2022) took home the audience award at the Austin Film Festival.

Alfred Molina to Star in the Apple Original Films’ “The Instigators”

Posted on March 30, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Alfred Molina is an instigator…

The 69-year-old half-Spanish English actor has joined the cast of Apple Original Films’ The Instigators, starring Matt Damon and Casey Affleck.

Molina is among a roster of new cast additions that includes Ving Rhames and Ron Perlman.

The A-list ensemble also includes Hong Chau, Paul Walter Hauser and Michael Stuhlbarg. Doug Liman is directing.

The film follows two thieves who go on the run with the help of one of their therapists after a robbery goes awry. The script was penned by Chuck MacLean and Casey Affleck and was developed by Robinov, Graham and Casey Affleck.

Damon and Ben Affleck are producing through their banner Artists Equity, along with Jeff Robinov and John Graham through Studio 8 and Kevin Walsh through his The Walsh Company.

Molina is coming off reprising role as Doc Ock in Spider-Man: No Way Home and also was seen in the most recent season of FX’s Feud.

Michaela Jaé Rodriguez Joins Cast of Paramount’s “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts”

Posted on December 2, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Michaela Jaé Rodriguez is ready for a transformation…

The 31-year-old half-Puerto Rican Golden Globe-winning actress has joined the cast of Paramount’s upcoming Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.

Rodriguez, who portrays Nightbird, is among a list of new cast additions that includes Peter Dinklage (as the voice of Scourge), Liza Koshy (as the voice of Arcee), John DiMaggio (as the voice of Stratosphere), David Sobolov (as Rhinox/Battletrap), Cristo Fernández (as Wheeljack) and Tobe Nwigwe (as Reek).

They all join previously announced cast members Anthony Ramos, Dominique Fishback, Michelle Yeoh (as Airazor), Pete Davidson (as Mirage), Peter Cullen (as Optimus Prime) and Ron Perlman (Optimus Primal) in the Steven Caple Jr. directed next installment of the franchise.

The film will hit theaters on June 9, 2023.

The screenplay is by Joby Harold, Darnell Metayer & Josh Peters, and Erich Hoeber & Jon Hoeber, with story by Harold.

The new movie will take audiences on a ‘90s globetrotting adventure with the Autobots and introduce a whole new breed of Transformer – the Maximals – to the existing battle on earth between Autobots and Decepticons.

Hasbro is executive producing; Skydance is co-financing and executive producing; New Republic Pictures is also co-financing and executive producing.

Rodriguez has starred on Pose, Loot, Luke Cage, Nurse Jackie and in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s feature tick, tick…Boom!

Fernandez stars as Dani Rojas on Ted Lasso, in the movie Creatures and the $1.9 billion grossing movie, Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Netflix Releases Official Trailer for “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio”

Posted on November 10, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Here’s your first look at Guillermo del Toro’s take on the classic Pinocchio tale.

Netflix has released the official trailer for Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio from the 58-year-old Mexican Oscar-winning filmmaker ahead of its December 9 premiere on the streaming service after its run in select theaters.

The del Toro imprint is fully evident in the trailer for the film, which takes the classic Carlo Collodi fairy tale and sets it in Mussolini’s Italy.

The stop-motion animation, which he co-directed with Mark Gustafson, lends itself to del Toro’s eye for detail, from its storyline tweaks, creatures with hints of Pan’s Labyrinth and carnival scenes that would have felt at home in Nightmare Alley.

It all serves the plot, which finds lonely Geppetto, a broken man after the death of his son, carving a new boy out of wood who is suddenly brought to life. David Bradley voices Geppetto, and Gregory Mann is Pinocchio. Ewan McGregor handled narrator duties as the voice of Jiminy Cricket.

The voice cast also includes Tilda Swinton, Christoph Waltz, Finn Wolfhard, Cate Blanchett, John Turturro, Ron Perlman, Tim Blake Nelson and Burn Gorman.

Patrick McHale penned the screenplay for the film.

