John Leguizamo has joined the cast of the upcoming Apple TV+ drama series “Firebug,” Variety has learned. In addition, Kari Skogland has boarded the series as director and executive producer.
Leguizamo joins previously announced cast members Taron Egerton and Jurnee Smollett in the series. It was originally greenlit in December 2022.
The series is loosely based on true events and also draws from events documented in truth.media’s “Firebug” podcast. The official logline states that the show “will follow a troubled detective and an enigmatic arson investigator (Egerton) as they pursue the trails of two serial arsonists.”
Leguizamo with play Esposito, described as “a former policeman with a lot of bad habits and a lot of good instincts.”
Leguizamo is a highly-versatile performer with a career spanning four decades. He is known for his roles in films like “To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar” (which earned him a Golden Globe nomination), “Romeo + Juliet,...
Leguizamo joins previously announced cast members Taron Egerton and Jurnee Smollett in the series. It was originally greenlit in December 2022.
The series is loosely based on true events and also draws from events documented in truth.media’s “Firebug” podcast. The official logline states that the show “will follow a troubled detective and an enigmatic arson investigator (Egerton) as they pursue the trails of two serial arsonists.”
Leguizamo with play Esposito, described as “a former policeman with a lot of bad habits and a lot of good instincts.”
Leguizamo is a highly-versatile performer with a career spanning four decades. He is known for his roles in films like “To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar” (which earned him a Golden Globe nomination), “Romeo + Juliet,...
- 3/27/2024
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
August isn't especially famous for its great movies. As months go, the eighth one on the calendar has often been a bit of a wasteland for Hollywood, as blockbusters peter off, kids have a lot less free time and money, and studio executives need to find somewhere to dump their proverbial dead bodies.
If you want a good example, you can pretty much throw a dart at any year after "Jaws" popularized the concept of summer blockbuster season. For example, let's take a look at 1993. 30 years ago, August was a month for dreck comedies like "Son of the Pink Panther," family film misfires like "Father Hood" and "Surf Ninjas," and the weird-ass "Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday."
But then again, there are exceptions to every rule. There were also a few excellent motion pictures in August 1993. The increasingly timeless classic "The Fugitive" came out that month, along with...
If you want a good example, you can pretty much throw a dart at any year after "Jaws" popularized the concept of summer blockbuster season. For example, let's take a look at 1993. 30 years ago, August was a month for dreck comedies like "Son of the Pink Panther," family film misfires like "Father Hood" and "Surf Ninjas," and the weird-ass "Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday."
But then again, there are exceptions to every rule. There were also a few excellent motion pictures in August 1993. The increasingly timeless classic "The Fugitive" came out that month, along with...
- 8/20/2023
- by William Bibbiani
- Slash Film
The Disney animated movie Encanto is already on its way to becoming a classic. With songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda, the film’s focus on a Latin-American family was also monumental for representation in family films. Encanto won Best Animated Film at the Oscars and has replaced Ice Age as John Leguizamo’s calling card with kids, since he voiced Bruno in Encanto.
Mirabel and Bruno | Disney
Leguizamo spoke with Showbiz Cheat Sheet about his role in Violent Night, available on Digital, Blu-ray and DVD now. We also asked about Encanto and how young fans respond to it knowing he is the voice of Bruno. Encanto is now streaming on Disney+.
1 ‘Encanto’ is bigger than 5 ‘Ice Age’s with kids
As a comedian, Leguizamo does a lot of different voices. That’s been a boon to him in animation. He’s also voiced characters in Elena of Avalor, Bojack Horseman, Underdogs and more.
Mirabel and Bruno | Disney
Leguizamo spoke with Showbiz Cheat Sheet about his role in Violent Night, available on Digital, Blu-ray and DVD now. We also asked about Encanto and how young fans respond to it knowing he is the voice of Bruno. Encanto is now streaming on Disney+.
1 ‘Encanto’ is bigger than 5 ‘Ice Age’s with kids
As a comedian, Leguizamo does a lot of different voices. That’s been a boon to him in animation. He’s also voiced characters in Elena of Avalor, Bojack Horseman, Underdogs and more.
