John Krasinski and Prime Video changed all that with TV series ‘Jack Ryan,’ which aired four seasons between 2018 and 2023. It offered the chance for longer, more nuanced adventures for Ryan (well, as nuanced as a show based on a Tom Clancy character truly gets) and was a big success.
al0OvheO9oZBI0lckRMUA3
Amazon MGM Studios is looking to keep that going but is switching tracks to send Ryan back to movie form (likely so that Krasinski can keep playing him but doesn’t have to commit to another season).
What’s the story of the ‘Jack Ryan’ movie?
John Krasinski as Jack Ryan in Prime Video’s ‘Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan’ Season 4. Credit: Attila Szvacsek/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.
There are zero details on what Ryan might be up to in the movie, though it’s a fair guess that it’ll involve some big, probably terrorist or rogue state-sponsored threat that Ryan has to A) figure out and B) take down.
Given that Amazon also owns the rights to the Ryan-adjacent John Clark character (as portrayed by Michael B. Jordan in ‘Without Remorse’, and aboard to return for ‘Rainbow Six,’ might we get a fan-pleasing crossover, if only for one scene?
Who else is working on the ‘Jack Ryan’ movie?
Wendell Pierce as James Greer in ‘Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan.’ Credit: Sarah Shatz. Copyright: Amazon Studios.
With Krasinski starring and producing, we’ll also see the return of Wendell Pierce, who plays James Greer, Ryan’s superior in the series.
And Michael Kelly, who had a sizeable roles as Mike November, is in talks.
Behind the scenes, Andrew Bernstein, who served as an executive producer and director on Season 2 of the series, is directing the film from a script by Aaron Rabin, who served as a co-executive producer and writer on Season 4.
John Krasinski as Dr. Jack Ryan in Prime Video’s ‘Jack Ryan.’
There is no word on when the movie will land on the big screen. And it might also be an “if” situation –– Amazon could still decide to release it via streaming to keep the Prime Video audience watching.
Still, with Krasinski in the lead, the studio may well decide to leverage his film star status to turn this into more of an event.
(L to R) John Krasinski as Dr. Jack Ryan and Wendell Pierce as James Greer in Prime Video’s ‘Jack Ryan.’
(Left) Alison Brie as Amber in ‘Spin Me Round.’ (Right) Evil-Lyn from ‘Masters of the Universe: Revolution’. Photo: Netflix.
Preview:
Alison Brie will be Evil-Lyn in Amazon MGM’s ‘Masters of the Universe’ movie.
She joins Nicholas Galitzine, who’s playing He-Man, and Camila Mendes as Teela.
Travis Knight is in the director’s chair.
There is yet more positive forward movement for the ‘Masters of the Universe’ movie that Amazon MGM Studios has been putting together as another key piece of casting news has arrived.
It’s the latest update for the movie, which already has ‘The Idea of You’s Nicholas Galitzine, who is playing heroic central figure He-Man, alongside Camila Mendes, who will be warrior Teela.
Travis Knight, more usually found overseeing stop-motion animated movies for the Laika company, but who also directed ‘Bumblebee’, is on hand for the new live-action effort.
Zf4jOanOXmolqNC54U5Rp4
What has happened with the movie’s development so far?
‘Masters of the Universe’ toys. Photo: Mattel.
‘He-Man and the Masters of the Universe’ follows Prince Adam, who has a magic sword that turns him into the powerful He-Man. He and his comrades (including Teela, the Captain of the Royal Guard) must protect the planet of Eternia from the evil machinations of villain Skeletor (whose acolytes include Evil-Lyn).
Netflix was the most recent company to try, hiring directing siblings Adam and Aaron Nee, the duo behind 2015’s indie movie ‘Band of Robbers’ and 2022’s ‘The Lost City’, who were also attached to a Sony attempt, working on the script with ‘Man Of Steel’s David S. Goyer.
What’s the story for the new ‘Masters of the Universe’ movie?
‘He-Man and the Masters of the Universe’ 1980’s Cartoon. Photo: Filmation Associates.
