News

Paris-based Indie Sales has acquired international rights to Leonora Carrington biopic LeonoraIn TheMorning Light about the English surrealist artist who died in 2011

Directed by filmmaking duo Lena Vurma and Thor Klein, the 1930s-set film follows Carrington as she rebels against society’s expectations, mingles with iconic figures including André Breton and Salvador Dalí in Paris and has a whirlwind love affair with Max Ernst before fleeing to Mexico during the war.

Indie Sales will launch the film at Unifrance Rendez-Vous with French Cinema in Paris later this month.

The film is based on Elena Poniatowska’s best-selling book Leonora and...

Paris-based Indie Sales has acquired international rights to Leonora Carrington biopic LeonoraIn TheMorning Light about the English surrealist artist who died in 2011

Directed by German filmmaking duo Lena Vurma and Thorsten Klein, the 1930s-set film follows Carrington as she rebels against society’s expectations, mingles with iconic figures including André Breton and Salvador Dalí in Paris and has a whirlwind love affair with Max Ernst before fleeing to Mexico during the war.

Indie Sales will launch the film at Unifrance Rendez-Vous with French Cinema in Paris later this month.

The film is based on Elena Poniatowska’s best-selling book Leonora...

The GuadaLAjara Film Festival (Glaff) will return to Los Angeles for its 14th edition, running from November 1-3, 2024. This year’s event promises a dynamic blend of films and events featuring a stellar lineup of talent, including Zoe Saldaña, Rooney Mara, Raúl Briones, Dylan O’Brien and Nava Mau.

The festival will open with “Sujo,” a Spanish-language drama from directors Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez. Selected as Mexico’s official submission for the Oscars’ best international feature category, “Sujo” delves into the life of a young man growing up amid the violence that looms over rural Mexico. The film is set for a U.S. theatrical release in Dec. by indie distributor The Forge.

Glaff’s short film selections will include standout projects such as “All the Words but the One,” directed and starring recent Emmy nominee Nava Mau (“Baby Reindeer”), and “Dovecote,” produced by and starring Zoe Saldaña, who is...

New month, new horror recommendations from Deep Cuts Rising. This installment features five selections reflecting the month of September 2024.

Regardless of how they came to be here, or what they’re about, these past movies can generally be considered overlooked, forgotten or unknown.

This month’s offerings include an ’80s slasher, a Mexican sci-fi story, and a twisty thriller about family.

Humongous (1982)

Pictured: Janet Julian in Humongous (1982).

Directed by Paul Lynch.

Humongous begins on Labor Day (September 2) in the 1940s before flash-forwarding to the present day. Once we move into the modern era of the story (and past a rather brutal opening sequence), this Canadian production slips into familiar territory. The setting of an island is, admittedly, different than the usual school or creepy old house, but Paul Lynch’s horror follow-up to Prom Night is still formulaic.

Even so, Humongous passes for a watchable, if not low-stakes and oldfangled slasher.

Exclusive: Eliseo Ruiz has joined the talent department at Vision Entertainment after having spent the last four years as a manager at Afa Prime Talent Media. He will be based at the company’s Los Angeles office.

He brings to the company, “an extensive background in the International and US entertainment industries, his addition underscores the company’s commitment to authentic and impactful talent representation on both local and global scales,” touts Vision Entertainment in a release.

Among Ruiz’s clients are Heels series regular Robby Ramos, Ariel Award winners Adriana Paz and Noe Hernandez; as well as Mexican stars, Ana Brenda Contreras, Camila Sodi and Cassandra Ciangherotti.

Originally from La Habana, Cuba, Ruiz began his journey in the entertainment industry in Mexico City where he started as an assistant to casting director Carla Hool. Transitioning to talent management, Ruiz spent six years at a Latin American management firm before...

Everyone knows the world is full of wolves waiting to devour you whole. They lurk in the shadows, haunt your dreams, and salivate as they wait for you to stumble so they can make their move. Your only choice is to grow eyes in the back of your head, remain vigilant, and prepare yourself for what may come. In A24‘s Problemista trailer, a young man faces deportation unless he can rise above adversity and find a sponsor to help stave off the government hounds.

The Problemista trailer depicts a bizarre comedy, serving as the directorial debut of Los Espookys co-creator Julio Torres. In addition to directing the feature, Torres stars alongside Tilda Swinton as Alejandro, an aspiring toy designer from El Salvador, struggling to bring his ideas to life in New York City. Unfortunately for Alejandro, his work visa is about to expire. He must abandon his dream of...

Colombian-Mexican filmmaker Rodrigo García has wrapped his first Spanish-language feature, “Familia,” which was shot in Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico for Netflix.

