EXCLUSIVE: Yul Vazquez (Severance, Will Trent), Cheryl Umaña (The Pitt, All American), José Zúñiga (Twilight, Griselda) and newcomer Bryanna Marie Felipe will lead the cast of the Cuban American film 1972. The announcement of their participation arrives as 1972 wraps production after shooting in Los Angeles.

The film from Nil Novi, Ten to the Six Pictures, and Three Friends/One Spirit is eyeing a festival run for early 2027.

1972 tells a story of family, hope, resilience, and the complexities of identity and belonging. At her New Year’s Eve party in 1972, Cuban exile Gloria Cienfuegos (Umaña) faces the onslaught of a defiant daughter (Felipe), a charismatic and provocative novelist friend (Vazquez), a rogue hamster, and her worst fears of losing hope and never returning to her homeland.

In addition to the above four actors, the cast also includes Sienna Oquendo as Lucia Cienfuegos, Krizia Bajos as Natalia Robles, Orlando Pinedala as Fernando, Kelvin Han Yee as Ismael, Aixa Clemente as Ofelia, Yareli Arizmendi as Anais, Adam Peltier as Frank, Paige McGhee as Darla, Damian Darnell Lewis as Ronald, Gia Ochsenbein as Lisa, and Gary Guerrier as Ed.

The film is inspired by Marissa Chibás’ upbringing as the daughter of a commander in the Cuban Revolution and as a Miss Cuba runner-up. Chibás, who wrote and directed the film, is a Sundance Screenwriting Fellow for her screenplay 1972, which was selected for the 2024 Gotham Week’s Project Market, the Wscripted Cannes Screenplay List, was an Athena Awards finalist, and received an inaugural Sundance/Gold House Artist Accelerator grant. 

“1972 celebrates the communities that shaped me: young women finding their voices with Carole King on the turntable, the daughters and sons of the Civil Rights and Women’s Rights movements, and a generation that watched humanity land on the moon and believed anything was possible,” shared Chibás.

Adding, “Their optimism, contradictions, resilience, and dreams are woven into every frame of this film. Together, our extraordinary cast and creative team of 1972 recreated a world that feels remarkably familiar today—a time of political division, war, galvanized youth, and people searching for a different future. Although rooted in one Cuban family’s experience, I hope audiences everywhere recognize something of themselves in the universal search for home.”

1972 is produced by Liz Cardenas and Rui M. Xu. In addition to acting, Vazquez serves as executive producer. The creative team also includes Director of Photography Diana Matos, Editor Jonathan Cuartas, Composer Marcelo Zarvos, Production Designer Sandra B. Rodriguez, and Costume Designer Victor A. Sandoval. The film features songs by Bobi Cespedes, PALO!, The S.O.U.L., Jomama Jones, Blue Eye Extinction, Constance Hauman, and Johnny Knollwood and the Church of Mad Love.

Vazquez is represented by Gersh Agency and Untitled Entertainment. Umaña is represented by Metropolitan Talent Agency. Zúñiga is represented by SDB Partners and Prime Talent Media. Felipe is represented by Arise Artists Agency and Brave Artists Management.

EXCLUSIVE: VIZ Media, a leading global producer of anime, manga and original graphic novels, has teamed with The Gotham Group to develop film and television adaptations based on titles from its original intellectual property. The deal includes the company’s acclaimed VIZ Originals graphic novel line and its landmark animated RWBY franchise.

VIZ is behind some of the most prestigious anime brands in the industry, including One Piece, Demon Slayer, Naruto, and Jujutsu Kaisen.

Under the agreement, The Gotham Group—whose credits include Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Search for WondLa, Washington Black, the Maze Runner franchise and biopic Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere—will identify and package projects drawn from VIZ Media’s library of original IP.

At the heart of the collaboration is RWBY, created by the late Monty Oum. Since its debut in 2013, RWBY has amassed more than 350 million views globally while expanding into publishing, video games, consumer products and multiple spinoffs, including RWBY: Ice Queendom and two Justice League x RWBY animated crossover films.

Widely recognized as the first anime series produced in the United States—and the first Western-produced anime to be dubbed and distributed in Japan—RWBY helped pave the way for a new generation of globally developed anime-inspired storytelling.

