Joe Otterson TV Reporter Chris Messina has joined Kaley Cuoco in the Peacock dark comedy thriller series “Based on a True Story,” Variety has learned. Per the official series description, the show “is about a realtor, a plumber and a former tennis star whose lives unexpectedly collide, exposing America’s obsession with true crime, murder and the slow close toilet seat.” It was previously announced that Cuoco will play a married woman named Ava Bartlett, while Messina will play a character named Nathan. All other character details are under wraps. Messina’s recent TV credits include the Starz Watergate drama “Gaslit” as well as Season 3 of the popular USA Network series “The Sinner” and HBO’s “Sharp Objects.” He is perhaps best known for his role on the comedy series “The Mindy Project,” in which he starred as Danny Castellano. On the feature side, Messina has been in films like “Argo,” “Away We Go,” “Devil,” “I Care A Lot,” and “Birds of Prey.”
Eugenio Derbez Developing Workplace Comedy Series ‘They Came At Night’ With Vix+
20.09.2022 - 02:49 / deadline.com
Eugenio Derbez is developing the workplace comedy series They Came At Night with ViX+ under the first-look deal between 3Pas Studios and TelevisaUnivision.
They Came At Night is inspired by true events and it gives a behind-the-scenes look at the group of underdogs who went on to create the critically acclaimed Spanish version of the 1930 horror classic, Dracula. While Bela Lugosi filmed Dracula during the day on the Universal lot, at the end of each day another cast and crew arrived to make the same exact movie… only in Spanish. Using the same sets, costumes, and a translated version of the script, the cast and crew of the Spanish Dracula filmed from dusk to dawn, and, against all odds, the critical consensus is that the Spanish version turned out to be the better film.
Derbez is set to star in the comedy created and written by Rob Greenberg and Bob Fisher (The Valet). Derbez, Ben Odell, and Javier Williams will serve as executive producers under the 3Pas Studios banner. Production services on They Came At Night will be handled by 3pas Studios’ Mexican production services company, Visceral.
“I have not worked in scripted Spanish language TV comedy for well over ten years and was looking for something really special to come back,” Derbez said in a statement. “This story really jumped out at me because it tells the story of Latinos always having to accomplish more with fewer resources and harder conditions. It’s also a world we’ve never explored in Spanish language TV, Hollywood in the 30s but like every moment in US history, the Latinos were there and doing their part even if history forgot them. And of course, it’s ripe for so much humor…”
Rodrigo Mazon, Executive Vice President and General Manager of ViX+, said the series
Broadway, 'Hercules' Star Susan Egan Reveals Bell's Palsy Diagnosis, Pulls Out of Disney Princess Tour
tour after being diagnosed with the temporary facial paralysis condition, Bell's palsy. The actress -- who originated the role of Belle in the Broadway production of and voiced Megara in Disney's 1997 animated film will no longer perform as Belle in the traveling princess production, but will stay on as a producer. Keeping a sense of humor in announcing the news, Egan shared a photo of Disney's animated Belle raising an eyebrow.«So, this past week I was diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy (cute right? Belle!) – a temporary condition which paralyzes one side of the face.
China’s secret police have invaded American shores: human rights advocate
China's reported overseas police service stations and their operations to persuade citizens to return to the homeland mark a dangerous expansion of the regime’s international reach, according to a human rights advocate. Safeguard Defenders, a pan-Asian human rights organization, published an investigation last month detailing a Chinese campaign to combat "fraud and telecom fraud" crimes committed by its citizens living abroad.The report indicated that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has established at least 54 police stations across 30 different countries, including the U.S. "I think it shows how brazen the CCP is getting and how little regard they have for other governments," Laura Harth, Safeguard Defenders' campaign manager, told Fox News.
Biden's 'dangerous' disregard of American energy making US 'wholly reliant' on China: Michael Shellenberger
Environmental Progress founder Michael Shellenberger is sounding the alarm on President Biden's "woke green energy" agenda for threatening U.S. security.
Peter Chan on the 20-Year Journey to Launch of Asia-Based TV Studio Changin’ Pictures
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Hong Kong multi-hyphenate Peter Chan Ho-sun is far too intellectual to call himself an “arms dealer,” as Sony Pictures has in casting itself as an unattached supplier to streaming platforms. But politeness and Bob Dylan references aside, Chan’s new company, Changin’ Pictures, aims to become a major independent purveyor of premium Asian TV content for the streamers. The company is using this week’s Busan International Film Festival as its launchpad and will unveil the first five series of its 20-title pan-Asian slate. Chan’s thesis is that global audiences are hungry for Asian content but have not been able to access it easily under legacy film and TV distribution systems. With streaming making everything accessible everywhere, and audiences no longer balking at subtitles, quality Asian drama can and will travel.
