The 38-year-old Mexican actor has been cast in the Halle Berry’s feature directorial debut, the MMA drama Bruised.
Written by Michelle Rosenfarb, the film follows Jackie Justice (played by Berry), a washed-up MMA wrestler who has failed at the one thing she’s ever been good at – fighting. When 6-year-old Manny, the son she walked out on years ago, returns to her doorstep, Jackie has to conquer her own demons, face one of the fiercest rising stars of the MMA world and ultimately fight to become the mother this kid deserves.
Canto will play Berry’s character’s MMA manager and boyfriend.
Canto’s credits include the acclaimed Netflix series Narcos, ABC’s Designated Survivor and Blood and Oil and Fox’s The Following.
On the film side, he co-starred as the Sunspot in 20th Century Fox’s X-Men: Days of Future Past. He recently wrote, directed and produced his first short The Shot, starring Theo Rossi.
Everything’s coming up rose(wood) for Manny Montana…
The 33-year-old Latino actor has landed a recurring role on Fox’s drama series Rosewood.
The Miami-set medical procedural follows top private pathologist Dr. Beaumont Rosewood Jr. (Morris Chestnut) and tough-as-nails Detective Annalise Villa (Jaina Lee Ortiz) as they investigate the East Miami Police Department’s most challenging cases.
Montana, best known for his work on USA Network‘s Graceland, will play Marcos Villa, brother of Detective Annalise Villa, who just finished his third tour in the Army. He’s recently returned to Miami but we have yet to find out exactly why he’s there.
Montana, who’s currently a series regular on ABC’s legal dramaConviction, has also appeared on Lucifer, The Following, Power and Grimm.
Millennium Films has acquired the time-travel thriller Victim 321 that will be directed by the Venezuelan-American’s thriller The Zero Hour (La hora cero).
It’ll be Velasco’s first English-language full-length feature film.
Scripted by The Following writer Michael McGrale, Victim 321 tells the story of a jaded Chicago homicide detective who wakes up in the body of an ex-con three days before his murder. He has 72 hours to unravel the conspiracy behind the victim’s death, or he’ll meet his own demise.
Avi Lerner, Trevor Short, Boaz Davidson, John Thompson, Mark Gill, Vincent Cheng and Beth Bruckner O’Brien will be exec producers on Victim 321.
“This is the perfect match of a compelling high-concept script with a memorable character journey and a blow-out good director in Diego Velasco,” Gill said. “His movie The Zero Hour is probably the least well-known great film of the last five years.”
Velasco’s other credits include directing episodes of the television series Cybergeddon.
The 45-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress has been cast as a series regular opposite Clive Standen in Taken, NBC’s straight-to-series adaptation of the hit movie franchise.
Written and executive produced by Alex Cary, who serves as showrunner, the Taken television series is a modern-day prequel to the film franchise that depicts how Bryan Mills developed and sharpened his particular set of skills.
Curnen will portray Vlasik, an integral member of OPCON, a role that has been elevated to a series regular.
Curnen recurred last season on Elementary and The Following. She has also appeared on Person of Interest, Sons of Anarchy and Lie to Me.
The 44-year-old Puerto Rican actor, film director and producer has been added to the cast of Drew, CBS’ drama pilot based on the Nancy Drew character from the classic mystery book series.
Written by Joan Rater and Tony Phelan and directed by James Strong, Drew is described as a contemporary take on the character from the books, with Nancy, now in her 30s, working as a detective for the NYPD, where she investigates and solves crimes using her uncanny observational skills, all while navigating the complexities of life in a modern world.
Solis will play Lieutenant Ford, who moved to New York after his wife died under suspicious circumstances. He was a person of interest but never charged. He left all that behind and tries to forget his past by burying himself in work.
Solis, who recurred as Special Agent Jeffrey Clarke onThe Following, will next be seen in ABC’sThe Family.
The 34-year-old Mexican actor will co-star opposite Kiefer Sutherland in ABC’s straight-to-series conspiracy thriller drama Designated Survivor.
Canto, who emerged as one of the most sought after actors this pilot season, had been pursued for talent holding deals and received seven pilot offers since December until settling on Designated Survivor, signing a deal with the project’s leading studio, the Mark Gordon Company.
Designated Survivor, from ABC Studios, is building a formidable cast, with Canto joining previously cast Sutherland, Maggie Q, Kal Penn, Natascha McElhone and Italia Ricci. Paul McGuigan is directing.
Designated Survivor, written by David Guggenheim and executive produced by Simon Kinberg, centers on Tom Kirkman (Sutherland), a lower level United States Cabinet member who is suddenly appointed President after a catastrophic attack during the State of the Union kills everyone above him in the Presidential line of succession. Canto will play the aggressive deputy Chief of Staff Aaron who advises Kirkman after the attack and guns for a promotion.
Canto has been working continuously on American television over the past couple of years, including playing the male lead in the NBC pilot The Curse of the Fuentes Women last year. His series credits include Narcos, Second Chance, Blood & Oiland The Following.
