'Blue' to inaugurate shingle's pic prod'n activities
HOLLYWOOD — Fledgling U.S. Hispanic producer Voy Pictures has inked a three-pic co-development and production deal with Santa Monica-based shingle Cherry Road Films.
Leading the trio is family adventure pic “Wild Blue,” to be helmed by J.B. Rogers (“American Pie 2”). Penned by John Morgan and Chris Taylor, pic is a cross between “Romancing the Stone” and “Spy Kids,” with 11-year-old leads.
The other two projects will be of a similar genre. Voy Pictures prexy Emilio Diez Barroso said “Wild Blue” will shoot in Mexico in the fall.
“We hope to partner with Voy in their bid to capture this niche market of English-speaking second-generation Hispanics, making commercial films with A-list directors,” said Cherry Road production prexy Kathleen Hasse.
“Wild Blue” likely will be Voy Pictures’ first production since its launch in January, according to CEO Fernando Espuelas, who is on a national book-signing tour of his tome “Life in Action.” Espuelas is the co-founder and former CEO of StarMedia network, a $4 billion Internet venture that went bust along with the dot-com bubble a few years ago.
Voy Pictures also has teamed up with Creative Dreams Intl. to co-produce a pic based on bestseller “The Devil’s Highway” by Luis Urrea. “Highway” is the true story of 26 Mexicans and their attempts to cross the U.S. border. Principal photography is skedded for October.
Voy has ramped up its TV production with various pilots in the can. These include talkshow “Go!,” hosted by Espuelas; cooking skein “Flavor,” hosted by Zarela Martinez and Aaron Sanchez of Zarela and Paladar restaurants in Manhattan; edgy chatshow “Breaking It Down”; and bio series “My Life.”
Voy’s media platforms include music, publishing, cable television, feature film, TV programming and the Internet.