García, who has directed such acclaimed films as “Mother and Child” and “Albert Nobbs,” and whose TV credits include “Six Feet Under,” “Big Love” and “In Treatment,” said: “Shooting ‘Familia’ has been a great experience.” He added: “Great producers, collaborators, several of my favorite Mexican actors and actresses and Netflix’s full support have made this project an unforgettable trip back home.”

This is the first time García, who is the son of Colombian Nobel Laureate Gabriel García Marquez, has directed a film in Mexico. He’s an executive producer in Netflix’s upcoming adaptation of his father’s literary classic “100 Years of Solitude,” which will be shooting in Colombia.

According to the synopsis, “Familia” follows “a peculiar family and explores the complexities of cohabitation around a decision that will change them forever.

The need and desire to see Black, Brown, Asian and Indigenous people on screen has yet to be completely fulfilled by Hollywood, but there has been a recent uptick in Aapi and Bipoc representation on screen. According to a 2021 Nielsen study titled “Being Seen on Screen,” data from the 2021 to 2021 television season showed 78 of the top 1,500 shows had some racial, ethnic or sexual orientation diversity.

And people want more representation, because not only does it increase the self-esteem for people of marginalized groups, reduce stereotypes and support the wants of viewers of color, it helps accurately portray the world and the people in it.

Here are 14 shows (in no particular order) from 2022 that had casts led by people of color that are well worth watching. These series either came out in 2022 or had a season premiere this year.

“Abbott Elementary” (ABC) ABC

Black people make up less than 12 of leads on broadcast shows,...

Just days after the surprise cancellation of “Los Espookys” at HBO, series creator Julio Torres has a new show in the works for the network.

Torres is the creator, writer, director, executive producer, and star of “Little Films” (working title) for HBO, and they’re fast-tracking production of the show to kick off in February.

Here’s the logline: “Julio tells the tale of when he lost a little golden oyster. The people he encounters as he searches for it, and the musings he has along the way, become points of departure for introspective, often eerie comedic stories about outsiders navigating an increasingly corporate and rapidly dysfunctional New York City.”

“Little Films” will be a six-episode, half-hour HBO Original Comedy series, and it’s produced by Irony Point, Fruit Tree, and 3 Arts. No additional cast has been announced.

“We here at Julio are so excited to be joined by many...

Los Espookys has been canceled by HBO after two seasons. Created by Julio Torres, Ana Fabrega, and Fred Armisen, all of whom also star in the series alongside Bernardo Velasco and Cassandra Ciangherotti, the comedy series centers on a group of friends trying to turn their love of scary movies into a successful business. Most of their jobs consist of creating scenarios that are straight out of the horror genre and trying to trick people into believing that those scenarios are real. This all unfolds in a place where the strange and the eerie are part of everyday life.

According to Deadline, HBO has decided to cancel Los Espookys. This news ends the run of the series, which began in June 2019 and consisted of 12 episodes overall. In a statement, HBO emphasized that they were glad to bring Los Espookys season 2 to audiences after a long delay due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

HBO has axed one of its original series after only two seasons, despite it earning a coveted perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Starring Ana Fabrega, Julio Torres, Cassandra Ciangherotti, Bernardo Velasco and Fred Armisen, Los Espookys follows a group of friends in Mexico City who transform their love of horror movies into a business by creating scary situations and convincing people they’re real.

Since its debut in 2019 and its season two release in September, the absurdist comedy currently sits at a critical rating of 100 per cent.

However, while the primarily Spanish-language show managed to win over critics’ hearts, it’s largely flown under the public’s radar, which might explain the unexpected cancellation.

Confirming the news in a statement shared with Variety, HBO wrote: “We are thrilled we could deliver the unique and hilarious second season of ‘Los Espookys’ to viewers finally, more than three years after the series premiere,...

HBO has axed one of its original series after only two seasons, despite it earning a coveted perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Starring Ana Fabrega, Julio Torres, Cassandra Ciangherotti, Bernardo Velasco and Fred Armisen, Los Espookys follows a group of friends in Mexico City who transform their love of horror movies into a business by creating scary situations and convincing people they’re real.

Since its debut in 2019 and its season two release in September, the absurdist comedy currently sits at a critical rating of 100 per cent.

However, while the primarily Spanish-language show managed to win over critics’ hearts, it’s largely flown under the public’s radar, which might explain the unexpected cancellation.

Confirming the news in a statement shared with Variety, HBO wrote: “We are thrilled we could deliver the unique and hilarious second season of ‘Los Espookys’ to viewers finally, more than three years after the series premiere,...

“Los Espookys,” HBO’s Spanish-language comedy series, has been canceled after two seasons at the network, IndieWire has confirmed.

Created by Julio Torres, Ana Fabrega, and Fred Armisen, “Los Espookys” focused on a group of aimless friends who turn their love of the horror genre into a business where they trick people into thinking the supernatural is real. All three co-creators starred in the series along with Bernardo Velasco and Cassandra Ciangherotti as the Espookys. The show initially premiered in 2019, then went on a pandemic-induced, three-year hiatus before premiering its second season this past September.

