HBO Max Renews Zion Moreno’s “Gossip Girl” for Second Season

Posted on September 10, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

There’s more gossip in Zion Moreno’s future…

HBO Max has renewed its Gossip Girl reboot, starring the 26-year-old Mexican American actress/model, for season 2 ahead.

The news comes ahead of the release of the second part of its debut season, which is set to premiere in November.

Gossip Girl is a reboot of a CW original series of the same name which is set 9 years after the original website went dark.

The new iteration of Gossip Girl, written by showrunner Joshua Safran, is based on the book by Cecily von Ziegesar and the original show, developed by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, which ran from 2007-2012.

The HBO Max series follows a new generation of New York private school teens who are introduced to the social surveillance of Gossip Girl. The series explores just how much social media — and the landscape of New York itself — has changed in the intervening years.

In addition to Moreno, season one also stars Jordan Alexander, Eli Brown, Thomas Doherty, Tavi Gevinson, Emily Alyn Lind, Evan Mock, Whitney Peak, and Savannah Lee Smith with Todd Almond, Adam Chanler-Berat, Johnathan Fernandez, and Jason Gotay.

Executive producers include Schwartz and Savage of Fake Empire and Leslie Morgenstein and Gina Girolamo of Alloy Entertainment. Lis Rowinski of Fake Empire serves as co-executive producer.

The reboot was hailed by the steamer as its most-watched original series over the first weekend of availability. It also saw record viewership over the first four days of availability. The first episode opened to viewers in 555,000 U.S. households, per Samba TV.

The first six episodes of the first half of season 1 are currently available to stream via HBO Max.

Johnathan Fernandez to Star on HBO Max’s “Gossip Girl” Series Reimagining

Posted on March 3, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Johnathan Fernandez is ready to spill the tea…

The 46-year-old Colombian and Honduran American actor joined Emily Alyn Lindin Gossip Girl, HBO Max’s upcoming series reimagining of the pop culture phenomenon that made household names of stars like Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, Penn Badgley, Chace Crawford and Ed Westwick.

Fernandez joins a roster of new cast additions that includes Whitney Peak, Eli Brown and Jason Gotay.S

The 10-episode series hails from Joshua Safran, Josh Schwartzand Stephanie Savage’s Fake Empire, Alloy Entertainment, Warner Bros Televisionand CBS Television Studios.

Like the original series, the new iteration of Gossip Girl, written by Safran, is based on the book by Cecily von Ziegesar. Eight years after the original website went dark, a new generation of New York private school teens are introduced to the social surveillance of Gossip Girl.

The prestige series will address just how much social media — and the landscape of New York itself — has changed in the intervening years.

No official character descriptions for the quartet are being released. The new series is said to have a similar character dynamic to the original, with Peak, Brown and Lind as the leading trio and Fernandez and Gotay as members of the core ensemble.

Gossip Girlran for six seasons from 2007-2012 on the CW across 121 episodes. Its influence extended beyond television.Fernandez was a series regular on another WBTV series, Fox’s Lethal Weapon. For three seasons, he played the dry-toned medical examiner on the series reboot. Fernandez will next appear in the Marvel feature Morbiusand the indie Together-ish.

Henry Zaga to Star in Hulu’s Limited Series “Looking for Alaska”

Posted on May 9, 2019 by Tom Castaneda

Henry Zaga is ready for a little northern exposure…

The 26-year-old Brazilian actor has landed a recurring role opposite Charlie Plummer and Kristine Froseth in Looking for Alaska, Hulu’s eight-episode limited series based on John Green’s novel.

Looking for Alaska is told through the eyes of teenager Miles “Pudge” Halter (Plummer), as he enrolls in boarding school to try to gain a deeper perspective on life. He falls in love with Alaska Young (Froseth), and finds a group of loyal friends. But after an unexpected tragedy, Miles and his close friends must attempt to uncover the truth and make sense of what they’ve been through.