- 2/17/2023
- by Fred Topel
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Super Mario Bros. was the first video game movie. The late Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo starred as Mario and Luigi in a live-action adaptation. An animated version is coming out this year, but Leguizamo laments the lack of representation in its voice cast.
L-r: Mario and Luigi | Nintendo
Leguizamo spoke to Showbiz Cheat Sheet about his role in Violent Night, available on Digital, Blu-ray, and DVD now. When we asked his thoughts on the new Super Mario Bros. Movie, he shared his perspective and what his film has meant to fans. The Super Mario Bros. Movie opens April 7 in theaters.1
1 thing the John Leguizamo ‘Super Mario Bros. Movie’ had over the animated version
In 1993, casting Leguizamo as Luigi was huge. In that way, having Charlie Day voice Luigi to Chris Pratt’s Mario doesn’t pack the same punch. The animated film does feature Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, Sebastian Maniscalco...
L-r: Mario and Luigi | Nintendo
Leguizamo spoke to Showbiz Cheat Sheet about his role in Violent Night, available on Digital, Blu-ray, and DVD now. When we asked his thoughts on the new Super Mario Bros. Movie, he shared his perspective and what his film has meant to fans. The Super Mario Bros. Movie opens April 7 in theaters.1
1 thing the John Leguizamo ‘Super Mario Bros. Movie’ had over the animated version
In 1993, casting Leguizamo as Luigi was huge. In that way, having Charlie Day voice Luigi to Chris Pratt’s Mario doesn’t pack the same punch. The animated film does feature Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, Sebastian Maniscalco...
- 2/15/2023
- by Fred Topel
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Buenos Aires-based FilmSharks has picked up world sales rights to Ángeles Hernández’s supernatural horror film “El faro” (“The Lighthouse”), set up at Mr. Miyagi Films, co-producer of Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia’s multi-awarded Netflix smash hit “The Platform.”
“The Lighthouse” ended shooting in May; FilmSharks is showing first footage to buyers at Cannes.
Film toplines Spanish film and TV star Hugo Silva plus Irene Montalà (“Un asunto privado”), Zoe Arnao and Sergio Castellanos.
Produced by Hernández and David Matamoros at Barcelona-based Mr. Miyagi, “The Lighthouse” turns on Lidia and her father, Pablo, returning to the family lighthouse after her mother’s death.
Pablo, aware of Lidia’s fragile emotional balance, worries about a possible relapse after her suicide attempt. Lidia, annoyed by her father’s lack of trust, discovers that something’s not right at the lighthouse, and that dire danger awaits them if they do not find out the truth.
“The Lighthouse” ended shooting in May; FilmSharks is showing first footage to buyers at Cannes.
Film toplines Spanish film and TV star Hugo Silva plus Irene Montalà (“Un asunto privado”), Zoe Arnao and Sergio Castellanos.
Produced by Hernández and David Matamoros at Barcelona-based Mr. Miyagi, “The Lighthouse” turns on Lidia and her father, Pablo, returning to the family lighthouse after her mother’s death.
Pablo, aware of Lidia’s fragile emotional balance, worries about a possible relapse after her suicide attempt. Lidia, annoyed by her father’s lack of trust, discovers that something’s not right at the lighthouse, and that dire danger awaits them if they do not find out the truth.
- 5/20/2022
- by Emiliano De Pablos
- Variety Film + TV
The South of Spain is getting its own dedicate post-production studio, Antípodas Film Lab, the first of its kind in the region. Based out of Seville, the state-of-the-art facilities are co-founded by a group of post-production experts made up of José M. G. Moyano, Juan Ventura Pecellín, José Manuel Rocha, Manuel Terceño, Amparo Martínez and Darío García García.
Although the studio is based in Spain and the bulk of their work is likely to be done on Spanish productions, their ambitions certainly seem to reach far beyond the Iberian Peninsula. In fact, Antípodas website is published in English, inviting companies from around the world to make use of the facilities and the staff working there and emphasizing connectivity, including an internal 100gbe/40gbe network and a dedicated fiber line.