“We are thrilled we could deliver the unique and hilarious second season of ‘Los Espookys’ to viewers finally, more than three years after the series premiere, due to pandemic delays,” HBO said in a statement. “We thank Julio, Ana and Fred for this imaginative and delightfully bizarre world they created. We are not currently planning on a third season,...

After just two seasons, HBO has canceled comedy series “Los Espookys,” The Wrap has confirmed. The series was co-created by Julio Torres, Ana Fabrega and Fred Armisen, all of whom also star in the series.

The primarily Spanish-language comedy follows a horror and gore buff who starts his own business creating scary thrills for his clients. The series came as part of Torres’ overall first-look deal with HBO and HBO Max. Torres is working on two other comedy series, called “Little Farms” and “Lucky.”

Also Read:

Here’s What’s Leaving HBO Max in December 2022

The series also stars Bernardo Velasco, Cassandra Ciangherotti, and José Pablo Minor. In a statement, HBO said the cast and crew of the series are moving into new projects.

“We are thrilled we could deliver the unique and hilarious second season of ‘Los Espookys’ to viewers finally, more than three years after the series premiere,...

For two seasons, “Los Espookys” followed the horror-tinged comedic hijinks of friends aiming to turn their love of horror into a profitable business. Despite its critical acclaim, Deadline reports today that the recently aired second season will be the series last.

Created by Fred Armisen, Ana Fabrega, and Julio Torres (HBO comedy special “My Favorite Shapes”), “Los Espookys” debuted in 2019, with season two premiering in September 2022.

The series followed “a group of friends who turn their shared passion for horror into a peculiar business, providing horror to clients who need it, in a dreamy Latin American country where the strange and eerie are just a part of daily life.”

“We are thrilled we could deliver the unique and hilarious second season of Los Espookys to viewers finally, more than three years after the series premiere, due to pandemic delays,” HBO said in a statement. “We thank Julio, Ana, and Fred...

Los Espookys will not be scaring up a third season at HBO. At least not any time soon.

“We are thrilled we could deliver the unique and hilarious second season of Los Espookys to viewers finally, more than three years after the series premiere, due to pandemic delays,” HBO says in a statement. “We thank Julio, Ana, and Fred for this imaginative and delightfully bizarre world they created. We are not currently planning on a third season, but we would welcome the opportunity to work with this cast and crew in the future.”

More from TVLineWhite Lotus Recap: Suspicious MindsRatings:...

“Los Espookys” has been canceled after two seasons at HBO, Variety has confirmed.

The series starred Ana Fabrega, Julio Torres, Cassandra Ciangherotti, Bernardo Velasco, and Fred Armisen. It originally debuted in 2019 with Season 2 launching in September 2022.

In the show, a group of friends in Mexico City turn their love of horror movies into a business by concocting scary situations and making people think they are real.

“We are thrilled we could deliver the unique and hilarious second season of ‘Los Espookys’ to viewers finally, more than three years after the series premiere, due to pandemic delays,” HBO said in a statement. “We thank Julio, Ana and Fred for this imaginative and delightfully bizarre world they created. We are not currently planning on a third season, but we would welcome the opportunity to work with this cast and crew in the future.”

Torres will remain in business with HBO, as he...

Exclusive: Los Espookys is ending with season two at HBO as the cast moves on to other projects.

Earlier this year it was announced that Julio Torres, who co-created and starred in Los Espookys, is developing the comedy series Little Films and the coming-of-self series Lucky under his first-look deal with HBO.

Created by Torres, Ana Fabrega, and Fred Armisen, Los Espookys follows a group of friends trying to turn their love of horror into a successful business. In addition to Torres, Fabrega, and Armisen, Bernardo Velasco, Cassandra Ciangherotti, and José Pablo Minor also starred.

“We are thrilled we could deliver the unique and hilarious second season of Los Espookys to viewers finally, more than three years after the series premiere, due to pandemic delays,” an statement from HBO reads. “We thank Julio, Ana, and Fred for this imaginative and delightfully bizarre world they created. We are not currently planning on a third season,...

To enter the carefully crafted upside-down world of Los Espookys, you need to suspend your disbelief. That the one-of-a-kind, predominantly Spanish-language HBO series isn’t quite concerned with rules or even logic is what makes it so wonderfully unpredictable. One of Los Espookys’ main characters, for example, has an ethereal water spirit lurking inside of him, ready to reveal his innermost truths. And that water spirit will only reveal those truths if the two of them watch the 2010 Academy Award-winning Colin Firth vehicle, The King’s Speech together. Of course.

Co-created by Fred Armisen,...