The 33-year-old Mexican actor has been added to the cast of ABC‘s upcoming drama Blood and Oilas a series regular, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Written by Josh Pate and Rodes Fishburne, the drama series follows Billy (Chase Crawford) and Cody Lefever (Rebecca Rittenhouse) who dream of a new life beyond their working-class roots and move to The Bakken in North Dakota, booming after the biggest oil discovery in American history. They’re soon pitted against a ruthless tycoon who forces them to bet big and put everything on the line, including their marriage.
Canto will portray AJ Menendez, taking over the role previously played by Yani Gellman in the pilot. The character is a geologist who has been hired to work with Briggs Oil and advise Hap Briggs (Don Johnson) on the Bakken Oil play. He’ll also help Hap around the ranch and eventually develops a romantic relationship with his daughter, Carla (Amber Valletta).
The cast also includes Delroy Lindo, Scott Michael Fosterand India De Beaufort, among others.
Blood and Oil,set to premiere on Sunday, September 27 at 9:00 pm, is produced by ABC Signature.
The casting brings Canto back into the ABC fold following his starring turn on the short-lived comedy series Mixology.
It’s a Miami Sound Machine moment for Ana Villafañe…
The Cuban-American singer, dancer and actress has been cast as Gloria Estefan in On Your Feet!, the highly anticipated Broadway musical about the Latin music superstar and her equally talented husband, producer Emilio Estefan.
Villafañe, who attended the same Miami high school as la Estefan, wasn’t able to make the open casting call last fall but sent a video audition, according to an announcement Monday from the production team. She got the call to audition for director Jerry Mitchell (Kinky Boots, Hairspray) and the Estefans, and was cast in the show.
She’ll star opposite Josh Segarra, who will portray Emilio.
The musical — a rare Latino-themed Broadway offering that will surely benefit from Estefan’s global status — is based on the life story of the seven-time Grammy-winning singer and her husband, who owns 19 of his own Grammys. It’s slated to open at Broadway’s Nederlander-operated Marquis Theatre on November 5, following previews beginning October 5. I
n addition to staging by Mitchell, the show will have choreography by Sergio Trujillo (Jersey Boys, Memphis), with a book by Oscar winner Alexander Dinelaris (Birdman). Prior to Broadway, the show will try out at Chicago’s Oriental Theatre from June 2-July 5.
“She walked into the room, and I immediately thought to myself – ‘this is it’,” Mitchell said of Villafañe in a prepared announcement. “Not only was she beautifully reminiscent of a young Gloria, but she embodied her energy and spirit in such a captivating way. And then she fully rose to the occasion by giving a sensational audition.”
Villafañe’s film and television credits include Magic City Memoirs (executive producer Andy Garcia), Los Americansand the upcoming Hulu original series South Beach: Fever as well asthe female lead in Max Steel (Mattel), set for global release this summer.
Segarra has appeared in New York in Second Stage Theater’s Dogfightand Lysistrata Jones. On television, he stars in USA’s comedy series Sirensand has a recurring part on NBC’s Chicago PD as well as PBS’ The Electric Company, and guest appearances on Showtime’s Homelandand FX’s TheFollowing. This summer, he’ll appear in the Judd Apatow feature film Trainwreck.
The company will also feature Andréa Burns (In The Heights) as Gloria Fajardo (Gloria’s mother); Alma Cuervo (Beauty And The Beast) as Consuelo (Gloria’s grandmother); Alexandria Suarez as Little Gloria; and Noah Johnston as little Emilio.
David Rockwell (Kinky Boots, On The Twentieth Century) has designed the sets, with costumes by Emilio Sosa (Porgy & Bess), lighting by Kenneth Posner (Wicked, Hairspray), sound by Steve Kennedy and projections by Darrel Maloney. The show is produced by James L. Nederlander and Estefan Enterprises Inc., in partnership with Bernie Yuman.
In anticipation of a wide-ranging social media campaign to publicize the show, the production also released three videos about the Estefan’s and the making of the musical.
The project, from Horta’s Silent H Prods. and Warner Bros. Television, chronicles what happens when Salvador (Canto), a mysterious stranger, washes up on Miami Beach and comes into the lives of the Fuentes women, reviving a link to a magical past.
From creatorsDenis Leary and Bob Fisher, the series follows three Chicago EMTs who, despite their narcissistic and self-destructive personalities, are uniquely qualified to save lives.
Segarra portrays the handsome yet dim bulb cop Billy —Theresa’s (Jessica McNamee) new partner and friend who brings out Johnny’s (Michael Mosley) jealous side.
He becomes the latest Sirens cast member to be promoted to series regular for season two. Bill Nunn, who plays EMT Cash, was also upped for its sophomore run after appearing in nearly all of the half-hour comedy’s rookie run as a recurring guest star.
USA renewed Sirens for a second season in June.
Segarra previously starred as who Hector Ruiz, Jessica Ruiz’s older brother,on the television show The Electric Company. His other television credits include appearances on Blue Bloods, Chicago P.D., The Following and Homeland.
