Aubrey Plaza to Star in Legendary’s Live-Action & Animated Film “Animal Friends”

 Aubrey Plaza is makin’ time for her (animal) friends

The 38-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress has joined the all-star cast of Legendary’s forthcoming film Animal Friends.

Aubrey PlazaCombining live-action and animated characters, the project hails from writing duo Kevin Burrows and Matt Mider.

In addition to Plaza, the film will also star Ryan ReynoldsJason Momoa and Vince Vaughn.

Plot details for the project, described as an R-rated road trip adventure, are being kept under wraps. Emmy-winning director Peter Atencio is at the helm.

The idea for the film came from a general meeting between Burrows & Mider and Patrick Gooing, an executive at Reynolds’ production company, Maximum Effort. Producing alongside Legendary are Maximum Effort and Namit Malhotra’s Prime Focus Studios. Visual effects and animation will be provided by leading visual entertainment services company, DNEG.

Plaza is coming off one of the strongest years of her career, having generated major heat with her starring turn alongside Will Sharpe, Meghann Fahy and Theo James in the second season of Mike White’s HBO smash The White Lotus, for which she was recognized with a Golden Globe nomination. The SAG Award winner also recently notched Independent Spirit and Gotham Award nominations for her lead turn in John Patton Ford’s acclaimed indie crime thriller, Emily the Criminal, which she produced under her Evil Hag Productions banner.

She recently wrapped production on Francis Ford Coppola’s sci-fi epic Megalopolis and is currently shooting a role in Disney+’s Marvel series Agatha: Coven of Chaos.

Morena Baccarin Returning for Marvel’s New “Deadpool” Sequel

Morena Baccarin is hittin’ the (Dead)pool

The 43-year-old Brazilian actress will reprise her role as Vanessa for Marvel’s new Deadpool sequel, starring Ryan Reynolds.

Stefan Kapicic will also reprise his role as Colossus.

Reynolds recently announced Karan Soni and Leslie Uggams will also return as Dopinder and Blind Al, who like Vanessa and Colossus appeared in the first two films.

They join Reynolds, Hugh Jackman and the newest cast additions Emma Corrin and Matthew Macfadyen.

Shawn Levy will direct the filn, with Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese returning to pen the script along with Zeb Wells. Wendy Molyneux and Lizzie Molyneux-Logelin wrote a previous draft. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige will join Reynolds and Levy as producers.

This will mark the first Deadpool film in which Marvel Studios will work hand in hand with Reynolds and Team Deadpool. Feige’s involvement comes after he helped revamp the Spider-Man franchise when he came on to help in the creative effort for that Sony series.

Aimee Carrero to Star in the Buddy Action-Comedy “Code 3”

Aimee Carrero has broken the code

The 34-year-old Dominican actress will star in the buddy action-comedy Code 3 opposite Rainn Wilson and Lil Rel Howery.

Aimee CarreroProduction is set to begin in February.

She’ll portray Jessica, a newbie paramedic who is eager to learn is well-trained, and is superb under pressure. In the 24-hour shift where she’s training to replace Randy (Wilson), she’s in for an incredible day of surprises and realizations.

The film, by director Christopher Leone, follows a day in the life of two overworked, underpaid, and nearly burnt-out paramedics. One EMT is so burnt-out by the job that he’s forcing himself to resign, though he first must embark on one last 24-hour shift to train his replacement. Everything that could happen on the job, from the mundane to the extreme, then happens on this final, exhilarating day.

The script for Code 3 hails from Leone and former paramedic Patrick Pianezza. Angela Cardon will oversee the project for Wayfarer Studios and will serve as its sole financier.

Producers are Justin Baldoni and Andrew Calof for Wayfarer, Lawrence Mattis of Circle of Confusion, Matt Smith of Electro Corduroy Entertainment, and Paul “Pizza” Pianezza of Realdream.

Carrero’s breakout role was in Season 2 of FX’s The Americans playing the character of Lucia.

She can currently be seen in the Fox Searchlight film The Menu starring Ralph Fiennes and Anya Taylor-Joy, streaming now via HBO Max.

Additionally, she co-starred in the Apple TV+ holiday film Spirited opposite Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell.

Up next, she’ll appear as a series regular in Amazon’s The Consultant opposite Christoph Waltz in the role of Patti.

