Tag Archives: Tilda Swinton

Julio Torres Signs Deal with Ars Nova to Identify, Develop & Commission Projects from Rising Comedy Artists

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Julio Torres is hoping to cultivate new comedic talents…

The 36-year-old Salvadoran writer, comedian and actor has agreed to a deal with Ars Nova, the Off-Broadway, non-profit theater in New York City, that will see them partner to identify, develop, and commission full-length projects from early-career comedy artists.

Julio Torres,The collaboration further expands Ars Nova’s two-decade commitment to new comedy at a time when support systems for NYC-based artists have decreased.

Under the partnership, Torres and Ars Nova will look to provide comedians with opportunities for development and production outside of the traditional model of sketch shows and 10-minute sets. They’ll offer funding up front to create brand new, uniquely theatrical shows, while providing mentorship and development resources to the artists involved, the first set for a commission being Ars Nova Vision Residency Alum River L. Ramirez. Others will be announced at a later date.

To celebrate the alliance, the Problemista star will return to the Ars Nova stage on October 26 to host Showgasm. — the theater’s variety-show-meets-party that serves up comedy, burlesque, and more. In addition to the newly commissioned Ramirez, Showgasm. will feature performances by Spike Einbinder, Macy Rodman, and Max Wittert, among others. Tickets are Name Your Price starting at $5 with every dollar going directly to the artists involved.

“This is such a dream—I get to guide Ars Nova into commissioning shows from my brilliant friends, starting with the unique and powerful River L. Ramirez, who has been an inspiration of mine since I met them years ago doing open mics,” said Torres in a statement to Deadline. “Many years ago, John Early introduced me to Ars Nova where I had my first solo show. I’m proud that now I get to put the spotlight on others and give them the resources they need to translate their talent and experience into formal commissions by a welcoming theater.”

Added Founding Artistic Director Jason Eagan, “Julio is a singular talent whose groundbreaking work in comedy and television continues to redefine our culture. We’re ecstatic to have him actively in our community again and inspired by his desire to help the next wave of comedy talent break barriers, by getting their work made and seen. Placing this partnership alongside our ongoing comedy residency program CAMP, led by Matt Gehring and Mahayla Laurence, further cements Ars Nova’s commitment to its comedy, music, theater, and everything-in-between, mission.”

A Brooklyn-based comedian, writer, filmmaker and actor, Torres is best known for his Emmy-nominated and WGA-winning writing on Saturday Night Live, the Peabody and GLAAD Award-winning HBO series Los Espookys, which he co-created with Fred Armisen and Ana Fabrega, and his forthcoming directorial debut Problemista, a comedy he wrote and stars in alongside Tilda Swinton, which premiered at SXSW and will premiere theatrically in 2024, having been one of the many titles pushed out of 2023 amidst the strikes from the WGA and SAG-AFTRA.

First performing on the Ars Nova stage in 2014, Torres has also been seen on shows like High Maintenance, Search Party and Shrill, the Ed Helms–Patti Harrison indie Together Together, and on assorted late-night shows, where he’s performed stand-up. His next television series, Fantasmas, will premiere on HBO next year.

Torres previously wrote, produced and directed the comedy special program Pervert Everything for Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim. They teach performance and public speaking at The Brick Aux in BK, perform experimental comedy at Littlefield in BK, and have been commissioned for original musical and dance-based performances by Baryshnikov Arts Center, Gibney, Ars Nova Vision Residency program, and Moma PS1. Named one of Comedy Central’s Up Next Comedians for 2018, Ramirez has additionally written for High Maintenance and The National Lampoon Radio Hour.

Sony Pictures Classics to Release Pedro Almodóvar’s “Strange Way of Life” Short Film in U.S. Theaters

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Pedro Almodóvar’s latest short film will be hitting theaters in the United States this fall.

The 73-year-old Spanish Oscar-winning filmmaker’s Strange Way of Life, which had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in the spring, will arrive in theaters in New York City and Los Angeles on October 4 thanks to Sony Pictures Classics.

Pedro AlmodovarThere will be an expansion nationwide on Oct. 6.