Knight is working from a new draft of the script by Chris Butler –– to whom he’s already connected, as Butler has written or directed several animated movies produced by Knight’s Laika studio.
The new movie reportedly (there has been no official confirmation) revolves around 9–year-old Prince Adam crashing to Earth in a spaceship and being separated from his Magical Sword –– the only link to his home on Eternia.
After tracking it down almost two decades later, Adam is whisked back across space to defend his home planet against the evil forces of Skeletor. But to defeat such a powerful villain, Prince Adam first will need to uncover the mysteries of his past and become He-Man — the most powerful man in the universe.
Who is Evil-Lyn?
Meg Foster as Evil-Lyn in ‘Masters of the Universe’. Photo: The Cannon Group, Inc.
As her name implies, she does not align with the forces of good. Evil-Lyn is Skeletor’s second-in-command and uses a wand with a crystal orb to practice the dark arts.
Meg Foster portrayed the character in the 1987 live-action movie.
Brie’s casting is interesting and could be a lot of fun. And does it indicate a more comedic bent than we thought?
Alison Brie: Career to Date
(L to R) Alison Brie and director Dave Franco at the premiere of Prime Video’s ‘Somebody I Used to Know.’
Alongside the aforementioned ‘Community’ and ‘GLOW’, Brie has been seen in the TV likes of ‘Mad Men’ and ‘Apples Never Fall.’
Actors sometimes have trouble crossing over to take up a position behind the camera, but Zoë Kravitz seems to be making the transition effectively. ‘Blink Twice’ is a confident directorial showcase for the ‘Big Little Lies’ and ‘The Batman’ star: she may hit a few narrative and tonal bumps, but she stays focused on the story she wants to tell and gets the most out of a terrific cast while doing so.
‘Blink Twice’ starts off as a satire, not to mention a riff on the kind of setup we’ve seen before in movies like ‘The Menu’ and ‘Get Out,’ where the protagonist finds themselves in a remote, seemingly friendly (and luxurious) location before things start go off the rails. ‘Blink Twice’ tests the viewer’s forbearance for a chunk of its 100 minutes, but if you’re patient enough the ending should be rewarding in many ways.
Frida (Naomi Ackie) sits in her cramped apartment obsessing over tech-bro gazillionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum), who’s re-entering public life with an apology tour following an unnamed indiscretion (or series of them) that got him canceled. Frida and her roommate/bestie Jess (Alia Shawkat) are waitresses who manage to get work at a reception thrown for King, where they finagle their way into the VIP area and Frida gets a chance to meet-cute with the man himself.
The charming Slater and Frida hit it off right away, flirting furiously with each other until he invites her and Jess to travel with him and his entourage that night to his private island. Neither woman has packed a bag, but that’s no matter: once they get to Slater’s luxurious, decadent private resort, they are provided bathing suits and white linen robes to wear, even perfume to dab on, plus drinks and drugs aplenty along with fabulously curated meals prepared by star chef Cody (Simon Rex), all using locally farmed produce.
It’s the middle stretch of ‘Blink Twice’ that’s ostensibly the most troublesome for Kravitz and her screenwriting partner, E.T. Feigenbaum: the second act becomes a repetitive series of hedonistic montages punctuated like clockwork every now and then by a strange occurrence, as Frida and another guest, reality show veteran Sarah (Adria Arjona), compete for Slater’s attention and the rest – including Slater’s right-hand man Vic (Christian Slater), scuzzy hanger-on Tom (Haley Joel Osment), a couple of other party-hardy girls, and Slater’s perpetually flaky personal assistant Stacy (Geena Davis) – indulge in night after night of booze, drugs, and poolside languor until even the days seem to dissolve into each other.
We know this is not going to end well, but Kravitz makes us wait a bit longer than necessary. Perhaps the way in which she extends that wait makes the movie’s pivot that much more shocking even when you know it’s coming eventually. When things do turn, it’s quick: Frida discovers that Jess has gone missing, and not only does no one seem to remember that she was there in the first place, but Frida herself begins to realize that her memories of the past few days are murky at best and barely there at worst. With the help of a reluctant but increasingly trusting Sarah, Frida learns the horrible, toxic truth.