Any description of “Los Espookys” will ultimately come up lacking, because the English language cannot create vibes that ring out with the coolness, vitality, and weirdly fused nerd-punk energy of “Los Espookys.” The HBO comedy has the same sense of care and texture and human creativity as hand-drawn animation, which is not to say that it looks unreal. But there’s a heightened quality to its visuals that perfectly matches who the characters are and the spirit of the show’s humor. You can tell the Los Espookys crew and even the hound-dog parking attendant Tico (Fred Armisen) are of, and have power over, their unnamed Latin American home. The costumes and the production design are central to creating the look and feel of Julio Torres, Ana Fabrega, and Armisen’s series about (if we must reduce it to a plot) a group of friends who run an agency that...

Explaining “Los Espookys” in words can be as tricky as high school pranksters on Halloween. Sure, writers could just copy and paste HBO’s official synopsis — “a group of friends turn their shared passion for horror into a peculiar business, providing horror to clients who need it” — but reading that perfectly accurate description is bound to elicit more questions than answers. What does “providing horror” mean? (It varies.) Who are these clients? How can four friends make a living in such a peculiar and particular field? (Don’t worry about it.)

Thankfully, Season 2 provides a typed out explanation for us. Renaldo (Bernardo Velasco) is asked by his mother to consider hiring “the daughter of a woman I sometimes run into at the hair salon,” even though Los Espookys doesn’t need any extra help. Still, they agree to an “interview,” and Moníca Martínez comes prepared with a full Power Point presentation.

Describing the premise of Los Espookys, HBO’s wackiest sitcom and its first primarily Spanish-language original series, is easy enough. A ragtag group of friends start a business where they stage fake supernatural events for people who pay them. In the first episode, released three years ago, the team are hired by an older priest losing favour with his congregation to a younger cleric with great hair and glossy lips. He asks Los Espookys to rig up an exorcism to boost his reputation.

That’s the premise of the show. Its sensibility, though, is harder to pin down. The series, which returns for a much-delayed second season this week Sky Atlantic and Now, is a comedy that exists in an elusive space. Not only because the Latin-American country in which it’s set is unnamed, but because there, the surreal and the mundane sit side-by-side. Although the means that the...

Describing the premise of Los Espookys, HBO’s wackiest sitcom and its first primarily Spanish-language original series, is easy enough. A ragtag group of friends start a business where they stage fake supernatural events for people who pay them. In the first episode, released three years ago, the team are hired by an older priest losing favour with his congregation to a younger cleric with great hair and glossy lips. He asks Los Espookys to rig up an exorcism to boost his reputation.

That’s the premise of the show. Its sensibility, though, is harder to pin down. The series, which returns for a much-delayed second season this week Sky Atlantic and Now, is a comedy that exists in an elusive space. Not only because the Latin-American country in which it’s set is unnamed, but because there, the surreal and the mundane sit side-by-side. Although the means that the...

It’s been a very long wait for season two of the critically acclaimed HBO series “Los Espookys,” but that wait is nearly over. A brand new trailer released today gives us a closer look at the upcoming horror hijinks.

Created by Fred Armisen, Ana Fabrega and Julio Torres (HBO comedy special “My Favorite Shapes”), season two of the bilingual, six-episode HBO Original comedy series “Los Espookys” premieres on September 16 on HBO and HBO Max.

The series follows “a group of friends who turn their shared passion for horror into a peculiar business, providing horror to clients who need it, in a dreamy Latin American country where the strange and eerie are just a part of daily life.”

As for what to expect in season two, it will find “leader and gore enthusiast, Renaldo (Bernardo Velasco), haunted by the ghost of a beauty pageant queen, while Úrsula (Cassandra Ciangherotti), enlists...

More than three years after being renewed, HBO’s bilingual comedy Los Espookys has a premiere date and a teaser trailer.

Created by Fred Armisen, Ana Fabrega and Julio Torres, the series’ six-episode sophomore run will kick off on Friday, Sept. 16 at 11/10c, the cabler at long last announced.

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Los Espookys follows a group of friends who turn their shared passion for horror into a peculiar business,...

In a year in which representation for minorities on television has been brought to the forefront of Hollywood’s agenda, the Emmy Awards are being called out for their lack of nominations given to Latinx actors and shows.

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus called the lack of nominations “a demoralizing disappointment for the U.S.’s largest minority group” in a tweet Tuesday, urging Hollywood to “acknowledge and address the erasure of Latinx actors.”

The caucus consists of 38 members that advocate for issues important to the Latinx community via the legislative process in Congress. In its tweet, the group incorrectly said that no Latinx actors were nominated, when in fact Alexis Bledel — nominated for her guest role on “The Handmaids Tale” — identifies as Latinx.

Reps for the Television Academy did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.

Also Read: Inside the LatinX TV Explosion, From 'Narcos: Mexico' to '...

In their continued bid to lock up leading talent for their fledgling TV development-production partnership, Endeavor Content and Exile have signed a first look series deal with lauded Mexican writer-director Alejandra Marquez Abella (“Las Niñas Bien”).

