Hagan Oliveras to Star in Broadway Revival of Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town”

Hagan Oliveras is coming to Town

The upcoming fall Broadway revival of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town will feature a 28-actor cast, including the Latino actor.

Hagan OlivaresThe cast will be led by Jim Parsons, Zoey DeutchKatie HolmesEphraim Sykes and Richard Thomas, per the producers.

The strictly limited engagement, directed by Kenny Leon, will begin previews at the Barrymore Theatre on Tuesday, September 17 ahead of an opening on Thursday, October 10.

Parsons will play the Stage Manager, with Deutch as Emily Webb, Holmes as Mrs. Webb, Sykes as George Gibbs and Thomas as Mr. Webb. Billy Eugene Jones will play Dr. Gibbs, Michelle Wilson will be Mrs. Gibbs and Julie Halston will portray Mrs. Soames. Donald Webber Jr. will play Simon Stimpson.

Also in the cast: Ephie Aardema, Heather Ayers, Willa Bost, Bobby Daye, Safiya Kaijya Harris, Doron JéPaul, Shyla Lefner, Anthony Michael Lopez, John McGinty, Bryonha Marie, Kevyn Morrow, Noah Pyzik, Sky Smith, Bill Timoney, Matthew Elijah Webb and Nimene Sierra Wureh.

Two final actors will be announced at a later date.

The production’s design team will include scenic design by Beowulf Boritt; costume design by Dede Ayite; lighting design by Allen Lee Hughes; and sound design by Justin Ellington.

The first Broadway revival of Our Town since a 2002 production that starred Paul Newman as the Stage Manager, the classic drama set in Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire, originally debuted on Broadway in 1938, winning the Pulitzer Prize and quickly becoming one of the most beloved and staged American plays of the 20th Century.

“Thornton Wilder’s Our Town in my mind stands at the top of the Mount Rushmore of great American Theatre,” said director Leon in a statement. “I feel blessed and fortunate to have gained the trust of The Wilder estate to present this classic to another generation of theatre lovers. It’s long been a burning desire to collaborate on a Broadway production of such magnitude that speaks so beautifully and intimately to all people about our shared time on the planet.”

The revival is being produced by Jeffrey Richards, Hunter Arnold, Patty Baker, Craig Balsam, Irene Gandy, Rebecca Gold, Louise Gund, Willette & Manny Klausner, M/B/P Productions, Daryl Roth and Jayne Baron Sherman.

Olivares previous credits include American Horror Stories.

Ruby Cruz to Star in the High-Concept Rom-Com “Threesome”

Ruby Cruz has locked in her next project…

The 23-year-old half-Latina actress will star alongside Zoey Deutch, Jonah Hauer-King, Jaboukie Young-White and Josh Segarra) in the high-concept romantic comedy The Threesome.

Ruby Cruz From Star Thrower Entertainment, Filmopoly and Jupiter Peak, the project has wrapped production in Arkansas.

Directed by Chad Hartigan from a script by Ethan OgilbyThe Threesome explores the aftermath of one impulsive, seemingly innocuous decision. When a young man’s perennial crush leads him into an unexpected threesome, he thinks it’s his ultimate fantasy come true. But when the fantasy ends, all three are left with sobering real-world consequences, forcing them to take responsibility for their actions — even if it means compromising the lives they’ve always envisioned.

The film is produced by Tim White and Trevor White for Star Thrower Entertainment, Vince Jolivette for Filmopoly, and Steven Shapiro for Jupiter Peak. D

Cruz’s previous credits include Bottoms, Mare of Easttown, Willow and Castle Rock.

Noah Centineo to Serve as Member of Tribeca Festival Jury

Noah Centineo has joined the jury…

The Tribeca Festival, which gets under way on Wednesday in New York, has announced members of the jury, including the 27-year-old part-Puerto Rican actor, who will decide winners in 15 award categories.

Noah CentineoIn addition to Centineo, the jury roster also includes Brendan FraserStephanie Hsu, Zoey Deutch, Dianna Agron, Zazie Beetz, Kate Siegel, Mark Duplass, Stephen Kay, Nina Dobrev, Clea DuVall, Piper PeraboChance the Rapper, Jeremy O. Harris, Andrew Ahn and Chloe Grace Moretz.

Along with the competitive categories, the Nora Ephron Award will be presented in the memory of the filmmaker and writer.

While the festival removed the word “film” from its name several years ago to reflect its broad range of offerings in games, podcasts, music and other areas, the film slate has continued as an identifying aspect of the event.

This year’s U.S. narrative feature jury includes Hsu, Ramin Bahrani, Zoey Deutch, Mike Flanagan and Tommy Oliver; the international feature jury includes Fraser, Zazie Beetz, Alfredo Jaar, Shirin Neshat and Kate Siegel; and the documentary feature jury includes Mark Duplass, Adam Goldberg, Stephanie Linus, Alexandra Pelosi and Ryan White.

Award categories span narrative and documentary features and shorts as well as the immersive Storyscapes vertical, games and audio storytelling. Winners will be announced June 15. The festival runs June 7 to 18.

The Tribeca Festival was founded in 2001 by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff. In 2019, James Murdoch’s Lupa Systems bought a majority stake in festival parent Tribeca Enterprises. After a year in virtual mode in 2020 due to Covid, the 2021 edition was the first North American festival to be held in person coming out of the pandemic. The last two Tribecas have unfolded in June, a change from the festival’s longtime berth in April. Organizers have indicated the new timing offers a lot of upside, including more favorable weather in New York, which helps with attendance and logistics for the many outdoor events typically on the schedule.