We’ll let you discover that truth for yourself, but it’s here that ‘Blink Twice’ makes its full turn from satire to horror to revenge thriller, with a final act that is both crazy in its sheer energy and bracing in its aggressive sense of purpose. It’s a tribute to Kravitz and her cast that the shift, while jarring at first, leads to a violently satisfying climax that makes the more morally ambiguous coda easier to swallow.
Whatever issues Kravitz may have with putting her twisty narrative through its paces, she doesn’t seem to have any with the technical aspects of directing. Under her command, the sound design is excellent, the soundtrack is popping (no surprise there, really), and the cinematography by Adam Newport-Berra captures the saturated excess of Slater King’s lifestyle, the foggy wooziness of what at first seems to be endless nights and days of partying, and the dark, bloody reality underneath. It’ll be fascinating to see what Kravitz does next.
We’ve only seen Naomi Ackie being largely underused in ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,’ but she did garner praise for 2022’s Whitney Houston biopic, ‘I Wanna Dance with Somebody.’ This is our first time watching her in a lead role and Ackie nails it easily. Her work as Frida is initially vulnerable and open-hearted, even if her obsession with Slater seems questionable. But she never fully trades in her self-respect, which makes her transformation from victim to avenging warrior all the more believable.
She also makes a great pairing with Arjona, who starts out as competitive and distrusting – especially with Frida – before recalling and embracing the time-honored (and perpetually true) maxim that women only have each other to look out for them in the end. Her arc here is better developed than Arjona’s last major role, as a femme fatale in ‘Hit Man,’ and she runs with it for all its worth, delivering an excellent performance that may mark her a star in the making.
Channing Tatum initially turns on the charm and faux vulnerability as Slater, a man who may be doing his best to appear humbled but never quite makes it seem genuine – underneath, he’s angry that he has to take responsibility for his actions. He says all the right things about therapy and rehab and spirituality, but Tatum’s essential blandness works for him in this instance, hinting at the emptiness that lurks inside Slater. Even his seeming interest in Frida curdles after a while, long before things really go south, and his air of entitlement during the film’s third act is as horrifying as anything else.
‘Blink Twice’ initially begins, somewhat eccentrically, as one of those poke-fun-at-the-super-rich send-ups that can easily become boring because the fruit is so low-hanging. But there’s just enough of a feeling from the beginning that something is out of sorts – even with Kravitz dropping clues throughout – to allow a sense of dread to creep into the proceedings. That still doesn’t prepare you for what the director has in store, and it’s refreshing that she’s not interested in returning to any satirical comfort zone once the mayhem begins.
There are no doubt some who will label ‘Blink Twice’ as “divisive,” but they’d be really missing the point about the systemic failure that keeps letting someone at a certain level of wealth and fame get away with the unspeakable just because he says he’s all better now. ‘Blink Twice’ is also a cautionary tale about what happens when too much power and opportunity is left in the hands of truly stunted personalities, and a rallying cry for people – especially women – to look after each other.
Kravitz certainly comes from wealth and fame herself, but she has almost certainly come up against those toxic types as well despite her privilege. ‘Blink Twice’ is a scream of rage on behalf of those who don’t have the resources to defend themselves, and while it gets messy and scattershot at times, it manifests a primal power that we’d like see Kravitz keep channeling.
‘Blink Twice’ receives 7 out of 10 stars.
o94Hhk8e6vdEBJSuxtLPL6
What is the plot of ‘Blink Twice’?
A starstruck waitress and her friend are invited to the private island of a billionaire tech mogul, where endless days and nights of debauchery and partying soon give way to the realization that something is very wrong.
Nicolas Cage is playing John Madden in a new movie called ‘Madden’.
David O. Russell wrote the script and will direct.
It’ll follow Madden from his 1970s days and beyond.
