Tag Archives: USA Today

BCDF Pictures Acquires Film Rights to Elena Armas’ Bestseller “The Spanish Love Deception”

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Elena Armas’ popular novel will be getting the Hollywood treatment…

BCDF Pictures has acquired film rights to the Spanish author’s 2022 New York Times bestseller The Spanish Love Deception, with Peter Hutchings set to adapt the novel for the big screen.

Elena Armas

The romantic comedy from Simon & Schuster is the first installment in a series of the same name.

It tells the story of Catalina Martín, who desperately needs a date to her sister’s wedding in Spain. Especially since she lied and told her large, raucous family that she has a new American boyfriend. Now everyone expects her to bring him, including the ex who drove Catalina to leave Spain in the first place. Enter Aaron Blackford – her tall, handsome, insufferably condescending colleague – who surprisingly offers to step in.

The Spanish Love Deception, Elena ArmasThe Spanish Love Deception has been published in more than 25 languages. The book won the Goodreads Choice Award for Debut Novel of the Year, and has become a phenomenon on TikTok, boasting a hashtag with over 100M views.

It has also been named a “Must-Read” by Cosmopolitan, Publisher’s Weekly, Bustle, Elle, Paste, Glamour, Business Insider, Buzzfeed and USA Today.

Its sequel, The American Roommate Experiment, will follow in September.

Claude Dal Farra and Brian Keady will produce the Spanish Love Deception film for BCDF Pictures.

“I am thrilled to have BCDF Pictures working on the adaptation of THE SPANISH LOVE DECEPTION and I have no doubt they will do an amazing job bringing Aaron and Catalina to life,” said Armas. “Believe me when I say that I am obsessed with the script and Peter Hutchings’s vision of these characters and Spanish setting I keep so close to my heart. THE SPANISH LOVE DECEPTION readers are not ready for the Martín family!”

Entertainment One to Develop Series Based on Adam Silvera’s YA Novel “They Both Die at the End”

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It’s the beginning of the End for Adam Silvera.

Entertainment One has acquired the U.S. rights to the 40-year-old half Puerto Rican writer’s novel They Both Die at the End to develop for television.

Adam Silvera

Silvera’s novel currently ranks at No. 1 on the New York Times YA paperback bestsellers list three years after it was published.

Silvera is attached to pen the series adaptation. eOne will serve as the studio and distribute the project worldwide.

Published by HarperCollins in September 2017, They Both Die at the End was previously in development as a series at HBO with J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot and The Other Two co-creator Chris Kelly. eOne pursued the rights when they became available, landing in a competitive situation.

Creative Engine and eOne already have a relationship with Silvera, whose first novel, More Happy Than Not, is currently in the works as a series at HBO Max, also eOne. Andrew Haigh is attached to direct.

they-both-die-at-the-end

They Both Die at the End is a devastating yet uplifting story about two people whose lives change over the course of one unforgettable day. According to the book synopsis: “On September 5, a little after midnight, Death-Cast calls Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio to give them some bad news: They’re going to die today. Mateo and Rufus are total strangers, but, for different reasons, they’re both looking to make a new friend on their End Day. The good news: There’s an app for that. It’s called the Last Friend, and through it, Rufus and Mateo are about to meet up for one last great adventure—to live a lifetime in a single day.”

The book made history as the first YA novel with queer Latinx characters to hit No. 1 on the New York Times bestsellers list.

The novel experienced a resurgence in popularity during the pandemic and hit No. 1 again last month after it became a fixture under the TikTok hashtag #BookTok, where users recommend books and record their reactions to emotional story developments.

It now ranks as the bestselling YA novel of 2021, and there has been a 900% increase in printings to meet demand. The novel also is a No. 1 National Indie bestseller, the No. 1 YA bestseller in the UK and Australia, and the top-selling YA title on the USA Today bestseller list.

Silvera has expressed interest in writing more books in the They Both Die at the End universe.

Jason Castro Signs Two-Year, $7 Million Contract with Houston Astros

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Jason Castro has landed an astronomical deal…

The Houston Astros have reached a two-year, $7 million contract with the Latino professional baseball catcher, according to ESPN.

Jason Castro

The deal, which includes $2 million in possible escalators based on games played at catcher in 2021, brings Castro back to Houston, where he was drafted in the first round of the 2008 amateur draft, spent his first six major league seasons and was an MLB All-Star in 2013.

Castro gives Houston another veteran catcher to play behind starter Martin Maldonado. Castro hit hit .232 with 62 home runs and 212 RBIs over 617 games during his first stint in Houston.

Castro finished the 2020 season with the San Diego Padres following a trade by the Los Angeles Angels in August. He appeared in 27 games between the two teams during the shortened season, hitting .188 with two home runs and nine RBIs. He spent the previous three seasons with the Minnesota Twins, where he played 208 games and hit .229.

He’s been a below-average hitter throughout his career, with a .230 batting average, but has been lauded for his pitch-framing and blocking skills.

The Athletic first reported on the agreement, while USA Today first reported the terms of the deal.

Starz Puts Comedy Based on Valdes’ “Dirty Girls Social Club” in Production

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Alisa Valdes’ best-selling work is getting the Starz treatment…

Starz has put in development the female-driven comedy series Dirty Girls Social Club, based on the best-selling novel by the 47-year-old Cuban American author, journalist and film producer.

Alisa Valdes

The Dirty Girls Social Club is described as a dynamic and sexy half-hour series about six diverse professional women living in New York City who’ve known each other since college. Ten years later, and through professional and personal successes, failures and heartaches, the one thing they can always count on is each other.

“The Dirty Girls Social Club is a wonderful story about friendship with complex, nuanced characters,” said Starz managing director Carmi Zlotnik. “We are proud to develop a series that celebrates cultural diversity, produced by a diverse group of women.”

Ligiah Villalobos will serve as showrunner. She’ll executive produce with Anne Thomopoulos and veteran network executive Lucia Cottone.

Valdes is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of more than a dozen novels, an award-winning print and broadcast journalist and former staff writer for both the Los Angeles Times and the Boston Globe.