Pinocchio has been on the festival circuit since world premiering last month at the BFI London Film.

Luis Guzmán to Star in Rian Johnson’s Peacock Series “Poker Face”

Posted on September 7, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Luis Guzmán is playin’ poker…

The 66-year-old Puerto Rican actor will star in Peacock’s Poker Face, a mystery drama series starring Natasha Lyonne, hailing from Rian Johnson, his T-Street banner and MRC Television.

Guzman is among a roster of new cast additions that includes Cherry Jones, Hong Chau and Reed Birney.

Details of their roles, as well as plot details of the 10-episode anthology-like series are being kept under wraps.

In addition to Lyonne, the four join previously announced cast members Adrien Brody, Angel Desai, Audrey Corsa, Benjamin Bratt, Charles Melton, Chloe Sevigny, Clea DuVall, Danielle MacDonald, Dascha Polanco, Ellen Barkin, Jasmine Aiyana Garvin, Jameela Jamil, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Judith Light, Leslie Silva, Lil Rel Howery, Niall Cunningham, Nicholas Cirillo, Nick Nolte, Ron Perlman, S. Epatha Merkerson, Shane Paul McGhie, Simon Helberg, Stephanie Hsu, Tim Blake Nelson and Tim Meadows.

Johnson is the creator, writer and director of Poker Face and will also executive produce alongside T-Street partner Ram Bergman and the company’s television president Nena Rodrigue. Nora Zuckerman and Lilla Zuckerman (Prodigal Son, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D) serve as showrunners and executive producers. Lyonne also will serve as an executive producer via her Animal Pictures. The company’s Maya Rudolph and Danielle Renfrew Behrens will co-executive produce.

Guzmán is best known for his roles in Steven Soderbergh’s films such as Out of Sight, The Limey, and Traffic, and in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Boogie Nights, Magnolia, and Punch-Drunk Love.

On television, he has had key roles on Showtime’s Shameless, Epix’s Godfather of Harlem and Perpetual Grace, LTD.

BFI London Film Festival to Host World Premiere of Guillermo del Toro’s “Pinocchio”

Posted on September 5, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Guillermo del Toro’s latest project will have its world premiere in London…

The 57-year-old Mexican Oscar-winning filmmaker and author’s Pinocchio will have its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival.

The film is del Toro’s dark take on the classic fairy tale about a wooden marionette brought to life to mend the heart of a grieving woodcarver named Geppetto.

The film will debut in the Royal Festival Hall at the Southbank Centre during the festival, which takes place October 5-15, 2022.

The stop-motion film was directed by del Toro and Mark Gustafson and is from a screenplay by the Mexican filmmaker and Patrick McHale.

The film’s voice cast includes Ewan McGregor as Cricket, David Bradley as Geppetto and Gregory Mann as Pinocchio. Finn Wolfhard, Cate Blanchett, John Turturro, Ron Perlman, Tim Blake Nelson, Burn Gorman and Christoph Waltz and Tilda Swinton also star.

The film’s music will be provided by the Oscar-winning composer Alexandre Desplat, who has also written the score. Netflix is set to release the film theatrically in November before making it available for streaming in December.

Netflix Releases Trailer for Guillermo del Toro’s “Pinocchio”

Posted on July 27, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Guillermo del Toro’s latest project is a nose above the rest…

Netflix has released the trailer for the 57-year-old Mexican Oscar-winning filmmaker’s Pinocchio, his take on the classic fairy tale about a wooden marionette brought to life to mend the heart of a grieving woodcarver named Geppetto.

The stop-motion film, directed by del Toro and Mark Gustafson, will get a theatrical run in November and hit the streamer in December.

The film’s voice cast includes Ewan McGregor as Cricket, David Bradley as Geppetto and Gregory Mann as Pinocchio.

Finn Wolfhard, Cate Blanchett, John Turturro, Ron Perlman, Tim Blake Nelson, Burn Gorman, Christoph Waltz and Tilda Swinton also star.