The alliance recently announced first look pacts with Sebastian Hofmann, “Roma” producer Nicolas Celis and Mauricio Katz’s shingle Subtrama.

Marquez Abella’s first project is the scripted dramedy series “La Liberación,” which follows a group of estranged female entertainment industry professionals who realize they need to resolve their differences in order to better face the future together.

“We as women have been condemned to ‘divide and conquer,’ to live clashing with each other,” said Marquez Abella. “Now we’re looking at each other and we’re learning that we don’t have to fight for a spot, that we all can co-exist and thrive together in this world.”

“La Liberación” stars “Los Espookys’” Cassandra Ciangherotti,...

Co-written by producer Bernardo Pérez and director Santiago Aguirre, “Together” scooped the Cinecolor México & Shalala Estudios Award at the Filmarket Hub’s first ever Cdmx Film Pitchbox, which unspooled on Friday at the installations in Mexico City of Cinecolor, the event’s principal partner in the Mexican capitol.

The award is worth Pesos 500,000 of post-production image and sound-design services to the winning title. The Cdmx Film Pitchbox focused on local fiction feature projects. In all, seven movie projects were given seven minutes to pitch to an industry audience of producers, platforms and distributors.

“Without doubt we are experiencing a boom of original content and series in Latin America, where Mexico is leading in terms of production volume,” Filmarket Hub co-founder Bernardo Gómez told Variety from Mexico City.

“The demand from platforms and networks is immense, forcing producers to be in constant search for talent and to have ample slates of...

When Variety unveiled the Cdmx Film Pitchbox, a new movie project pitching forum that will take place in Mexico City on Nov. 29, organizer Filmarket Hub announced that executives from Alazraki Entertainment, Cinema 226, Cinépolis, Lemon Studios, Perro Azul and Vcs Capital had already confirmed they would attend.

Since then, Dynamo, Endemol Shine Boomdog, Exile Content Studio, Fox Networks Group Latam, Piano, Sony Pictures International Productions, Traziende Films, Turner and Videocine have all confirmed they will be sending executives as well. The lineup is noteworthy in both quality and quantity for a first-time event, although Filmarket Hub has established itself as a major force in finding and promoting promising independent film and TV projects in Europe. and in 2019 has made a significant push into Latin America with first-time events at Guadalajara, and now, Mexico City.

Following the same format as its events in Madrid, London, Sitges and Guadalajara, each participating project...

HBO has renewed Fred Armisen’s “Los Espookys” for a second season.

The six-episode Spanish-language comedy series from Armisen and Lorne Michaels’ Broadway Video premiered on June 14.

The half-hour comedy is “set in a strange and dreamy version of a present-day Latin American country following a group of friends turning their love for horror into a peculiar business,” according to HBO.

“Los Espookys” is created and written by Armisen, Ana Fabrega and Julio Torres. Michaels executive produces along with Alice Mathias and Andrew Singer. Nate Young is a co-executive producer. Fernando Frias directed the pilot. Broadway Video produces in association with Antigravico, Mas Mejor and Fabula.

Below, read HBO’s character descriptions:

Bernardo Velasco stars as Renaldo, the leader of Los Espookys. He’s noble, kind, serene and obsessed with gore. He’s always running out of cellphone minutes.

Fred Armisen stars as Tico, Renaldo’s reliable uncle who lives in La.

“Los Espookys” is coming back for more scares.

HBO has renewed the comedy for a second season.

The series is headlined by “Saturday Night Live” veteran Fred Armisen who serves as a writer and executive producer as well as playing the role of Tico. The half-hour series is set in a strange and dreamy version of present day Mexico City following a group of friends turning their love for horror into a peculiar business.

Those friends, known as Los Espookys, are led by Bernardo Velasco stars as Renaldo. Cassandra Ciangherotti plays Ursula, a calm and collected dental assistant who provides teeth for the group’s monsters. Ana Fabrega stars as Tati, Ursula’s sister and Los Espookys’ test dummy. Julio Torres plays Andres, Renaldo’s best friend, a dark and mysterious heir to a chocolate empire whose His only true nemesis is his gorgeous boyfriend. Armisen’s Tico is Renaldo...

Exclusive: HBO has ordered a second season of Los Espookys, its half-hour primarily Spanish-language comedy series from Saturday Night Live alum Fred Armisen and Lorne Michaels’ Broadway Video.

Created and written by Armisen, Ana Fabrega and Julio Torres, the series is set in a strange and dreamy version of a present-day Latin American country and follows a group of friends turning their love for horror into a peculiar business.

“It’s a really fun, original, delightful show,” HBO President of Programming Casey Bloys told Deadline at TCA.

Fabrega and Torres star along with Cassandra Ciangherotti, Bernardo Velasco and Armisen.