Nicolas Cage is on a bit of a hot streak at the moment. Between showing some serious self-awareness (and self-deprecation) for ‘The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent’ and logging some of the best performances of his recent career in the likes of ‘Pig’, ‘Dream Scenario’ and this year’s creepy winner ‘Longlegs’, he’s putting in the work.
And a new movie will offer a fresh, considerable challenge: Cage will play real life NFL icon John Madden for director David O. Russell in ‘Madden’.
With a script by Russell (based on earlier work from Cambron Clark), the exact details of what ‘Madden’ will cover remain a little indistinct at the moment.
But there is certainly a lot to choose from. Madden was a star player in high school, and was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1958, only for injury to curtail his rookie season.
Instead, he went on to earn a degree in teaching and put his skills/experience to good use as a coach, going on to lead the Oakland Raiders to the Super Bowl and a win in 1977.
Madden became known as one of the best coaches in the sport’s history, but his all-consuming passion and commitment wore on him, and he retired for health reasons.
Still, a hugely successful second chapter dawned as courted by the fledgling gaming company Electronic Arts to be the front man for its Madden NFL multi-player video game. Madden had never played a video game, but it turned into an outlet where he could lend his knowledge and help the masses better understand the gridiron.
The game has long been a sensation –– even with its inspiration dying in 2021, it continues to this day as a favorite of players and fans.
And beyond even that, Madden also became famous as a beloved commentator on the game he loved so much, his enthusiasm pouring from the screen, and his habit of scribbling on the screen making him a firm favorite among viewers.
Here’s what Russell said about the casting news in a statement:
“Nicolas Cage, one of our greatest and most original actors, will portray the best of the American spirit of originality, fun, and determination in which anything is possible as beloved national legend John Madden. Together with the ferocious style, focus, and inspired individualism of Al Davis, owner of the underdog Oakland Raiders, the feature will be about the joy, humanity and genius that was John Madden in a wildly inventive, cool world of the 1970s.”
Russell himself is something of a controversial figure, his successful directing career also marked by criticisms of his attitude to women and other groups. He’s also been known for his mercurial behavior on set, infamously clashing with George Clooney on ‘Three Kings’.
It left such a mark on the actor that even now he won’t work with Russell, commenting in a recent interview:
“It’s not just like, ‘Oh, I’m going to go do a really good film, like ‘Three Kings’, and I’m going to have a miserable f*** like David O Russell making my life hell. Making every person in the crew’s life hell.’ ”
Let’s hope Cage has a better time of it.
When will the new David O. Russell/Nicolas Cage movie ‘Madden’ be in theaters?
Amazon/MGM Studios is backing the drama, but it has yet to receive a release date.
‘Nicolas Cage’ (Nicolas Cage) greets ‘Javi Gutierrez’ with a ‘Palm Hold Fist’ salute as he arrives in Mallorca, Spain. Photo Credit: Katalin Vermes/Lionsgate.
(Left) Camila Mendes on ‘Riverdale’. Photo: Warner Bros. Television Studios. (Right) Teela on ‘Masters of the Universe: Revelation’. Photo: Netflix.
Preview:
‘Riverdale’s Camila Mendes will be Teela in Amazon MGM’s ‘Masters of the Universe’ movie.
She joins Nicholas Galitzine, who’s playing He-Man.
Travis Knight is in the director’s chair.
After defeating previous efforts to turn it into a new movie, the 1980s ‘Masters of the Universe’ toy line (and its attendant cartoon series) might finally have met its match.
What has happened with the movie’s development so far?
‘Masters of the Universe’ toys. Photo: Mattel.
‘He-Man and the Masters of the Universe’ follows Prince Adam, who has a magic sword that turns him into the powerful, heroic He-Man. He and his comrades (including Teela, the Captain of the Royal Guard) must protect the planet of Eternia from the evil machinations of villain Skeletor.
A live-action big screen version in 1987 starring Dolph Lundgren as He-Man and Frank Langella as Skeletor flopped at the box office, which scuttled a planned sequel.