Leslie Grace to Star as Title Character in Warner Bros. & DC Films’ “Batgirl”

Leslie Grace is the (bat)girl of the hour…

The 26-year-old Dominican American actress and Latin Grammy-nominated singer has been cast as Barbara Gordon in Warner Bros. and DC Films’ Batgirl.

Leslie Grace

The decision was made after testing actresses this week.

The studio was already extremely interested in the rising Afro-Latina star following her breakout role in In the Heights, and sources say her audition sealed the deal as the choice.

The studio had no comment.

The film will bow on HBO Max, marking one of the first major DC properties to debut exclusively on the streamer. Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah will direct the film from a script by Christina Hodson.

While plot details are under wraps, it is known that Barbara Gordon, the daughter of Commissioner Gordon, will be the character behind the cape in this version. Gordon is the most established version of the Batgirl character and was first introduced in 1961 as Betty Kane.

Grace was among a final group of actresses being tested for the role that included Isabella MercedZoey Deutch and Haley Lu Richardson.

Rosario Dawson to Star in “Zombieland 2”

Rosario Dawson will seeing, and fighting, dead people…

The 39-year-old Puerto Rican and Cuban-American actress is set to join Zombieland 2, the next installment of the Sony Pictures post-apocalyptic zombie comedy that will feature original stars Woody HarrelsonJesse EisenbergEmma Stone and Abigail Breslin.

Rosario Dawson

Ruben Fleischer returns to direct the sequel fresh off of the blockbuster success of Venom.

Written by original Zombieland scribes Paul Wernickand Rhett Reese, the sequel centers on the comic mayhem that stretches from the White Houseand through the heartland. The zombie slayers must face off against the many new kinds of zombies that have evolved since the first movie, as well as some new human survivors. Most of all, they have to face the growing pains of their own snarky, makeshift family.

Dawson joins franchise newcomers Zoey Deutchand Avan Jogiawith filming slated to begin this week. 

Zombieland 2 hits theaters on October 11.

Dawson can be seen as Claire Temple in five of the Netflix Marvel series: Jessica JonesLuke CageDaredevilThe Defenders and Iron Fist

Up next, she toplines the USA Networkcrime anthology series Briarpatch.

Kid Cudi to Star in Indie Action Crime-Thriller “Vincent N Roxxy”

Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi is ready to Roxxy the big screen…

The 32-year-old part-Mexican American hip-hop singer/actor will star in the indie action crime-thriller Vincent N Roxxy.

 Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi

Directed and written by Gary Michael Schultz, and based on the story by Keith Kjarval, the film centers on a small town loner and a rebellious punk rocker who unexpectedly fall in love as they’re forced on the run and soon discover violence follows them everywhere.

The film will also star Emile Hirsch, Zoë Kravitz and Zoey Deutch. 

Vincent N Roxxy will be screened at Tribeca Film Festival next month.

Guzman’s “Everybody Wants Some” to Open This Year’s SXSW Conference & Festival

Everyone will want some of Ryan Guzman at this year’s SXSW

This year’s South By Southwest Conference and Festival will open with the world premiere of Richard Linklater’s new comedy Everybody Wants Some, starring the 28-year-old half-Mexican American actor.

Ryan Guzman

Written and directed by Linklater, the film (formerly titled That’s What I’m Talking About) follows a group of college baseball players in the 1980s as they adjust to the freedoms and responsibilities of unsupervised adult life for the first time

In addition to Guzman, who was a baseball pitcher in college, the film also stars Will Brittain, Zoey Deutch, Tyler Hoechlin, Blake Jenner, Glen Powell and Wyatt Russell.

Paramount Pictures is set to release the film on April 15.

The SXSW opening-night festivities are set for March 11, with the festival running March 11-20.

Guzman, best known for portraying Sean Asa in the fourth and fifth installments of the Step Up franchise, most recently appeared in Jem and the Holograms. His other credits include The Boy Next Door and appearances on Pretty Little Liars and Heroes Reborn.

Bichir to Star Opposite Mateo Arias in the Teen Coming-of-Age Comedy “Good Kids”

Demián Bichir has landed a good role…

The 51-year-old Mexican actor has landed a role in in the teen coming-of-age comedy Good Kids.

Demian Bichir

Bichir, the star of FX’s border drama series The Bridge, will star opposite Ashley Judd, Nicholas Braun, Zoey Deutch, Israel Broussard and Mateo Arias in the teen coming-of-age comedy for Voltage Pictures.

The story follows four overachieving high school students living on Cape Cod who, upon graduation, realize that they’ve missed out on key life experiences by always being the “good kids.” They decide to completely reinvent themselves when the summer kids show up, in order to truly enjoy their last time together before college.

Bichir, who earned an Oscar nomination for his performance in A Better Life, will play the senior tennis coach at a local club. Judd will play a beautiful Cape Cod tennis wife.

Also joining the cast are Dayo Okeniyi, Julia Garner and Ginny Gardner.

Chris McCoy wrote the 2011 Black List script and is making his directorial debut on the film.

Produced by Depth of Field, Good Kids is currently shooting in Massachusetts.