The Antípodas Film Lab facilities boast three fully equipped editing rooms, a Dolby Vision Hdr color grading room, a 2K viewing room,...
Although the studio is based in Spain and the bulk of their work is likely to be done on Spanish productions, their ambitions certainly seem to reach far beyond the Iberian Peninsula. In fact, Antípodas website is published in English, inviting companies from around the world to make use of the facilities and the staff working there and emphasizing connectivity, including an internal 100gbe/40gbe network and a dedicated fiber line.
The Antípodas Film Lab facilities boast three fully equipped editing rooms, a Dolby Vision Hdr color grading room, a 2K viewing room,...
- 10/20/2021
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Cinema Retro has received the following press release from Flicker Alley:
Laurel or Hardy: Early Films of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy traces the roots of the legendary comedy duo by offering fans a two-disc set of 35 newly restored films starring either Stan Laurel or Oliver Hardy—all produced before the two genius talents ever joined forces.
Laurel and Hardy became cinematic legends together, but before they were ever hauling pianos or throwing pies as a hilarious and unforgettable comedic duo, each had to develop as an individual artist and performer. Laurel or Hardy: Early Films of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, as proudly presented by Flicker Alley, the Library of Congress, and Blackhawk Films®, offers fans new and old the rare opportunity to track the early solo careers of two comedy icons. Featuring all new 2K restorations sourced from materials contributed by archives and collectors around the world, this...
Laurel or Hardy: Early Films of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy traces the roots of the legendary comedy duo by offering fans a two-disc set of 35 newly restored films starring either Stan Laurel or Oliver Hardy—all produced before the two genius talents ever joined forces.
Laurel and Hardy became cinematic legends together, but before they were ever hauling pianos or throwing pies as a hilarious and unforgettable comedic duo, each had to develop as an individual artist and performer. Laurel or Hardy: Early Films of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, as proudly presented by Flicker Alley, the Library of Congress, and Blackhawk Films®, offers fans new and old the rare opportunity to track the early solo careers of two comedy icons. Featuring all new 2K restorations sourced from materials contributed by archives and collectors around the world, this...
- 1/20/2021
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
So many movies intended for the big screen are having to forgo it these days, it seems odd when something as apt for home viewing as “Half Brothers” makes the Covid-defying move of opening on 1,200-plus American screens. Those looking for undemanding entertainment may give it a passing grade, but or the collective viewing experience. Nor does writer-producer Eduardo Cisernos’ concept add much to culture-clash politics beyond contrivance and reinforced stereotypes. It’s a slick film that’s forgettable at best, annoyingly broad and unfunny at worst.
A 1994 prologue has engineer Flavio (Juan Pablo Espinosa) enjoying a close, playful relationship with only child Renato (Ian Inigo) in their native San Miguel de Allende. But a steep economic downturn forces dad to leave his wife (Bianca Marroquin) and son behind in order to seek work up north, along with many others. While he promises he’ll soon return, that promise is broken.
A 1994 prologue has engineer Flavio (Juan Pablo Espinosa) enjoying a close, playful relationship with only child Renato (Ian Inigo) in their native San Miguel de Allende. But a steep economic downturn forces dad to leave his wife (Bianca Marroquin) and son behind in order to seek work up north, along with many others. While he promises he’ll soon return, that promise is broken.
- 12/5/2020
- by Dennis Harvey
- Variety Film + TV
Beta Entertainment Spain is joining forces with Nicely Entertainment, the L.A.-based outfit run by former Gaumont executive Vanessa Shapiro, to produce the TV thriller series project “The Tamer.”
The project, about a serial killer who tames and trains other killers to take down more of their kind, has attached Spain’s Paco Torres (“El vuelo del tren”) as writer, director and showrunner, alongside Mexican director of photography Guillermo Navarro, who won an Academy Award for Guillermo del Toro’s “Pan’s Labyrinth.”
This deal marks an early incursion into the international TV drama production sector by Beta Entertainment Spain, the Madrid-based joint venture launched late last year by European film-tv giant Beta Film and Spanish producer Javier Pérez de Silva.