China still benefits from Russia relationship, even with international reputation at risk: experts
China still has much to gain from its current relationship with Russia even as the invasion of Ukraine drags on, turning Russia into an international pariah and threatening to rub off on China’s reputation as well. "China has, in effect, doubled down on its support for the Putin war effort, and we saw this, for instance, last month when China's third rank leader went to Moscow, spoke to the State Duma, and in very clear terms, expressed Beijing's support for Russia," Gordon Change, author of "The Coming Collapse of China," told Fox News Digital. "Then, [we] see Jinping himself when he was in Uzbekistan for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, actually confirmed that endorsement," Chang added. "The only conclusion that we can come to is that Beijing is not backing away from Russia." The China and Russia dynamic has remained a troubling one for the United States since even before the invasion of Ukraine started in March 2022.
Elon Musk Reveals Plan to Fold Twitter Into ‘X,’ a Super-App Modeled After China’s WeChat
came to terms on a sale, Musk put his plan on blast, and even gave his vision for a super-app a name: X.Buying Twitter is an accelerant to creating X, the everything app“Buying Twitter is an accelerant to creating X, the everything app,” he said. And there it is: Quite possibly the real reason Musk threw down $44 billion for the social-media app.
‘Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ Actor Carl Lumbly, ‘Billions’ Alum David Costabile Join Netflix Action-Comedy Series ‘Obliterated’
“Obliterated,” the upcoming Netflix action-comedy series from the creators of “Cobra Kai,” is adding to its cast. Joining previously announced series regulars (Shelley Hennig, Nick Zano, Paola Lázaro, Eugene Kim, Alyson Gorske, Terrence Terrell, Kimi Rutledge and C. Thomas Howell) in recurring roles are Carl Lumbly, David Costabile, Costa Ronin, Lindsey Kraft, Tobias Jelinek and Minnie Mills.“Obliterated” “tells the story of an elite special forces team who thwarts a deadly threat to Las Vegas.
Donnie Yen, Zhang Ziyi Among Talent On Debut Slate Of Peter Chan’s Changin’ Pictures
Hong Kong filmmaker Peter Ho-sun Chan has launched a production company to focus on streaming content, Changin’ Pictures, with a debut slate of five projects and talent including action star Donnie Yen and Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi.
Stampede Ventures Adds Poppy Liu To Emma Roberts & Gabrielle Union Feature Comedy ‘Space Cadet’
EXCLUSIVE: Poppy Liu has joined the Stampede Ventures movie Space Cadet which is currently filming with Emma Roberts (Holidate, Madame Web), Gabrielle Union (The Inspection, Bad Boys II), Tom Hopper (The Umbrella Academy, Love in the Villa), Columbian Pop Star Sebastián Yatra, David Foley (The Kids in the Hall, A Bug’s Life), and Desi Lydic (The Daily Show, Awkward). Liz. W. Garcia (The Lifeguard) is helming off her screenplay.
‘Smile’ Giddy With $37M Global Bow, China Returns At $60M Local ‘Home Coming’; Keep A Bag Packed For ‘Ticket To Paradise’ – International Box Office
It was a varied offering at the international box office this weekend with newcomers from Hollywood and offshore markets, as well as notable holds, as we inch closer to full-on action later in October.
Sean Penn & Matthew Fox Cast In Australian Comedy Series ‘C*A*U*G*H*T’ For Streamer Stan, ITVX Takes UK Rights From Fremantle
EXCLUSIVE: Sean Penn, star of Milk and Gaslit, and Lost‘s Matthew Fox are set as leads of an Australian satirical comedy series for streaming service Stan. The pair will star in C*A*U*G*H*T, a six-part series from Kick Gurry (Edge of Tomorrow) that takes aim at fame and stardom.
‘Avatar’ Rerelease Kicks Off With $900K From 5 Early Markets; China’s Shanghai Disney Holds Special Screening
Disney yesterday began overseas rollout on the remastered rerelease of James Cameron’s Avatar in five early markets with the Na’vi seeing a collective $877K gross. The 4K high dynamic range version was No. 1 in France at $513K, coming in 8% ahead of the comparable 3D rerelease of Titanic in 2012.
Exclusive First Look At Park Chan-Wook’s New Thriller ‘Decision To Leave’
Korean director Park Chan-wook is back with a new thriller “Decision To Leave”, and ET Canada has your exclusive first look at the trailer.