RWBY, set in a world filled with horrific monsters bent on death and destruction, humanity’s hope lies with powerful Huntsmen and Huntresses. Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long are four Huntresses in training whose journeys will take them far beyond the halls of Beacon Academy. Together, they must overcome powerful enemies and protect the world of Remnant.

“From the beginning, our vision for RWBY has been to build a global franchise that connects with fans across every medium,” said Brad Woods, President and CEO VIZ Media. “With Volume 10 officially underway, we’re excited to take the next step by partnering with The Gotham Group to develop RWBY, alongside our growing portfolio of original graphic novels, for film and television. Together, we look forward to bringing these stories to new audiences around the world.”

The deal also includes VIZ Originals, VIZ Media’s original manga imprint. Featuring works from acclaimed creators Rem & Bikkuri (Devil’s Candy), author Rainbow Rowell (Fangirl), Eisner nominee Sam Sattin (Lynx), and renowned artist Acky Bright (Galaxic Baseball League) among many others.

“We are thrilled to be working with the iconic VIZ on RWBY and beyond,” said The Gotham Group’s Founder & CEO Ellen Goldsmith-Vein. Its titles have captivated audiences for decades and VIZ has been instrumental in bringing the global phenomena of manga and anime to the US. The RWBY franchise is one of the most prolific out there and we’re excited to be a part of bringing new stories to life.”

Leonardo DiCaprio‘s Re:wild and Jeff Bezos‘ Bezos Earth Fund have launched this week the Phoenix Species Project, a new philanthropic initiative dedicated exclusively to helping protect and resurrect critically endangered species around the world.

The project’s launch coincides with a $200 million commitment shared by DiCaprio’s Re:wild, Bezos’ Earth Find, Age of Union and the Todd Graves Family Foundation. It is the single largest philanthropic initiative dedicated to the recovery of critically endangered species. The $200 million commitment will help those fighting to stop animal and plant life extinction by allowing them to move beyond short-term grant funding and focus on the kind of ambitious, sustained work that is needed to save endangered species.

Working in collaboration with Indigenous Peoples, local communities, scientists and conservationists, the project promises to provide new support to 100 species that are facing imminent extinction, including certain mammals, amphibians, reptiles, fish, invertebrates, birds and plants.

“For decades, scientists, Indigenous Peoples, local communities and conservation leaders have been on the front lines of protecting nature, and what has been made clear through research, is that species on the brink of extinction are often the ones that anchor some of the world’s most important ecosystems,” DiCaprio, founder of Re:wild, said in a statement. “When we protect those species, we also protect the forests, wetlands, grasslands and oceans they depend on.”

“The Phoenix Species Project has the potential to drastically shift how we approach conservation and combat the climate crisis at a global scale,” DiCaprio continued. “By creating the largest philanthropic initiative in history dedicated to the recovery of critically endangered species across continents, made possible by a transformative gift from the Bezos Earth Fund, we have an opportunity to make a lasting impact where it’s needed most. The goal is for the Phoenix Species Project to become a global movement that inspires others to invest in nature and help protect our planet.”

$100 million of the Phoenix Project’s initial funding comes directly from the Bezos Earth Fund. The other $100 million has been provided by Re:wild, with support from DiCaprio, Age of Union and the Todd Graves Family Foundation.

“Kids fall in love with animals before anyone tells them those animals are disappearing. Ask any seven-year-old about their favorite creature. It’s something wild. Something most adults have never heard of. What do we tell them when the night parrot or the golden-crowned sifaka isn’t there anymore to fall in love with? This project is our answer,” Lauren Sánchez Bezos, vice chair of the Bezos Earth Fund, said in her own statement. “One hundred species, thirty countries and a real commitment to bringing them back. Not managing their decline. Recovering them. That’s the whole difference. We know how to do this. We just have to stay committed long enough to see it through.”

Among the endangered species targeted by the fund are the ancient bowmouth guitarfish, the tree-dwelling Hickory Nut Gorge green salamander and the freshwater Charco Azul pupfish. You can find the full list of endangered species highlighted by the Phoenix Species Project on the initiative’s new website.