The short film, starring Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal, will play in theaters alongside Almodóvar’s 2020 short film, The Human Voice, starring Tilda Swinton, which was also distributed by Sony Pictures Classics. Together, the two shorts represent Almodóvar’s only English-language projects to date.

Strange Way of Life follows two gunmen who reunite after many years. In the film, a man rides a horse across the desert that separates him from Bitter Creek. He comes to visit Sheriff Jake. Twenty-five years earlier, both the sheriff and Silva, the rancher who rides out to meet him, worked together as hired gunmen. Silva visits him with the excuse of reuniting with his friend from his youth, and they do indeed celebrate their meeting, but the next morning Sheriff Jake tells him that the reason for his trip is not to go down the memory lane of their old friendship…

Pedro Pascal, Strange Way of LifeProduced by Almodóvar’s El Deseo and presented by Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello, Strange Way of Life, stars Pedro Casablanc, Manu Ríos, George Steane, José Condessa, Jason Fernández and Sara Sálamo. It is produced by Agustín Almodóvar, with Esther García as EP and Bárbara Peiró, Diego Pajuelo, and Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello as associate producers.

The score is composed by four-time Oscar nominee Alberto Iglesias, a regular Almodóvar collaborator who received his most recent Oscar nomination in 2022 for Almodóvar’s Paralell Mothers. All characters are costumed by Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello.

SPC has long-teamed with Almodóvar on a majority of his films, including most recently Parallel Mothers in 2021 and Pain and Glory in 2019. Sony Pictures Classics, which received two Oscar nominations each.

Sony Pictures Classics Acquires Worldwide Rights to Pedro Almodovar’s “Strange Way of Life,” Starring Pedro Pascal

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Pedro Pascal’s strange way of life will be on full display globally…

Sony Pictures Classics has acquired the worldwide rights (outside of the UK, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Spain, Italy and Latin America) to Strange Way of Life, the buzzy short film starring the Chilean actor.

Pedro Pascal, Strange Way of LifeThe film, from Pedro Almodóvar, also stars Ethan Hawke.

The short will premiere as an official selection of the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.

The film, acquired at the pre-production phase, is slated for release this fall and will almost certainly be positioned for awards consideration, given the caliber of talent behind it.

Following two gunmen who reunite after 25 years, Strange Way of Life marks the latest in a long line of collaborations between Almodóvar and SPC, coming on the heels of the filmmaker’s first English-language project The Human Voice — a short also distributed by SPC, which starred Tilda Swinton.

Almodóvar describes the plot as follows: “A man rides a horse across the desert that separates him from Bitter Creek. He comes to visit Sheriff Jake. Twenty-five years earlier, both the sheriff and Silva, the rancher who rides out to meet him, worked together as hired gunmen. Silva visits him with the excuse of reuniting with his friend from his youth, and they do indeed celebrate their meeting, but the next morning Sheriff Jake tells him that the reason for his trip is not to go down the memory lane of their old friendship…”

Produced by Almodóvar’s El Deseo and presented by Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello, Strange Way of Life also stars Pedro Casablanc, Manu Ríos, George Steane, José Condessa, Jason Fernández and Sara Sálamo.

Agustín Almodóvar produced, with Esther García as executive producer, and Bárbara Peiró, Diego Pajuelo and Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello as associate producers.

Four-time Oscar nom and regular Almodóvar collaborator Alberto Iglesias penned the score, with Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello handling the costumes.

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

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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.

Guillermo del Toro, Pinocchio,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.

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

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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.

Guillermo del Toro, Pinocchio,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”

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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.

Guillermo del Toro, Pinocchio,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

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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.

Guillermo del Toro, Pinocchio,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.

Pedro Almodovar to Direct First Full-Length English-Language Feature “A Manual for Cleaning Women”

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Pedro Almodovar is switching tongues, and he’s recruiting an Oscar-winning actress to help…

The 72-year-old Spanish Oscar-winning film director, screenwriter and producer is preparing to direct his first full-length English-language feature A Manual for Cleaning Women, with Cate Blanchett set to produce and star in the film.

Pedro Almodovar

Still in the early stages of development, the film is based on Lucia Berlin’s 43-part collection of short stories, examining the lives of women working a wide variety of demanding jobs.