Armisen, Michaels, Andrew Singer and Alice Mathias executive produce; Fabrega, Torres and Nate Young co-executive produce. Fernando Frias directed the entire first season. The series is produced by Broadway Video in association with Antigravico, Más Mejor and the Oscar-winning Chilean production company Fabula.

‘The Righteous Gemstones’: Holy Roller Comedy Not...

HBO will spend more time with Los Espookys.

The premium cable outlet has ordered a second season of the mostly Spanish-language comedy co-created by Fred Armisen and produced by Lorne Michaels' Broadway Video. 

Armisen co-created Los Espookys with Julio Torres and Ana Fabrega, who also star. The series follows a group of friends (Fabrega, Torres, Bernardo Velasco and Cassandra Ciangherotti) who turn their love of horror into a peculiar business, providing scares for clients. Armisen has a recurring part as the uncle of Velasco's character, a legendary Los Angeles parking valet.

The show's low-key humor and touches of magical ...

“Los Espookys” is not an easy show to explain quickly, but the creators have it down to an art.

“The term we’ve been using a lot is a reverse ‘Scooby-Doo,'” co-creator and star Julio Torres said to IndieWire. “We don’t solve the mystery, we create it.”

The new HBO comedy is as creative in its storytelling as it is in building that story with props, practical effects, and its stellar overall production design. Torres stars alongside fellow co-creators Ana Fabrega and Fred Armisen, with the former two playing friends who turn their love of horror into a peculiar business. Alongside Renaldo (Bernardo Velasco) and Ursula (Cassandra Ciangherotti), Andrés (Torres) and Tati (Fabrega) form a traveling band of crafty scarers, eventually creating sea monsters that double as tourist attractions, but first throwing a themed bat mitzvah for a family friend.

“The priest saw them throw a really cool party,...

In the season premiere of the HBO comedy “Los Espookys,” the host of a Latin America news show tells her viewers that there’s been an angel calling a restaurant over and over — and, gasp, not picking up their order. “Los Espookys” co-creator Julio Torres told TheWrap that the host, even though overtly sensational, is actually based on a little kernel of truth.

“My relationship with Latin American television was catching glimpses of the news and morning shows,” Torres said. “Stories of chupacabras and [singer] Gloria Trevi scandals I feel like were monopolized on those shows.”

Torres grew up in El Salvador before moving to the United States 10 years ago, and is now a writer on “Saturday Night Live.” Growing up, he said that the local news, at times, would veer into stories of the paranormal and celebrity scandals. This concept would be the inspiration for Gregoria Santos #8, the eighth victim...

The economy’s a mess but Sofía’s hair is perfect in Alejandra Márquez Abella’s “The Good Girls,” a film that is all surface in a way that is not, for once, a negative. The primped, powdered and shoulder-padded story of the fall from grace of a 1980s Mexican socialite is all about buffed and lustrous surfaces — poreless skin, laquered nails, silken fabrics — all the veneer of social superiority that money can buy. It’s an illusion, of course, that such a thin plating of wealth offers any protection against the changeable climate outside. But it’s such a seductive lie that the vacuous, complacent people thus ensheathed are prone to believe it, forgetting that their glaze of perfection is as brittle as the burnt-sugar topping on a crème brûlée. It’s delicious when it cracks.

We’re introduced to Sofía (Ilse Salas) in fragments: her hair being lathered...

Chris Longo Jun 14, 2019

Featuring new voices with a weird and unique point of view, Los Espookys is a surprising and welcome entry to the HBO lineup.

Los Espookys is going to stick out in HBO’s lineup like gratuitous gore in a B-movie. For one it’s grabbing headlines as HBO’s first crack at (mostly) Spanish language programming with English subtitles. Language shouldn't be much of a barrier, though. The late-night comedy is a loving homage to horror and the paranormal viewed through the lens of its creators: Julio Torres and Ana Farega, two comedians with blindingly bright futures, and Fred Armisen, who continues to attach him name to inventive alternative comedy projects (the brilliant Documentary Now! and recently concluded Portlandia among them).

The series is set in Latin America, where a group of friends with a passion for horror turn their love of the genre into a business.

Some of the best TV shows are the ones that are just about impossible to describe. Shows that are wild and weird, pushing the confines of what TV has been and “should” be, TV that proudly plants its freak flag in your face and dares you to question it. For all that — plus the important fact that it’s very, very funny — “Los Espookys” had my full attention from the jump.

The new comedy follows a group of horror enthusiasts who turn their passion into a collaborative profession, taking commissions for spooky events like faking a sea monster sighting or enacting a “basic inheritance scare”. Goth obsessive Renaldo (Bernardo Velasco) leads the charge with his pure devotion to all things creepy; ethereal chocolate fortune heir Andrés (co-creator Julio Torres) dreams big and talks bigger; frank dental assistant Úrsula (Cassandra Ciangherotti) provides the reality checks neither of them will. Whenever their...

