New York – When one talks about the accomplished Alfred Molina (Frida, The Da Vinci Code, Spider Man 2), one is talking thespian royalty. Molina adds his regal talent as Adres Galan in the El Rey Network TV series Matador created by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. Matador is only the second original scripted TV series announced to the programming line-up on the El Rey Network, and is set to premiere July 2014. Previously announced cast members include Gabriel Luna, Nicky Whelan and Neil Hopkins.
Matador will feature Molina as Andrew Galan, a man who built his fortune in the telecom industry, but his true passion is soccer. As owner of the ascendant LA Riot franchise, he is celebrated in both the sports and business worlds. But there is another world that he operates in — as a member of an elite group of powerful global players, ruthless individuals who can affect world events on a scale that one would never imagine. What Galan doesn’t know is that there is a mole in his midst. One of his new players, Tony Bravo (played by Gabriel Luna – see article), is actually an undercover operative, sent in to expose him and his cohorts. As Tony and Galan grow closer, the fate of their relationship may very well determine the fate of the world.
The storyline of Molina’s character sounds a lot like a combination of two Mexican businessmen. Jorge Vergara, a man who make his fortune in the health supplement business, who has also funded films including Y tu mama tambien, and who owned the Chivas USA franchise up until recently. The other is communications magnate Carlos Slim who was named “richest man in the world” from 2010 – 2013 by Forbes magazine. Slim is the chairman and chief executive of telecommunications companies Telemex and America Movil in Mexico.
Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci
Created by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, and produced in association with K/O Paper Products, the coveted writing/producing team behind Sleepy Hollow, Fringe, Star Trek and the Transformer franchise. The series is been described as irreverent and action-packed involving CIA operatives (Gabriel Luna – see recent article). Robert Rodriguez, El Rey Network’s chairman and founder, is set to direct the first episode which will be penned by showrunners, co-creators and executive producers Jay Beattie and Dan Dworkin.
Matador chronicles the unlikely rise of Antonio “Matador” Bravo, a popular soccer star, who comes to be known as much for his playboy antics off the field as his dynamic moves on it. But what his fans and family don’t realize is that it’s all a cover–in truth, he is a skilled covert operative executing missions for a little known branch of the CIA. Matador has the kind of fame and notoriety that affords him access to powerful circles of corruption and villainy. But, in balancing the dueling roles in which he’s been cast, he will be forced to confront the question of his true identity…and it is this mission, which will prove to be his most dangerous.
Molina, an accomplished London-born actor whose diverse and distinguished gallery of performances have led to a lengthy and triumphant career in film, television and the stage, Alfred Molina is best known for his roles in Sam Raimi’s Spider Man 2 and Julie Taymor’s Frida. Molina made his American film debut in Raiders of the Lost Ark. His other feature film credits includeThe Da Vinci Code, Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Prince of Persia, The Pink Panther 2, Enchanted April, Not Without My Daughter, The Perez Family, Anna Karenina and Chocolat, among others. On television, he most recently starred on NBC’s Law & Order: LA and David E. Kelley’s TNT drama series Monday Mornings. Molina’s stage work includes two major Royal National Theatre productions, Tennessee Williams’ The Night of the Iguana and David Mamet’s Speed the Plow, as well as his Broadway debut in Yasmina Reza’s Art, for which he received a Tony Award® nomination. He also received a Tony Award® for Red which ran on Broadway in 2010. These among many accomplishments.
Matador executive producers are Jay Beattie and Dan Dworkin, also showrunners, alongside executive producers Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman and Andrew Orci. Also joining as executive producers are Heather Kadin of K/O Paper Products; Robert Rodriguez and FactoryMade Ventures and El Rey Network co-founders John Fogelman and Cristina Patwa.
Entertainment One Television (eOne) exclusively represents worldwide distribution rights (with the exception of U.S. broadcast network rights) for El Rey Network’s Matador and other original scripted series created for the U.S based cable network, to be announced.
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