Blanchett, Andrew Upton and Coco Francini will produce for Dirty Films, with Almodóvar for El Deseo, and Brian Oliver and Bradley Fischer for New Republic Pictures.

The film is Almodóvar’s follow-up to Parallel Mothers, the Sony Pictures Classic drama starring Penélope Cruz about two mothers who give birth the same day, and the English-language short The Human Voice starring Tilda Swinton, which was shortlisted by the Film Academy last year.

Almodovar has won two Academy Awards: He picked up the Best Foreign Language Film award for All About My Mother and the Best Original Screenplay award for Talk To Her.

Frankie Loyal Upped to Series Regular on FX’s “Mayans M.C.”

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There are more rides in Frankie Loyal’s future…

The 51-year-old Latino actor/producer has been upped to series regular on FX’s biker drama Mayans M.C. alongside Joseph Lucero and Vincent Vargas for season 4, which is scheduled to return in early 2022.

Frankie Loyal

Loyal, Lucero and Vargas took on larger roles in season 3, which saw their characters Hank Loza, Neron “Creeper” Vargas, and Gilly Lopez, respectively, flourish and develop into fully rounded characters with storylines fans embraced fully.

The trio have been a part of the series throughout its three-season run.

Mayans M.C., a spin-off series of the network’s hit Sons of Anarchy, follows a motley crew of Latino men who found a family in the motorcycle club charter Santo Padre on the California and Mexico border. While the story is about the M.C., it also features powerful female characters that are bold and powerful in their own right.

The character of E.Z. Reyes (JD Pardo) is at the center of the story as he finds his place in the gray area of a world that is mostly black and white.

It’s helmed by co-creator and executive producer Elgin James; and co-stars Clayton Cardenas, Danny Pino, Richard Cabral, Michael Irby, Carla Baratta, Sarah Bolger, Emilio Rivera, Edward James Olmos, Raoul Trujillo, Emily Tosta, and Sulem Calderon.

Loyal, whose character Hank serves as Sergeant-of-Arms to the M.C., guest-starred on FX’s Better Things opposite Pamela Adlon. On the big screen, he starred in The Deep End alongside Tilda Swinton and Goran Visnjic. He will next be seen in the drama feature Die Like A Man.

Lucero made his debut in the 2006 drama Gridiron Gang alongside Dwayne Johnson, Xzibit, Moe McCrae, and Jurnee Smollett. He was also featured in Father G and the Homeboys, an award-winning documentary chronicling Father Greg Boyle’s work with Los Angeles’ toughest gang members. Lucero’s television credits include Dirt, ER, The Shield, Cold Case, Criminal Minds, The Closer, Shameless, S.W.A.T., and FBI.

Vargas is a veteran of the U.S. Army that served three combat deployments who continues to serve his country today for the Army Reserve. In 2009, he became a Federal Agent with the Department of Homeland Security and was a Medic with the Special Operations Group.

He has starred and produced several films including Lucy Shimmers and the Prince of Peace (co-executive producer), Not a War Story (executive producer), and Dads in Parks (writer). Vargas pulled double duty since season 2 on Mayans M.C. as recurring star and technical advisor.

Tony Revolori to Star in Wes Anderson’s Latest Still-Untitled Film

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Tony Revolori is ready to go Wes, once again…

The third time is apparently the charm when it comes to Wes Anderson and the 25-year-old Guatemalan American actor, the breakout star of Anderson’s Grand Budapest Hotel.

Tony Revolori 

Revolori is reuniting with the director on his next project. This will mark their third outing together after having also just worked on The French Dispatch.

Joining Revolori are Anderson alums Bill Murray, Adrien Brody, Bryan Cranston and Tilda Swinton, as well as Margot Robbie, Scarlett Johansson, Jeffrey Wright, Rupert Friend and Tom Hanks. The film is expected to shoot in Spain.

Outside of Anderson writing and directing, not much is known about the project.

The project has gained momentum following the premiere of The French Dispatch, at the Cannes Film Festival and bows in theaters this October.

Besides The French Dispatch, Revolori can be seen next in Sony and Marvel’s Spider-Man: No Way Home. He was also recently seen in the second season of Apple’s Servant. 

Revolori is wrapping up production on the first season of Willow for Disney+.