Bes is conceived as a bridge into the U.S. and Latin American TV markets.
“Partnering with U.S. and Latin American companies was a top priority for us.
The project, about a serial killer who tames and trains other killers to take down more of their kind, has attached Spain’s Paco Torres (“El vuelo del tren”) as writer, director and showrunner, alongside Mexican director of photography Guillermo Navarro, who won an Academy Award for Guillermo del Toro’s “Pan’s Labyrinth.”
This deal marks an early incursion into the international TV drama production sector by Beta Entertainment Spain, the Madrid-based joint venture launched late last year by European film-tv giant Beta Film and Spanish producer Javier Pérez de Silva.
Bes is conceived as a bridge into the U.S. and Latin American TV markets.
“Partnering with U.S. and Latin American companies was a top priority for us.
- 10/14/2020
- by Emiliano De Pablos
- Variety Film + TV
Here’s a good sign of momentum: weeks after a documentary premiered at Sundance and received its first wave of fine reviews, the figure known as Jt Leroy is having their life story turned into a feature film. THR tell us Kristen Stewart, James Franco, Helena Bonham Carter, and writer-director Justin Kelly (the Franco-led I Am Michael) will team for Jt Leroy, which examines the eponymous figure — itself the outlet for a writer and actor who fooled the world with “a man who identifies as transgender, tricking the rich and famous in Hollywood, the fashion world and elite literary circles.”
If contracts are arranged, Carter and Stewart will respectively star as Laura Albert and Savannah Knoop, Leroy’s writing and public personas. There are many directions in which this narrative can reach, evidenced by the fact that writer-director-actress Asia Argento, who adapted Leroy’s The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things,...
If contracts are arranged, Carter and Stewart will respectively star as Laura Albert and Savannah Knoop, Leroy’s writing and public personas. There are many directions in which this narrative can reach, evidenced by the fact that writer-director-actress Asia Argento, who adapted Leroy’s The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things,...
- 2/9/2016
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
For his directorial debut Bad Words, Jason Bateman took on the raunchy underbelly of spelling bee tournaments–or, at least posited a situation where a rule-bending, middle-aged grump forced participants to the lowest common denominator. Now, the Arrested Development star has set his sights on a new project: an untitled “FBI wedding comedy” for Universal Pictures.
What that combination of words means, exactly, is unclear. There’s no logline attached to the pic at the moment, but The Pest screenwriter David Bar Katz is writing the latest draft of the script, and Bateman will once again direct and star. The...
What that combination of words means, exactly, is unclear. There’s no logline attached to the pic at the moment, but The Pest screenwriter David Bar Katz is writing the latest draft of the script, and Bateman will once again direct and star. The...
- 6/27/2014
- by Lindsey Bahr
- EW - Inside Movies
Jason Bateman has inked a deal with Universal to star in and direct the Untitled FBI Wedding Comedy, marking his third film as director after debut Bad Words and the upcoming The Family Fang. David Flebotte and Phil Alden Robinson wrote the initial script, which David Bar Katz (The Pest) has been tapped to rewrite. Bateman’s about to dive into production on Family Fang next month in New York City and stars in that pic opposite Nicole Kidman and Christopher Walken. He’ll next be seen in This Is Where I Leave You in September and Horrible Bosses 2 in November, […]...
- 6/27/2014
- Deadline
Veteran actor John Leguizamo has been cast alongside Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart in Nima Nourizadeh’s (Project X) upcoming action-comedy, American Ultra. Written by Max Landis (Chronicle), Eisenberg plays a stoner with a shadowy past forced to combat a government operation seeking to wipe him out. It sounds like a great premise for a stoner film, and with Uma Thurman and Walton Goggins co-starring, the cast is shaping up rather nicely.
With the title being an obvious allusion to America’s infamous “Project Mk Ultra,” the plot will likely spoof many of the conspiracy theories involving drug experiments and the U.S. government. After helming the uninspired Project X, I’m not so sure Nourizadeh is the right director for this type of satirical humour, though. Perhaps his high-energy approach will prove to be a good fit, but right now I’m not feeling too confident. Leguizamo, on the other hand,...
