Cameron Diaz to Star in DreamWorks Animation’s “Shrek 5”

Posted on July 9, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Cameron Diaz is seeing green…

A fifth Shrek film is in the works, with the the 51-year-old Cuban American actress and fellow stars Mike Myers and Eddie Murphy set to return, per DreamWorks Animation.

“Not too Far, Far Away…” wrote a spokesperson for the studio on X. “@Shrek 5 is coming to theaters on July 1, 2026 with Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, and Cameron Diaz.”

Walt Dohrn, who worked on the second and third films as a writer and artist and as Head of Story on the fourth film, will direct Shrek 5.

Gina Shay is returning to produce alongside Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri, with Brad Ableson co-directing.

Murphy hinted that the project was in motion in a video interview with Collider just last month. “We started doing Shrek four or five months ago,” he said. “I recorded the first act, and we’ll be doing it this year. We’ll finish it up.” In that interview, Murphy let slip that his character Donkey, the trusty sidekick of Myers’ ogre Shrek, also will be getting his own spinoff movie.

One of DreamWorks’ most celebrated animated franchises, Shrek is based on the 1990 picture book from writer and cartoonist William Steig. The franchise kicked off with the 2001 film that introduced viewers to Shrek, an ogre embarking on a quest to rescue Princess Fiona (Diaz).

Winning the first Oscar for Best Animated Feature and grossing more than $488 million worldwide, the original film’s success paved the way to sequels Shrek 2 (2004), where Shrek meets Fiona’s parents, and Shrek the Third (2007), which follows Shrek’s journey to find the next heir to the throne.

The fourth installment, Shrek Forever After (2010), explores Shrek’s midlife crisis and his wish to erase his past.

The franchise also includes the spin-off Puss in Boots (2011), starring Antonio Banderas as the swashbuckling feline, and its sequel Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, which was Oscar-nominated and grossed $481M globally upon its December 2022 debut.

The first four Shrek films have earned more than $2.9 billion worldwide, spawning a global live-touring show, a Broadway musical that earned eight Tony nominations and 12 Drama Desk nominations, plus an immersive tourist destination in London and popular events and attractions across Universal Destinations & Experiences’ theme parks.

Salma Hayek to Reprise Kitty Softpaws Role in “Puss in Boots” Sequel “The Last Wish”

Posted on March 14, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Salma Hayek Pinault is pawing her way back to the big screen…

The 55-year-old Mexican actress will reprise the role of Kitty Softpaws in the long-awaited Puss in Boots movie sequel The Last Wish.

Hayek will re-team with Antonio Banderas, who voices the titular feline character, on the animated film.

Hayek and Banderas will contend with a third amigo this time around as Harvey Guillén (makes his franchise debut in the role of Perro, Kitty and Puss’ canine associate.

Also part of the A-list ensemble is Florence Pugh, Olivia Colman, Wagner Moura, Ray Winstone, John Mulaney, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Anthony Mendez and Samson Kayo.

The Last Wish follows the daring outlaw Puss in Boots as he discovers that his passion for peril and disregard for safety have taken their toll.

The original film, released in 2011, was a Shrek spinoff following Puss’ adventures prior to his debut appearance in Shrek 2. Puss in Boots made more than $149 million at the domestic box office, and close to $555 million worldwide.

Talks of a follow-up go as far back as 2014. Puss in Boots 2: Nine Lives & 40 Thieves was announced in June of that year with DreamWorks Animation setting a November release date. It was delayed by a month before it was removed from the schedule due to restructuring at DreamWorks.

After many more internal changes, The Last Wish finally received a September 23, 2022, release date with Banderas’ return confirmed.

Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado serve as director and co-director of The Last Wish, respectively; Mark Swift will produce.

The film is executive produced by Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri. Universal is set to handle distribution.

The first trailer for the project will debut March 15.

DreamWorks Animation Developing Sequel of Antonio Banderas’ “Puss in Boots”

Posted on February 26, 2019 by Tom Castaneda

Antonio Banderasmay be donningboots again…

DreamWorks Animation is working on the next installment of Puss in Boots, which featured the 58-year-old Spanish actor voicing the title character.

The sequel is the follow-up to 2011’s blockbusterOscar-nominated film, which grossed more than $550 million worldwide.

The film will be directed by Bob Persichetti , a veteran of animation for more than two decades, has worked in various capacities on films with DreamWorks Animation. He served as the Head of Storyand voiced a role in the original Puss in Boots.

The first Puss in Boots received an Oscar nomination in 2012 for Best Animated Feature. TheDWAtake on Puss was first introduced in 2004’s Shrek 2,voiced by Banderas. The character continued to be featured in subsequent Shrek sequels and TV shorts.