Renaldo (Bernardo Velasco), the hero of HBO’s new comedy Los Espookys, is a study in contradictions. He dresses in Goth fashions and is obsessed with horror movies, but his most natural expression is a broad and welcoming smile. He starts up a business with best friends Úrsula (Cassandra Ciangherotti) and Andrés (Julio Torres) to provide creature effects for specific situations — a struggling beach town in need of a sea monster to attract tourists, an aging priest hoping to stage an exorcism to upstage his dashing young colleague — but the...

What starts as a comedy about faking spooky encounters quickly transforms into a spooky encounter all its own in HBO’s new Spanish-language entry, “Los Espookys.” Created by Fred Armisen, Ana Fabrega, and Julio Torres, the half-hour original series follows a group of friends whose shared enthusiasm for horror leads them into the business of scares. That could mean convincing people a mansion is haunted or helping a priest perform a fake exorcism to show off, but it’s the details surrounding each character, their setting, and this strange story that sets “Los Espookys” apart — as well as an apropos indulgence of spine-tingling fantasy within the show’s intriguing alternate reality.

Take Renaldo (played by Bernardo Velasco). A horror and gore enthusiast, Renaldo is the group’s leader. He wants to pursue his fascination with frights full-time, be it by building a haunted birthday party for his cousin or attracting...

In today’s roundup, HBO sets a premiere date for “Los Espookys,” a Spanish-language horror-comedy.

Dates

Produced by “Saturday Night Live’s” Fred Armisen and Lorne Michaels, “Los Espookys” premieres on HBO on June 14 at 11 p.m. Et/Pt. The six-episode, mostly Spanish-language series follows a group of friends who turn their love for horror into a business, giving out scares to people who need them. Co-creators Julio Torres and Ana Fabrega star alongside Cassandra Ciangherotti and Bernardo Velasco.

Following the release of the teen lifeguard comedy “Malibu Rescue,” Netflix will launch a series with the same characters. The film will premiere on May 13 and stars Ricardo Hurtado and Breanna Yde as junior lifeguards from The Valley competing against snobby locals for bragging rights and the highest lifeguard tower on the beach. “Malibu Rescue: The Series” keeps most of the same cast, including Alkoya Brunson, Abby Donnelly, Jackie R. Jacobsen,...

Los Espookys has its scaredate. HBO’s mostly Spanish-language comedy whose executive producers include Fred Armisen and Lorne Michaels will premiere at 11 p.m. Friday, June 14, on the premium cabler.

The series follows a group of friends who turn their love for horror into a peculiar business, providing horror to those who need it, in a dreamy Latin American country where the strange and eerie are just part of daily life. It stars Ana Fabrega and Julio Torres along with Cassandra Ciangherotti and Bernardo Velasco as The Espookys with José Pablo Minor and recurring guest star Armisen.

Check out the first-look photos above and at the top.

Co-EPs Fabrega and Torres created Los Espookys.with Armisen, and Andrew Singer exec produces alongside Armisen and Michaels. Fernando Frias directed the pilot. The series is produced by Broadway Video in association with Antigravico, Más Mejor and the Oscar-winning Chilean production company Fabula...

HBO has finally confirmed when two of its most popular series and some incredible new content will be making it to air.

There is a lot of talent involved with their offerings, and we haven't even scratched the surface of their documentaries which are always essential viewing.

First up, Big Little Lies will return to the network in June.

"On the surface, in the tranquil seaside town of Monterey, California, everything seems the same," reads the official logline for Big Little Lies Season 2.

"The mothers continue to dote, the husbands support, the children remain adorable and the houses are just as beautiful."

"But the night of the school fundraiser changed all that, leaving the community reeling as the 'Monterey Five' -- Madeline, Celeste, Jane, Renata, and Bonnie -- bond together to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives."

It stars amazing women Reese Witherspoon as Madeline Martha Mackenzie, Nicole Kidman as Celeste Wright,...

HBO has set premiere dates for the new seasons of Veep and Big Little Lies along with the debuts of miniseries Chernobyl and comedy series Los Espookys. The premium channel also said at during its TCA panel today that it will air Leaving Neverland, the controversial Michael Jackson documentary that shook up Sundance, on March 3-4.

The seventh and final season of Veep, which was delayed by star Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ cancer diagnosis, will bow on Sunday, March 31. The sophomore season of Big Little Lies, which adds Meryl Streep to the A-list retuning cast of Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Shailene Woodley, Laura Dern and Zoe Kravitz, is set for June but didn’t get a firm date.

Chernobyl, the five-part miniseries HBO/Sky about the 1986 nuclear tragedy in the Soviet Union, will premiere in May, and the mostly Spanish-language comedy series Los Espookys premieres in June. Neither has an exact date.