With the title being an obvious allusion to America’s infamous “Project Mk Ultra,” the plot will likely spoof many of the conspiracy theories involving drug experiments and the U.S. government. After helming the uninspired Project X, I’m not so sure Nourizadeh is the right director for this type of satirical humour, though. Perhaps his high-energy approach will prove to be a good fit, but right now I’m not feeling too confident. Leguizamo, on the other hand,...
- 3/25/2014
- by Griffin Bell
- We Got This Covered
John Leguizamo has come a long way since The Pest, leading a successful and consistent but mostly under-the-radar career. Now it looks like he might have finally landed his defining role. Deadline has reported that Relativity Media has signed on to produce King of Cocaine, the long-in-the-works biopic of Colombian cartel king pin Pablo Escobar, and Leguizamo has been tapped as the leading man....
- 9/10/2013
- Pastemagazine.com
And here we are, the last big hurrah before the granddaddy of the awards season, the Academy Awards. As expected, "Zero Dark Thirty" won Original Screenplay but the most surprising winner was "Argo," beating the writing frontrunner, "Lincoln" by Tony Kushner. So more "Argo" power! It's definitely the film to beat this Oscars, and I'm happy that it's my No. 1 film of 2012!
Here's the complete list of WGA winners; for other winners/nominees this awards season, click here:
Film
Original Screenplay
"Zero Dark Thirty" - Written by Mark Boal; Columbia Pictures
Adapted Screenplay
"Argo" - Screenplay by Chris Terrio; based on a selection from "The Master of Disguise" by Antonio J. Mendez and the Wired magazine article "The Great Escape" by Joshuah Bearman; Warner Bros. Pictures
Documentary Screenplay
"Searching for Sugar Man" - Written by Malik Bendejelloul; Sony Pictures Classics
Television
Drama Series
"Breaking Bad" - Written by Sam Catlin,...
Here's the complete list of WGA winners; for other winners/nominees this awards season, click here:
Film
Original Screenplay
"Zero Dark Thirty" - Written by Mark Boal; Columbia Pictures
Adapted Screenplay
"Argo" - Screenplay by Chris Terrio; based on a selection from "The Master of Disguise" by Antonio J. Mendez and the Wired magazine article "The Great Escape" by Joshuah Bearman; Warner Bros. Pictures
Documentary Screenplay
"Searching for Sugar Man" - Written by Malik Bendejelloul; Sony Pictures Classics
Television
Drama Series
"Breaking Bad" - Written by Sam Catlin,...
- 2/18/2013
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
While he’ll always be The Pest to me, John Leguizamo has played a wide berth of characters from Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in Baz Luhrman’s Moulin Rouge to Sid the sloth in the Ice Age series, and he’s recreated himself over and over as his roles have required it. He’s a versatile comedic and dramatic actor, and both sides of that coin got a strenuous work out when he launched his recent one-man show on Broadway last year: Ghetto Klown. Equal parts biographical and culturally satirical, the intimately staged Ghetto Klown turned out to almost universal positive acclaim and it marked a very interesting departure from both his past live acts and his film work. The show evolved through different forms and tones, and the bumpy road to producing the final show is chronicled in PBS’s excellent and candid Tales from a Ghetto Klown.
Read more.
Read more.
- 9/16/2012
- by Lex Walker
- JustPressPlay.net
Filming is currently underway on the set of 'Losing It', a new film written and directed by Northern Irish filmmaker Macdara Vallely (Peacefire, Fiorghael). The coming of age feature film is being produced by Samson Films in association with Escape Pictures and is shooting in New York. The post production will take place in Dublin's ScreenScene. Produced by Samson Films' David Collins (Once) and Escape Pictures' Paul Miller (The Pest) the film stars newcomers Yainis Ynoa, Flaco Navaja (Fighting, Pride and Glory), Rosa Arredondo (Feel the Noise).
- 9/30/2010
- IFTN
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