The original Puss in Boots starred the voiceover cast of Salma Hayek(Kitty Softpaws), Zach Galifianakis(Humpty Alexander Dumpty), Billy Bob Thorton(Jack), Amy Sedaris(Jill) and Constance Marie (Imelda).

No release date has been set and animation on the film will take place on the DWA lot in Glendale, CA.

Wilmer Valderrama Signs First-Look Deal with CBS Television Studios

Posted on June 25, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

Wilmer Valderrama has a new deal…

The 38-year-old Colombian and Venezuelan American actor’s production company, WV Entertainment, has signed a two-year first-look deal with CBS Television Studios.

WV Entertainment’s first-look agreement is for scripted and unscripted projects, with a strong emphasis on diversity.

“As someone who immigrated to the United States at 14 years old, I am immensely passionate about this opportunity to create engaging and culturally relevant projects with CBS Television Studios,” says Valderrama.

Valderrama’s production company has produced several projects, including The Hollywood Puppet Show, Handy Manny for Playhouse Disney, and Douglas Family Gold for Oxygen.

On the feature side he produced and is voicing the upcoming animated film Charming alongside John H. Williams, producer of the Shrek franchise.

Valderrama’s philanthropic endeavors include Harness, a group he launched recently with America Ferrera and Ryan Piers Williams, which is dedicated to connecting communities through conversation to inspire action and power change. Valderrama also serves on the board of Voto Latino and is co-chair of their artist coalition. He is also the spokesperson for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, and is the founder of their Ready 2 Lead program, which educates and empowers Latino youth.

In 2013, Valderrama was honored with an ALMA Award for Outstanding Social Activism.

Warner Bros. Developing Animated Speedy Gonzales Film with Eugenio Derbez Voicing the Iconic Character

Posted on April 5, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Eugenio Derbez has the need for Speed(y)…

Warner Bros. is looking to bring Speedy Gonzalez, the beloved Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies mouse, as an animated feature with the 54-year-old Mexican actor/director voicing the iconic character.

“In Mexico we grew up watching Speedy Gonzales,” Derbez told Deadline about “the Fastest Mouse in all Mexico.” “He was like a superhero to us, or maybe more like a revolutionario like Simon Bolivar or Pancho Villa. He watched out for the little people but with a lot of bravado and a weakness for the ladies. I’m really excited to be bringing this character to the big screen. And besides being Mexican— my full name is Eugenio Derbez Gonzalez and I have big ears. The casting couldn’t be better.”

Speedy Gonzales started out as a character in another cartoon before animators Friz Freleng and Hawley Pratt introduced him in an animated short of his own in 1955. Then, the legendary Mel Blanc voiced the mouse. That short, which also featured Looney Tunes’ Sylvester the Cat, ended up winning the Academy Award for best short subject.

The in-development project, which is tentatively entitled Speedy, will be produced by Dylan Sellers via Rivers Edge Films and Derbez and Ben Odell via their 3pas Studios.

Hank Nelken has been hired to script the story, which is described as a heist caper. The project will likely be cut into both English- and Spanish-speaking versions.

“We see this as an origin story of the great master, like a Robin Hood character, who ultimately ends up taking from the rich and giving to the poor,” said Sellers. “In a time when Donald Trump is gaining momentum, the world needs Speedy more than ever.”

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Derbez has voiced animation in the past, particularly notable was Donkey in the Spanish-language version of Shrek. By doing so, he added even more humor into film with local colloquialisms and humor, which was credited for helping box office attendance in Spanish-speaking countries.

Banderas to Receive Honorary Goya Award for His “Stellar Career”

Posted on October 21, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Antonio Banderas has earned an extra special prize…

The Spanish Film Academy will honor the 54-year-old Spanish actor with an honorary Goya Award for the organization calls a “stellar career on both sides of the Atlantic.”

The academy’s board of directors unanimously voted to honor Banderas for having “developed a versatile trajectory as an actor, have shown his own point of view as a director and having immersed himself in the role of producer to support national values.”

Calling him a hometown-Malaga boy “without borders,” the academy applauded his career punctuated by “risks and commitment.”

Banderas rose to acclaim in some of the most exemplary roles in Pedro Almodovar’s earlier works like Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down, Labyrinth of Passion, Matador, Law of Desire and Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.

But he also forged a successful career in Hollywood with films like Zorro, Shrek, Philadelphia, Desperados and Interview with a Vampire.

Banderas, who has directed the films Crazy in Alabama and Summer Rain, recently returned to Spain with his latest Spanish project, the apocalyptic science fiction Automata, which he presented at the San Sebastian International Film Festival.

Banderas is currently filming Hugh Hudson’s The Master of Altamira alongside Rupert Everett and Golshifteh Farahani.