 

Lin-Manuel Miranda to Serve as Co-Chair & Host of This Year’s Met Gala

Lin-Manuel Miranda is ready to Met a new challenge…

The 42-year-old Puerto Rican actor, singer-songwriter, rapper, playwright, producer and film director will as one of the hosts and co-chairs of this year’s Met Gala.

Lin-Manuel MirandaMiranda will host the event, which will reflect the strong Hollywood theme, alongside Ryan ReynoldsBlake Lively and Regina King.

The Met Gala, set for May 2, a primary source of income for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, follows last September’s scaled-back, pandemic-restricted “mini-gala” that launched the Met’s two-part exhibition “In America: An Anthology of Fashion.”

The exhibit will include “cinematic vignettes” exploring the roots of American fashion and designed by film directors King, Sofia Coppola, Martin Scorsese, Chloé Zhao, Tom Ford, Janicza Bravo, Julie Dash and Autumn de Wilde.

Ford, Adam Mosseri and Anna Wintour will continue their roles as honorary co-chairs for the May event.

The “In America: An Anthology of Fashion” exhibit will open to the public on May 7.

Omar Chaparro to Star in His First English-Language Television Series “Coyotes M.C.”

Omar Chaparro is switching tongues

The 47-year-old Mexican actor will star in and produce the English-language television comedy/action series Coyotes M.C. from Moxie 88.

omar-chaparro

The project is currently being pitched to streamers/buyers.

The How To Be a Latin Lover and Detective Pikachu actor will portray a business ethics professor whose life is upended when he is called to step in for his father, the infamous Latino criminal biker gang leader Los Coyotes MC.

Moxie 88 co-founders Eugenio Villamar and Dan Carrillo Levy created Coyotes M.C. as a star vehicle for Chaparro’s first English-language television series and currently holds the rights to the project.

Carrillo Levy and Villamar will act as executive producers, writers, and creators on the show. Chaparro and Jay Weisleder will serve as executive producers. Moxie 88’s VP of Development, Eugenia Esponda, will serve as a co-executive producer.

Chaparro currently holds the record as the highest-grossing actor in the Mexican box office, starring in some of Mexico’s highest-earning films in history.

He most recently starred in Detective Pikachu opposite Ryan Reynolds, Pantelion Films’ No Manches Frida and its sequel, as well as How To Be A Latin Lover and Overboard alongside Eugenio Derbez, and Show Dogs.

Chaparro also hosted the first two seasons of The Masked Singer Mexico, which aired via Univision domestically.

Camila Cabello Among Celebrities Calling on Corporate America to Urge Congress to Support President Joe Biden’s Climate Plan

Camila Cabello is urging the U.S. Congress to support President Joe Biden’s climate change plan…

While Democratic leadership tries to unite its progressive and moderate wings, a group of 80-plus artists, celebrities and activists, including the 24-year-old Cuban/Mexican singer, are calling on the leaders of Google, Disney, Amazon, Fox, Facebook to join them in urging Congress to support Biden’s Build Back Better plan.

Camila Cabello

The effort was spearheaded by the National Resources Defense Council Action Fund and Cabello, who convinced the sizable group of A-listers to speak out, specifically about the need to address climate change.

In addition to Cabello, signatories to the group letter included J.J. Abrams, Greg Berlanti, Cate Blanchett, Jack Antonoff, Don Cheadle, Ellen DeGeneres, Selena Gomez, Shakira, Chris Evans, Jimmy Kimmel, Lady Gaga, John Legend, Chuck Lorre, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Lin-Manuel MirandaSean Penn, Joaquin Phoenix, Billy Porter, Robert Redford, Ryan Reynolds, Shakira, Barbra Streisand, Wes Studi, Justin Timberlake, Kerry Washington and many more.

On Monday, a group of 17 Nobel Prize-winning economists also came out in support of Biden’s plan.

Manish Bapna, President and CEO of the NRDC Action Fund said, “These are the tastemakers of our time—and in moments like these they have an opportunity to be the changemakers, too. What started as an idea by Camila Cabello has exploded into a clarion call from entertainers overnight to take action. Congress holds in its hands our best chance at combating our biggest environmental challenge yet. We need all hands on deck to make sure they seize it, and these industry leaders can play a critical role in making sure that they do.”

