Gina Rodriguez

Everything old is new again, and like the Magic School Bus before it, Netflix is ready to take us anywhere in the world. So it is, that we’ll be chasing Carmen Sandiego all over again with a new Netflix series, starring Jane the Virgin favorite Gina Rodriguez.

Miss Bala was the toast of the Cannes Film Festival when it debuted in 2011. Critics heaped hosannas upon the taut thriller based on a real-life incident wherein a Mexican beauty queen was discovered in a truck with a crew of gang members and a shipment of munitions. With ruthless economy, the film detailed the process by which Laura Zuñíga was forced to cooperate with the narcos, eventually earning the nickname of Miss Bala (Spanish for “Miss Bullet,” a pun on the glamour pageant Miss Baja). Like Sicario but a few years ahead of schedule, Miss Bala depicted the south-of-the-border crime culture through the eyes of an unwilling participant. Unlike most drug-war dramas, it’s not defined by heroism or the drive for power — the movie’s fueled by one woman’s perpetual state of stunned terror.

Hollywood has finally found someone to compete with Nazis for the title of ultimate movie villains: Oil executives. In Deepwater Horizon, the blue-collar crew of an off-shore rig battles malfunctioning equipment, an unpredictable ocean, pipe blow outs, explosions, and fires. But all those dangers seem to pale in comparison to the threat posed by a bunch of starchy white men. In their uniform of blue button-down shirts and khaki pants, they’re the walking embodiment of pure, unadulterated greed.

Even though he had written scripts for great sci-fi films like Never Let Me Go and Sunshine, it wasn’t until last year that Alex Garland finally got the attention he deserves with the release of his directorial debut, Ex Machina. Garland has been in production on his follow-up, Annihilation, another sci-fi thriller that looks like it will be every bit as breathtaking as his previous effort — if these set photos are any indication.

What sounds better than a new movie from ‘Ex Machina’ filmmaker Alex Garland? How about a sci-fi movie about four women played by Natalie Portman, Tessa Thompson (‘Creed’), Gina Rodriguez (‘Jane the Virgin’) and Jennifer Jason Leigh? Now let me raise you with one more addition: Oscar Isaac. If that news doesn’t have you doing the Oscar Isaac ‘Ex Machina’ dance, nothing will.

In one way or another, all of Mark Wahlberg’s movies have involved him playing the role of the savior. In many instances, this takes a pretty literal form — Wahlberg protected Earth from alien robots in Transformers: Age of Extinction, protected America from terrorism in Lone Survivor, and in his Oscar-nominated role in The Departed (remember that time Mark Wahlberg got nominated for an Oscar... R

Ex Machina writer / director Alex Garland seems to be going for the one-two punch (sorry) with Annihilation, his next sci-fi project which already boasts Natalie Portman and Jane the Virgin's Gina Rodriguez in leading roles. And as if we couldn't get any more excited for Garland's next film, the director is currently eyeing Creed star Tessa Thompson, who was so great in Ryan Coogler's Rocky sequel that she could headline her own spinoff (or at least make a full album, in character).

After a writing a string of successful genre screenplays for other directors, Alex Garland broke out on his own year, making his directorial debut with the exquisite sci-fi Ex Machina. His next directing project is Annihilation, with Garland reportedly eyeing another of this year’s major breakout talents to join Natalie Portman in the new sci-fi film: Jane the Virgin’s Gina Rodriguez.

First revealed a few weeks ago, the lead actress shortlist for Star Wars: Episode 8 includes Tatiana Maslany, Jane the Virgin star Gina Rodriguez, and Me and Earl and the Dying Girl’s Olivia Cooke. That’s a pretty solid list, but a new rumor suggests that another name has been added to it: Gugu Mbatha-Raw, star of last year’s incredibly powerful music drama Beyond the Lights.

We’re still a few months away from the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but Rian Johnson is already hard at work prepping Episode 8. While it remains unclear how much of The Force Awakens cast will return for the sequel, there will be some new additions to the lineup as Johnson and Lucasfilm have already begun looking at actors for leading roles.