Banderas’ special presentation will take place next February at Spain’s premiere film gala in Madrid.

Derbez Signs with Creative Artists Agency (CAA)

Posted on March 14, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Eugenio Derbez is one step closer to taking over America…

Following the success of his comedy-drama film Instructions Not Included in the United States, the 52-year-old Mexican actor has signed with Creative Artists Agency.

Derbez is hailed as one of the top Latino filmmakers/actors in the business; and he’s one of the most recognizable Latino faces in the world.

He’s the creator and star of one of Mexico’s most popular sitcoms La Familia P. Luche (The Plush Family), which ran for 10 years on Univision. He also created the Televisa produced sketch-show XHDRbZ, which aired for two seasons.

Both programs not only appeared in the U.S. but also ran in Europe and Latin America. He had very recognizeable names in the Latino market on his sketch show, including the Mexican president Vicente Fox.

Derbez also wrote, directed and starred in last year’s Instructions Not Included, which is touted as the highest-grossing Spanish-language film in the U.S., earning $44.4M in the U.S. and $41M internationally for a total of $85.5 million worldwide.

He was also the voice of Donkey in the Spanish-language version of Shrek and lent his voice to one of the characters in Guillermo Del Toro’s animated comedy Book of Life.

U.S. audiences may remember him from Liongate’s Girl in Progress starring opposite Eva Mendes (2012) or in Fox Searchlight’s sleeper hit Under the Same Moon.

Diaz & Garcia Among the Latinos in Paramount’s Anniversary Photo

Posted on June 13, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Paramount Pictures is celebrating its 100th anniversary in a picture-perfect way, with help from five of the studio’s biggest Latino luminaries, including Cameron Diaz and Andy Garcia…

The third-oldest existing movie studio in the world released a star-studded commemorative photo through Vanity Fair magazine. In all, the picture features 116 of the biggest names in the movie industry who’ve worked with one of Hollywood’s most iconic studios.

In the image, A-list actors like Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt pose together on a giant stairway alongside noted producers, directors and executives like Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese and J.J. Abrams.

“It was more than thrilling… and incredibly nostalgic… to be part of that extraordinary gathering of actors who had worked for Paramount, as I had,” said actress Ali McGraw, who can be spotted standing in the middle of photo with her Love Story costar Ryan O’Neal.

Here’s a look at the five Latinos featured in the image:

Cameron Diaz
The 39-year-old half-Cuban American actress, who may be writing her first book soon, starred in the following Paramount Pictures projects: The Shrek series and Vanilla Sky.

Andy Garcia
The 56-year-old Cuban American actor received an Academy Award nomination for his performance as Vincent Santino Corleone (a.k.a. Vincent Mancini) in one of the studio’s biggest hits, The Godfather Part III.

Zoë Saldaña
The 33-year-old half-Dominican/half-Puerto Rican American actress will be reprising her role as Uhura in the upcoming sequel to Paramount’s hugely successful Star Trek reboot.

Alejandro González Iñárritu
The 48-year-old Mexican filmmaker, the first Mexican director to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director, directed Paramount’s award-winning ensemble film Babel, which starred Gael García Bernal, Pitt, Cate Blanchett.

Antonio Banderas
The 51-year-old Spanish actor, who appears in the picture next to his wife Melanie Griffith, not only starred opposite Diaz in Paramount’s Shrek sequels, but he also starred in the Shrek prequel/spin-off Puss In Boots.

The epic picture is featured in the July issue of Vanity Fair.

Hayek & Banderas Attend “Puss in Boots” Premiere…

Posted on October 17, 2011 by Tom Castaneda

Salma Hayek and Antonio Banderas are celebrating a “cinematic Spanish dictatorship”…

During the premiere of Dreamwork’s animated 3-D film, “Puss in Boots”—at what’s been dubbed as the first-ever film premiere on water—the 45-year-old Mexican actress and 51-year-old Spanish actor announced that the movie’s producers had given the popular 17th century French fairy tale a Latin twist, making it much more relevant for multicultural audiences in the United States.

“We killed the French entirely and made it Spanish,” joked Banderas at the red carpet premiere aboard Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas cruise ship, docked in Fort Lauderdale. “It’s a cinematic Spanish dictatorship.”

In the “prequel” to the highly popular “Shrek” movie franchise, Banderas voices the title feline, while Hayek voice co-adventurer Kitty Softpaws. “Puss in Boots” expands on the role first developed for those movies and predates Puss’ encounter with the jolly green ogre, telling the story of how the oh-so-charming cat became known as a legendary outlaw, notorious fighter and lover.

“I never suspected that the character was going to be a star and have his own movie,” admits Banderas.

The movie opens nationwide on October 28.

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