In today’s initiative, the artists call out the following execs by name: Lincoln Benet at Access Industries (Warner Music Group), Sundar Pichai at Alphabet (Google, YouTube), Andy Jassy at Amazon, Tim Cook at Apple, John Stankey at AT&T (WarnerMedia), Brian Roberts at Comcast, David Zaslav at Discovery (and soon Warner Bros. Discovery), Mark Zuckerberg at Facebook, Lachlan Murdoch at Fox, Reed Hastings at Netflix, Kenichiro Yoshida at Sony, Robert Bakish at ViacomCBS, Arnaud de Puyfontaine at Vivendi (Universal Music Group) and Bob Chapek at Walt Disney.

“It’s no secret that climate change is here and is already affecting people’s lives across the globe,” wrote Cabello in her post on Instagram about the effort. “We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to act boldly to fight the climate crisis, so I am honored to join over 60 fellow artists to call on leaders of the entertainment industry to use their power and demand that Congress pass @potus’s #BuildBackBetter agenda this fall.”

Here’s the full text of the letter and a list of its signatories:

Dear Entertainment Industry Executives:

Climate change has arrived on our doorstep: California is on fire, record-breaking and deadly storms are flooding New York City, hurricanes are devastating the Gulf. This summer alone, nearly one in every three people in the United States experienced an extreme weather event.

Scientists warn that if we fail to act now, every single one of us will feel the impacts, a billion people will be displaced, and low-income people and communities of color will continue to be hit first and worst. Right now, we have a critical window of opportunity to do something about it. And we need all hands on deck to demand that our leaders protect the people we love and the places they live before it’s too late.

Congress has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in a clean, just, and equitable future for all by passing the robust climate action that President Biden called for in his Build Back Better agenda. This legislation will create healthier communities, put millions to work in clean energy jobs, and free us from the fossil fuels that are driving climate change.

As the top leaders of the entertainment industry—one of the nation’s most powerful and influential business sectors—you are needed to lead our community’s call for action and embrace this vision for a better world. The entertainment community has a long, proud tradition of driving societal change. Our industry is already leading the charge toward more sustainable practices within our own businesses and productions. Now is the time to use your influence to shape our future.

Congress needs to hear you demand, unequivocally, that it put forward and pass the most ambitious climate change agenda in U.S. history.

The plan currently before Congress will protect people’s health and clean up our drinking water. It will create a just transition away from dirty fossil fuels and create millions of new jobs. It will protect communities from climate change through investments in clean energy, clean transportation, and infrastructure upgrades. And it will make sure we finally prioritize and invest in the low-income communities and communities of color that are hit hardest by both fossil fuel pollution and climate impacts.

This plan will create a stronger, brighter, and more just America—and we need you to help make this vision a reality.

At this pivotal moment, please lead the call. Demand publicly and loudly that our senators and representatives in Congress pass this critical legislation.

And we pledge to do our part as well. We will use our platforms to remind all Americans: Tell your senators and representatives in Congress that you demand climate action now. Advocate for Congress to take up the president’s climate agenda. And don’t stop there. Tweet. Post. E-mail. Call. Whatever it takes.

Sincerely,

J.J. Abrams
Anitta
Jack Antonoff
Troian Bellisario
Greg Berlanti
Cate Blanchett
Benny Blanco
Dave Burd aka “Lil Dicky”
Camila Cabello
Dove Cameron
Alessia Cara
Don Cheadle
Glenn Close
Coldplay
Jacob Collier
Lily Collins
James Corden
Ellen DeGeneres
Cara Delevingne
Leonardo DiCaprio
Zac Efron
Billie Eilish
Chris Evans
Jimmy Fallon
Finneas
Selena Gomez
Conan Gray
Grimes
Todrick Hall
Hugh Jackman
Jimmy Kimmel
Joey King
Liza Koshy
Lady Gaga
Cyndi Lauper
John Legend
Adam Levine
Kevin Liles
Dua Lipa
Lorde
Chuck Lorre
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Demi Lovato
Ziggy Marley
Shawn Mendes
Idina Menzel
Lin-Manuel Miranda
Sean Penn
Joaquin Phoenix
Billy Porter
Zachary Quinto
Addison Rae
Robert Redford
Ryan Reynolds
Mark Ronson
Kyra Sedgwick
Shakira
Lilly Singh
Troye Sivan
Barbra Streisand
Wes Studi
Ryan Tedder
Justin Timberlake
Kerry Washington
Sigourney Weaver
Shailene Woodley
Calum Worthy

Salma Hayek Shows Off Her Britney Spears-Inspired Dance Moves in New Instagram Video

Salma Hayek’s got the moves like… Britney.

The 54-year-old Mexican singer’s go-to soundtrack for shooting at trained killers in The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard trailer… Britney Spears’ “...Baby One More Time.”