The 17th Marrakech International Film Festival (Nov 30 – Dec 08) has set a jury comprising Suspiria star Dakota Johnson, Indian actress Ileana D’Cruz (Barfi!), Lebanese filmmaker and visual artist Joana Hadjithomas (I Want To See), Brit director Lynne Ramsay (We Need To Talk About Kevin), Moroccan director Tala Hadid (House In The Fields), French director Laurent Cantet (The Class), German actor Daniel Brühl (Rush) and Mexican director Michel Franco (April’s Daughter). As previously revealed, director James Gray will serve as jury president.

A total of 80 films will unspool at the festival, with Julian Schnabel’s Van Gogh biopic At Eternity’s Gate among gala screenings and also the festival’s opener. Other galas include Roma, Green Book and Capernaum while special screenings include Wildlife, Her Smell and Birds Of Passage. The official competition, galas and special screenings are listed below.

The festival will also feature tributes to Robert DeNiro, Robin Wright,...

Sofía Hernandez (Ilse Salas) has everything: three children she can ignore, servants and maids to take care of her every whim, and a husband (Flavio Medina’s Fernando) who inherited his wealth from his father and still has yet to really work for it thanks to Uncle Javier (Diego Jáuregui) managing things like he always had. Theirs is a charmed life of opulence and excess wherein they can afford to treat aristocratic etiquette and tradition as sacrosanct while “new money” commoners try to enter their social circle as though they are animals just arrived from the wild. Sofía and Fer are practically European by contrast, propping up their Mexican backyard with class and grace. All that could make life better is Julio Iglesias serenading some “Happy Birthday” magic.

Unfortunately for them, writer/director Alejandra Márquez Abella ensures their false sense of financial security crosses paths with Mexico’s 1982 economic crisis.

A new half-hour comedy from Fred Armisen and “Saturday Night Live” boss Lorne Michaels has been ordered to series at HBO. And it’s in Spanish.

According to the logline, “Los Espookys” (working title) is set in a strange and dreamy version of present-day Mexico City and follows a group of friends turning their love for horror into a peculiar business. Formerly known as “Mexico City: Only Good Things Happen,” the series is written and executive produced by Armisen.

Bernardo Velasco will play Renaldo, the leader of Los Espookys. He’s noble, kind, serene and obsessed with gore. He’s always running out of cell phone minutes. Cassandra Ciangherotti stars as Ursula, a calm and collected dental assistant. She provides teeth for the group’s monsters. She loves horror and her sister Tati but above all, teeth. Ana Fabrega will play Tati, Ursula’s sister and Los Espookys’ test dummy.

HBO has given a series order to the Spanish-language comedy “Los Espookys,” formerly known as “Mexico City: Only Good Things Happen.”

Fred Armisen is a writer and executive producer on the project and will also appear in the role of Tico. The half-hour series is set in a strange and dreamy version of present day Mexico City following a group of friends turning their love for horror into a peculiar business. The project was ordered to pilot at HBO in November.

Bernardo Velasco will star as Renaldo, the leader of Los Espookys. He’s described as noble, kind, serene and obsessed with gore. He’s always running out of cellphone minutes. Cassandra Ciangherotti will play Ursula, a calm and collected dental assistant. She provides teeth for the group’s monsters. She loves horror and her sister Tati but above all, teeth. Ana Fabrega stars as Tati, Ursula’s sister and Los Espookys’ test dummy.

HBO is headed south of the border for its next project: The premium cabler has given a series order to the Spanish-language comedy Los Espookys, TVLine has learned.

Counting Saturday Night Live‘s Lorne Michaels and Fred Armisen among its executive producers, Los Espookys is set in a strange and dreamy version of present-day Mexico City, where a group of friends turn their love for horror into a peculiar business.

The half-hour project stars Mexican actor Bernardo Velasco as Renaldo, the noble, kind, serene and gore-obsessed leader of Los Espookys. Armisen will co-star as Tico, Renaldo’s reliable uncle who...

HBO has picked up to series Los Espookys (working title), its half-hour Spanish-language comedy pilot from Saturday Night Live alum Fred Armisen and Lorne Michaels’ Broadway Video.

Bernardo Velasco, Cassandra Ciangherotti, Ana Fabrega, Julio Torres and Armisen star in the project, fka Mexico City: Only Good Things Happen. Co-written by Armisen, Fabrega and Torres, Los Espookys is set in a strange and dreamy version of present day Mexico City and follows a group of friends turning their love for horror into a peculiar business.

Velasco, an actor, acting coach and casting director, plays Renaldo, the leader of Los Espookys. He’s noble, kind, serene and obsessed with gore. He’s always running out of cellphone minutes.

Mexican actress Ciangherotti plays Ursula, a calm and collected dental assistant. She provides teeth for the group’s monsters. She loves horror and her sister Tati but above all,...