The series hails from Paramount Television and Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage’s Fake Empire.

Zaga will portray Jake, Alaska’s impossibly handsome, floppy-haired, college-aged boyfriend, funny and adorable.

Schwartz wrote the pilot and will serve as executive producer and showrunner.

Zaga can next be seen in the upcoming Fox film The New Mutants, which will be released August 2. He previously starred in the hit Netflix series 13 Reasons Why.

Hulu Renews Rhenzy Feliz’s “Marvel’s Runaways” for 10-Episode Third Season

Posted on March 25, 2019 by Tom Castaneda

There’s more runaway time for Rhenzy Feliz…

Hulu has renewed Marvel’s Runaways, starring the 21-year-old Dominican American actor, for a third season.

The new season of the series, from showrunners/writers Josh Schwartzand Stephanie Savage, Marvel Televisionand ABC Signature, will consist of 10 episodes, down from the 13-episode order for the first and second seasons.

In Season 3, Runaways plans to reportedly focus on the kids, so the actors playing parents who were series regulars are being reduced from all shows produced to factual series regulars – 7 out of 10.

“We are so excited to tell more Runaways stories and are so grateful to Marvel, Hulu, our amazing cast and crew and of course our passionate audience,” said Schwartz and Savage. “Season three will be a magical time on Runaways, as we deepen our connection to the Marveluniverse. We are honored to continue to play in the sandbox created by Brian K Vaughnand Adrian Alphona.”

In addition to Feliz, who portrays Alex Wilder, the series also stars Ariela Barer, Allegra Acosta, Lyrica Okano, Virginia Gardnerand Gregg Sulkin.

Freddie Prinze Jr. to Star in the CW’s Untitled Nancy Drew Pilot

Posted on March 18, 2019 by Tom Castaneda

Freddie Prinze Jr.is reporting for (daddy) duty…

The 43-year-old part-Puerto Rican actor has been cast as a lead opposite Kennedy McMann in the CW’s untitled Nancy Drew pilot inspired by the classic mysteries about the brilliant young sleuth.

The project hails from Josh Schwartzand Stephanie Savage’s Fake Empireand CBS Television Studios.

Written/executive produced by Noga Landau, Schwartz and Savage and directed by Larry Teng, the untitled Nancy Drew project centers on 18-year-old Nancy Drew (McMann) and is set in the summer after her high school graduation. She thought she’d be leaving her hometown for college, but when a family tragedy holds her back another year, she finds herself embroiled in a ghostly murder investigation — and along the way, uncovers secrets that run deeper than she ever imagined.

Prinze will play Nancy’s dad, Carson Drew, a dynamic attorney who has become estranged from Nancy following the recent death of his beloved wife. But his attempts to reconnect with his daughter run aground when Nancy’s murder investigation reveals unsettling secrets from Carson’s own past.

In the 2007 movie starring Emma Robertsas Nancy Drew, Carson Drew was played by Tate Donovan.

In addition to McMann and Prinze Jr., Tunji Kasim, Leah Lewis, Maddison Jaizaniand Alex Saxonare set as series regulars in the pilot.

Prinze Jr. recently wrapped shooting a role as one of the two male leads on the CBScomedy pilotI Mom So Hard from former2 Broke Girlsexecutive producer Michelle Nader, Rob Thomasand Warner Bros. Television.

His other recent television credits include voice roles in Star Wars Rebels and Robot Chicken.

de la Fuente to Star in the CW’s “Dynasty” Reboot Pilot

Posted on March 9, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Rafael de la Fuente is founding a new empire of sorts…

The 30-year-old Venezuelan actor has been cast as a series regular on the CW’s Dynasty pilot, a reboot of the iconic 1980s primetime soap.