Principal photography on the film began in 2019 at ShadowMachine’s studio in Portland, OR, and production remained uninterrupted during the pandemic.

del Toro co-wrote the script with Patrick McHale. And the film’s music will be provided by Oscar-winning composer Alexandre Desplat, who has also written the score.

The animation remake is the first of two forthcoming collaborations between del Toro and Netflix.

The second, titled Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities, is an anthology horror series featuring eight new tales — including two original works by del Toro — brought to life by a team of writers and directors personally chosen by the Nightmare Alley filmmaker. Additional episode directors will include Ana Lily Amirpour, Catherine Hardwicke, Guillermo Navarro, David Prior, and Keith Thomas.

Netflix Releases First Look at Guillermo del Toro’s “Pinocchio” Film

Posted on January 25, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Guillermo del Toro is keeping his latest project right under your nose…

Netflix has released the first teaser trailer for the 57-year-old Oscar-winning filmmaker’s stop-motion musical update of the classic Pinocchio tale.

Carlo Collodi’s classic charts the story of a wooden marionette who is magically brought to life in order to mend the heart of a grieving woodcarver named Geppetto.

Directed by del Toro alongside Mark Gustafson, the film will chart the mischievous and disobedient adventures of Pinocchio in his pursuit of a place in the world.

The voice cast includes Ewan McGregor, David Bradley, Tilda Swinton, Christoph Waltz, Finn Wolfhard, Cate Blanchett, John Turturro, Ron Perlman, Tim Blake Nelson, Burn Gorman and newcomer Gregory Mann as Pinocchio.

del Toro co-wrote the screenplay with Patrick McHale.

Netflix will release the movie in December 2022.

First Trailer Released for Guillermo del Toro’s Remake of the 1947 Film Noir Classic “Nightmare Alley”

Posted on September 19, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Guillermo del Toro is sharing his nightmare…

The first teaser trailer has been released for Nightmare Alley, directed and co-written by the 56-year-old Mexican Oscar-winning filmmaker.

del Toro’s latest project is a star-packed remake of the 1947 film noir classic, which is based on the 1946 novel by William Lindsay Gresham.

“I am prepared to offer you folks one last chance to witness this supreme oddity…. Is it a beast — or is it a man?”

So says Willem Dafoe’s carnival barker in the trailer, which also stars Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper and two-time Oscar winner Cate Blanchett, who take over the roles originally played by Tyrone Power and Helen Walker.

Cooper plays Stan Carlisle, an ambitious young carny who has a talent for manipulating people with a few well-chosen words. He hooks up with a psychiatrist (Blanchett) who is even more dangerous than he is.

The big-name supporting cast includes Academy Award nominees Toni Collette, Richard Jenkins, Rooney Mara and David Straithairn, along with two-time Emmy nominee Ron Perlman.

The film co-written by Kim Morgan marks Del Toro’s first time behind the camera since 2018’s The Shape of Water, for which he won Best Picture and Best Director Oscars.

He also produced Nightmare Alley along with his Shape of Water collaborator J. Miles Dale.

The film will open in theaters on December 17 via Searchlight.

Gerard Celasco to Star in ABC’s Drama Pilot “The Finest”

Posted on March 11, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

Gerard Celasco has landed his Finest role yet…

The 35-year-old Salvadoran-American actor has been cast in the ABC drama pilot The Finest (aka Untitled Holmes Sisters), from former CSI: NY showrunner Pam Veasey, Robin Roberts, Regina King, and ABC Studios.

Celasco will star opposite Eric Balfour, Dorian Missick, Zoe Robins, Frances Turner, Amirah Vanh and Tisha Campbell-Martin.

Written by Veasey and directed by King, the drama explores the lives of five African-American sisters, all officers in the NYPD, as they face the challenges of their high-risk jobs while juggling the responsibilities of marriage, motherhood and family.

Celasco will play Lucas, Nicole’s ex-boyfriend.

Celasco most recently recurred opposite Adam Brody and Ron Perlman on the Crackle series StartUp.

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