Netflix was the most recent company to try, hiring directing siblings Adam and Aaron Nee, the duo behind 2015’s indie movie ‘Band of Robbers’ and 2022’s ‘The Lost City’, who were also attached to a Sony attempt, working on the script with ‘Man Of Steel’s David S. Goyer.
What’s the story for the new ‘Masters of the Universe’ movie?
‘He-Man and the Masters of the Universe’ 1980’s Cartoon. Photo: Filmation Associates.
Knight is working from a new draft of the script by Chris Butler –– to whom he’s already connected, as Butler has written or directed several animated movies produced by Knight’s Laika stop-motion animation studio.
The new movie reportedly (there has been no official confirmation) revolves around 9–year-old Prince Adam crashing to Earth in a spaceship and being separated from his Magical Sword –– the only link to his home on Eternia.
After tracking it down almost two decades later, Adam is whisked back across space to defend his home planet against the evil forces of Skeletor. But to defeat such a powerful villain, Prince Adam first will need to uncover the mysteries of his past and become He-Man — the most powerful man in the universe.
Here’s what Amazon MGM Studios head of film production and development Julie Rapaport said about the new development:
“We’re thrilled to bring the beloved Masters of the Universe to life and couldn’t be more excited to announce the immensely talented Nicholas Galitzine as our He-Man. Joining forces with director Travis Knight, Mattel, and Escape Artists, this reintroduction of the character and his universe will be an epic film that will delight audiences from here to Eternia.”
Camila Mendes: Career So Far
Camila Mendes on ‘Riverdale’. Photo: Warner Bros. Television Studios.
Mendes might be best known for playing Veronica Lodge in ‘Riverdale’. But she’s also been seen in the cinematic likes of ‘Palm Springs’, ‘Dangerous Lives’, ‘Do Revenge’, and recent Amazon MGM efforts ‘Música’ and ‘Upgraded’.
When will ‘Masters of the Universe’ be on screens?
Amazon/MGM studios is aiming to have the movie in theaters on June 5th, 2026.
‘Masters of the Universe’ toys. Photo: Mattel.
Other Movies and TV Shows in the ‘Masters of the Universe’ Franchise:
While Brooks would probably crack that it’s all happening now before it’s too late, another of his comedies is seeing a return –– this time, a sequel to 1987 ‘Star Wars’ spoof ‘Spaceballs’.
Josh Gad is now developing the new movie for Amazon/MGM (since MGM released the original and Amazon has been looking for ways to use the IP it inherited since buying the company), with Brooks involved as a producer and –– assuming he wants to –– once again stepping before cameras.
7571
What was the story of ‘Spaceballs’?
(L to R) John Candy, Joan Rivers, Daphne Zuniga and Bill Pullman in ‘Spaceballs’. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
The original ‘Spaceballs’, directed by Brooks from a script he wrote with Thomas Meehan and Ronny Graham, starred Bill Pullman as Lone Starr, a scruffy hero in the Han Solo mold who has to stop the nefarious President Skroob (Brooks) from stealing the atmosphere of the peaceful planet Druidia.
Along the way, he comes to the aid of Princess Vespa (Daphne Zuniga) and her sarcastic robot maid Dot Matrix (voiced by Joan Rivers). John Candy plays Starr’s faithful half-man/half-dog sidekick Barf and Rick Moranis is superb Vader spoof Dark Helmet. Oh, and Brooks also plays diminutive Yoda-alike wisdom-spewer Yogurt, who also has a nice line in merchandising.
Though the movie didn’t exactly triumph at the box office (it ended up with $38.1 million worldwide) but has long since been considered a cult classic.
Plot details for the new film have yet to be revealed.
Director Josh Greenbaum with Reggie on the set of ‘Strays.’
With Gad on board to star and produce, he’s also co-written the script with Benji Samit and Dan Hernandez, who worked on ‘Pokémon: Detective Pikachu’.
Josh Greenbaum, who made ‘Strays’ (for which Gad provided a voice) and ‘Barb and Star go to Vista Del Mar’, is in the director’s chair. He feels like a good fit for a new ‘Spaceballs’, since he’s proved he can handle wacky comedy with some emotional undertones.