Co-written by Gossip Girl creators Josh Schwartz, Stephanie Savage and Sallie Patrick and directed by Brad Silberling, the new Dynasty follows two of America’s wealthiest families, the Carringtons and the Colbys, as they feud for control over their fortune and their children.

de la Fuente will play Sam, a cute schemer who has a one night stand with Steven, the rebel son of Blake Carrington (Grant Show).

de La Fuente was recently seen in the praised ABC miniseries When We Rise and recurs on Fox’s Empire as Michael Sanchez.

Acosta to Star in Marvel Television’s Drama Pilot “Runaways”

Posted on February 3, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Allegra Acosta is ready to runaway…

The 14-year-old Latina actress has been cast in Marvel Television’s Runaways, a drama pilot based on the fan-favorite Marvel Comics books.

The pilot, from Gossip Girl creators Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, Marvel Television and ABC Signature, would premiere on Hulu.

Created by Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona, Marvel’s Runaways centers on six diverse teenagers who can barely stand one another but who must unite against a common foe – their parents.

Acosta will portray Molly Hernandez, the youngest and most innocent member of her friend group, who is known for her peppy positivity and a deep yearning to belong.

In addition to Acosta, the cast will include Rhenzy Feliz, Lyrica Okano, Virginia Gardner, Ariela Barer and Gregg Sulkin.

Additional cast will be announced later.

Acosta’s credits include 100 Things to Do Before High School and Just Add Magic.

ABC to Launch Garcia Swisher’s “The Astronaut Wives Club” This June

Posted on April 21, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

JoAnna Garcia Swisher’s latest project is ready to blast off this summer…

ABC has scheduled The Astronaut Wives Club, starring the 35-year-old half-Cuban American actress, to premiere on Thursday, June 18, at 8:00 pm ET, leading to the two-hour season premiere of Mistresses.

The long-in-the-works drama series adaptation of t Lily Koppel’s book of the same name, is being produced by ABC Studios, Fake Empire and Groundswell.

Originally picked up straight-to-series for last summer, The Astronaut Wives Club was pushed to midseason 2015 last April to undergo creative changes.

Written by Stephanie Savage, it tells the real story of the women who stood beside some of the biggest heroes in American history during the height of the space race. In its first incarnation, the series was to cover only the wives of the astronauts from the Mercury missions. Its scope was subsequently expanded to also include the Gemini and Apollo missions.

The Astronaut Wives Club stars Garcia Swisher as Betty Grissom; Yvonne Strahovski as Rene Carpenter; Dominique McElligott as Louise Shepard; Odette Annable as Trudy Cooper; Erin Cummings as Marge Slayton; Azure Parsons as Annie Glenn; Zoe Boyle as Jo Schirra; Desmond Harrington as Alan Shepard; Bret Harrison as Gordo Cooper; Wilson Bethel as Scott Carpenter; Kenneth Mitchell as Deke Slayton; Joel Johnstone as Gus Grissom; Sam Reid as John Glenn and Aaron McCusker as Wally Schirra.

The first episode was directed by Lone Scherfig.

Annable to Star in ABC’s Summer Drama “Astronaut Wives Club”

Posted on March 16, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Odette Annable’s next role is out of this world…

The 28-year-old half-Cuban American actress has landed one of the lead roles in ABCs 10-episode summer drama series Astronaut Wives Club.

Based on Lily Koppel’s novel The Astronaut Wives Club: A True Story, it tells the real story of the women who stood beside some of the biggest heroes in American history during the height of the space race. The script for The Astronaut Wives Club was written by Stephanie Savage.

Annable will portray Trudy Cooper, the youngest of the wives, a licensed pilot herself. She’s described as a tomboy with great aspirations of her own. Her forward-thinking challenges not just her husband but the other wives.

Annable was an early choice for the role, which marks her second consecutive pilot-season casting at ABC.

Last year, she starred in the drama pilot Westside. Annable has been recurring on Cinemax’s Banshee and CBS’ Two and a Half Men.

Her other credits include Fox’s House, New Girl and Breaking In, FX’s Anger Management and ABC’s Brothers & Sisters and October Road.

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