Salma Hayek

And now she’s taking her butt-kickin’ moves to the dance floor in her latest Instagram video.

Hayek is promoting her upcoming action-comedy film — also starring Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson — with a revised dance routine to Spears’ 1999 No. 1 smash that combines the original choreography from the music video with some stealthy defense techniques.

“Show me your #hitmanschallenge baby! Muéstrame tu mejor #hitmanschallenge baby! I’ll be watching…,” she captioned the choreographed clip with hair-flipping galore and a spin on the pop superstar’s leg kick that left Hayek and her crew on the floor.

Naomi Campbell and Jennifer Aniston applauded Hayek on Instagram, while Sabrina Carpenter commented, “omg queen.”

The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, the delayed sequel to 2017’s The Hitman’s Bodyguard, follows bodyguard Michael Bryce (Reynolds) once again meeting up with assassin Darius Kincaid (Jackson) as they embark on a new adventure to save Darius’ wife, Sonia (Hayek), from new threats.

But before it hits theaters next Wednesday, June 16, see Hayek’s latest killer moves below.

Lionsgate Releases Trailer for Salma Hayek-Starrer “The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard”

Salma Hayek isn’t letting down her (body) guard

Lionsgate has released the trailer for The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, the action comedy starring the 54-year-old Mexican actress.

Salma Hayek

The film sees to return of Hayek, Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, director Patrick Hugues and screenwriter Tom O’Conner for a second go-round after 2017’s successful The Hitman’s Bodyguard.

Like others films delayed by the pandemic, it will now open in U.S. theaters on June 16.

The Lionsgate and Millennium Media sequel picks up after the events of the first movie and finds bodyguard Michael Bryce (Reynolds) trying to recover from those events and recharge — call it a psychological sabbatical. But he literally is pulled back into action by his old friend/foe Darius’ (Jackson) even more volatile wife, the infamous international con artist Sonia Kincaid (Hayek), who needs Bryce’s help saving her husband. They get in over their heads in a global plot and soon find that they are all that stand between Europe and a vengeful madman (Antonio Banderas).

Morgan Freeman, Frank Grillo, Caroline Goodall, Rebecca Front, Gabriella Wright, Alice McMillan, Kristofer Kamiyasu, Tom Hopper, Blake Ritson and Richard E. Grant also star in the film, penned by O’Conner and Phillip Murphy & Brandon Murphy.

Zoe Saldana to Star in David O. Russell’s Untitled New Regency Film

Zoe Saldana has lined up her next film project…

The 42-year-old Puerto Rican and Dominican American actress has joined the ensemble cast of David O. Russell’s untitled New Regency film.

Zoë Saldaña

Saldana will star opposite Rami Malek, Christian Bale, Margot Robbie and John David Washington in the film.

The production, based on an original idea from Russell, is currently underway. Plot details are being kept under wraps.

Saldana will next be seen reprising her role of Neytiri in the upcoming second installment in the Avatar franchise. She’s also returning as Gamora in Disney/Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and recently joined Jennifer Garner and Ryan Reynolds in The Adam Project for Netflix and Skydance.

Zoe Saldana to Star in the Netflix Action-Adventure Film “The Adam Project”

There’s a new Project in Zoe Saldana’s future…

The 42-year-old Puerto Rican and Dominican American actress and Guardians of the Galaxy star will star opposite Jennifer Garner and Ryan Reynolds in the Netflix action-adventure film The Adam Project.

Zoë Saldaña 

Directed by Shawn Levy, Jonathan Tropper penned the script, with David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Don Granger producing for Skydance.

Plot details are being kept under wraps other than it having a time-travel element. The Adam Project marks one of a handful of films Netflix landed this year as studios like Paramount were figuring out their future slate in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Netflix felt like the perfect home as Reynolds was in the midst of wrapping his second film, Red Noticewhile Levy has made Netflix his home following the massive success of his series Stranger Things.

The film will be the first project for Reynolds’ The Group Effort Initiative, a self-financed diversity and inclusion program that aims to give people of color a chance to work and learn on the actor’s productions. The Group Effort Initiative is a joint effort between Maximum Effort and B for Effort.

Saldana is known for starring roles in two of three biggest blockbusters in movie history — Avatar and Avengers: Endgame. She next will be seen reprising her role of Neytiri in Avatar 2, 3 and 4. Saldana also will star in and executive produce the limited drama series From Scratch for Netflix.