With development at an early stage, Amazon/MGM has yet to announce any sort of release date for the movie. We’ll have to wait see –– casting and actually shooting the movie must come first.
(L to R) Rick Moranis and George Wyner in ‘Spaceballs’. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
He’ll star in Amazon’s ‘Masters of the Universe’ movie.
Travis Knight is directing.
‘Masters of the Universe’ –– yes, the toy line –– has been something of a white whale to Hollywood of late. Despite success on the small screen via several shows on Netflix, the concept of heroes and villains in a fantastical realm has frustrated more than one studio and a gaggle of writers, directors and stars.
For those who didn’t grow up with the toy line, or haven’t seen the Netflix series, here’s a ‘Masters of the Universe’ primer… It’s the story of Prince Adam (the role Galitzine won) and his heroic friends, who must defend the faraway land of Eternia from the machinations of Skeletor and a group of fellow evildoers. At stake is Castle Grayskull and the Power Sword, which transforms Adam into He-Man, helping him fight off the various threats.
A cartoon series called ‘He-Man and the Masters of the Universe’ was launched in 1985 to help sell the action figures, creating a pop culture phenomenon. It was infamously turned into a movie in 1987 starring Dolph Lundgren as He-Man and Frank Langella as Skeletor. That flopped at the box office, which scuttled a planned sequel.
Netflix was actually the most recent company to try, hiring directing siblings Adam and Aaron Nee, the duo behind 2015’s indie movie ‘Band of Robbers’ and 2022’s ‘The Lost City’, who were also attached to a Sony attempt, working on the script with ‘Man Of Steel’s David S. Goyer.
What’s the story for the new ‘Masters of the Universe’ movie?
‘Masters of the Universe’ toys. Photo: Mattel.
Knight is working from a new draft of the script by Chris Butler –– to whom he’s already connected, as Butler has written or directed several animated movies produced by Knight’s Laika stop-motion animation studio.
The new movie reportedly revolves around 9-year-old Prince Adam crashing to Earth in a spaceship and being separated from his Magical Sword –– the only link to his home on Eternia.
After tracking it down almost two decades later, Adam is whisked back across space to defend his home planet against the evil forces of Skeletor. But to defeat such a powerful villain, Prince Adam first will need to uncover the mysteries of his past and become He-Man — the most powerful man in the universe.
Here’s what Amazon MGM Studios head of film production and development Julie Rapaport said about the new development:
“We’re thrilled to bring the beloved Masters of the Universe to life and couldn’t be more excited to announce the immensely talented Nicholas Galitzine as our He-Man. Joining forces with director Travis Knight, Mattel, and Escape Artists, this reintroduction of the character and his universe will be an epic film that will delight audiences from here to Eternia.”
Ben Affleck as Christian Wolff in ‘The Accountant.’ Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
Preview:
Ben Affleck and more are returning for ‘The Accountant 2’.
The sequel has director Gavin O’Connor working on it again.
This time, Amazon MGM Studios is producing the movie.
It might not have sounded like the formula for an exciting action thriller, the title ‘The Accountant’ cueing visions of someone painstakingly going through ledgers or stacked boxes of documents while tapping away on a calculator.
But the movie turned out to be a successful, gunplay-happy movie starring Ben Affleck back in 2016.
Though it has been in development since at least 2017, things have fairly been quiet on the sequel front. Now, though, it’s in full swing, albeit switching studio homes from Warner Bros. (which released the original) to Amazon MGM Studios, where Affleck most recently made ‘Air’.
Ben Affleck as Christian Wolff in ‘The Accountant.’ Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
In case you didn’t see it, the 2016 movie had Affleck as Christian Wolff, a highly skilled CPA with autism who leads a double life as a forensic accountant for criminal organizations. When he uncovers discrepancies in a legitimate robotics company, he must navigate a dangerous web of deceit while staying one step ahead of both the law and his unlawful clients.
Bernthal played Christian’s security company operator brother Brax, with Simmons as Ray King, the Director of the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. Addai-Robinson had the role of Marybeth Medina, an up-and-coming Treasury agent tasked with unearthing The Accountant’s real identity.
Where does ‘The Accountant 2’ take the narrative?
Ben Affleck as Christian Wolff in ‘The Accountant.’ Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
The new movie’s plot reportedly kicks off when Medina’s former boss is killed by unknown assassins, and she’s forced to contact Christian to solve the murder.
With the help of his estranged but highly lethal brother Brax, Chris applies his brilliant mind and less-than-legal methods to piece together the unsolved puzzle. As they get closer to the truth, the trio draw the attention of some of the most ruthless killers alive — all intent on putting a stop to their search…
“I’ve always wanted to do three because we’re going to integrate his brother into the story. So there’ll be more screen time for Bernthal in the second one. And then the third movie’s going to be, I call it, ‘Rain Man’ on steroids.’ The third movie is going to be the two brothers, this odd couple. The third one is going be a buddy picture.”
When will ‘The Accountant 2’ be on screens?
With shooting gearing up shortly, there’s no release date on the books just yet.
(L to R) Anna Kendrick and Ben Affleck in ‘The Accountant.’ Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
The ‘Barbie’ actor is to direct ‘I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter’.
The movie is based on a novel by Erika Sánchez.
America Ferrera is certainly having a moment. An Oscar nominee for her excellent performance in ‘Barbie’ (featuring one of the most repeated and meme-able speeches in recent memory), she’s also seen her plan to start directing movies take a positive step forward.
‘I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter’, to which she has been attached as director for a couple of years now (more on that below), is set up at AmazonMGM Studios’ Orion Pictures. It’ll follow her small screen experience handling episodes of TV ‘Gentefied’ and ‘Superstore’.
What’s the story of ‘I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter’?
America Ferrera attends the World Premiere of ‘Barbie’ at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, CA. Photo Credit: Eric Charbonneau.
The story for the movie is drawn from Erika Sánchez’s New York Times bestselling novel, which follows Julia Reyes, a teen with a sharp tongue, a fierce wit and big dreams of becoming a famous writer, somewhere far, far away from Chicago and her traditional Mexican immigrant parents who just can’t understand her love for Whitman, Dickinson and the Ramones.
They wish she was more like Olga, Julia’s sister, now eternally perfect since her tragic death. As Julia seeks to break free of her oppressive home, she tries to uncover her sister’s truth, and in the process gains a deep understanding of the wounds her family carries.
Linda Yvette Chávez, who also wrote last year’s ‘Flamin’ Hot’ (and worked with Ferrera on ‘Gentefied’), is on script duty for the movie.
What has happened to ‘I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter’ so far?
America Ferrera at the ‘Barbie’ special screening and Q&A at Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood. Photo Credit: Eric Charbonneau.
This is not the first time the book has been set up with Ferrera attached to direct. Back in 2021, Netflix took the rights for the film with Ferrera involved, but it ultimately got stuck in development limbo.
Here’s what Ferrera said at the time:
“Years ago, I fell in love with Erika L. Sánchez’ stunning novel, ‘I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter’. The depth, wit and searing intelligence of her writing, and her young Latina heroine, struck me to my core and left me wanting so much more. I am truly honored and humbled to direct Linda Yvette Chávez’s beautifully adapted screenplay. The opportunity to direct the work of these two incredibly talented Latina writers is a dream come true. I can’t wait to share this film with the many fans of the novel, and to introduce this funny, profound, and resonant story to the world.”
What’s next for America Ferrera?
America Ferrera at the ‘Barbie’ Sydney Photo Call. Photo Credit: Caroline McCredie Photography.
Though her post-‘Barbie’ time is likely to be taken up with this more than anything, Ferrera has a few other projects in the works as a producer including a TV series and several TV movies. She’ll be heard in Pixar’s 2025 sci-fi movie ‘Elio’, playing the mother of the title character, a boy who mistakenly becomes the chosen one to be Earth’s galactic ambassador.
America Ferrera attends a ‘Barbie’ Fan Event in Seoul, Korea. Photo Credit: Chang Ho.
