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Lilly Wachowski Says Hollywood Won’t Make Her Next Film Due To Trans Cast

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As trans onscreen representation takes a hit in Hollywood, Lilly Wachowski is attempting to make a film with an all-transgender cast… if only the industry will let her.

The Matrix co-auteur recently explained that despite some excitement over the script, financiers “really don’t want to make” her dystopian political thriller The Hunted, which is co-written with partner Mickey Ray Mahoney and budgeted at $10 million, due to the film’s “wall-to-wall trans cast.”

“People like it, but they really don’t want to make it because it’s wall-to-wall trans cast,” said Wachowski on KCRW’s The Business podcast. “I have to get creative and figure out different ways that I can get this in front of people.”

Currently in development with Wachowski’s Anarchists United and Natasha Lyonne’s Ariadne banner, the pair teamed up last weekend on a live read event for the film at Dynasty Typewriter.

Wachowski added, “This is a script that was extremely important for me to write. It was a response to what is happening in the world for trans people, and it gave me a hugely cathartic receptacle to dump all of my anger and rage and frustration into.

“I’m just going to go out and I’m going to grab that trans joy with all of my friends,” she said. “It’s not the thing that I had imagined it was going to be, but the end result is the same.”

Described as a biting political thriller in the tradition of Wild in the Streets and V for Vendetta, The Hunted is set in a dystopian America where trans people are brutalized and erased to the margins of society. When a heinous crime sets off a chain reaction of mutual care and resistance within a trans community, two trans women search for the perpetrator that leads to the highest reaches of government.

Wachowski’s latest project comes after GLAAD’s recent “Where We Are in Film” study found there were zero transgender characters in the 225 films from 10 major distributors released in 2025. The study also noted a 3% decrease in the amount of movies that featured LGBTQ characters, the third year representation has gone down since a record high of 28.5% in 2023.

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‘Scrubs’ Adds Keyla Monterroso Mejia As Nurse In Season 2 Of ABC Show

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EXCLUSIVE: Scrubs is staffing up for Season 2. Keyla Monterroso Mejia (The Studio, Abbott Elementary) is joining the ABC comedy series as a recurring guest star.

She will play Mimi, Turk’s (Donald Faison) new surgical nurse. A bit quirky with some sass, she is a high-energy and loyal assisting hand for the surgeons.

Mimi is joining Sacred Heart amid some turnover, which includes the departure of charge nurse Raymond, played by X Mayo.

The Scrubs reboot had been set up in a way that all cast except returning stars Zach Braff (John “J.D.” Dorian), Faison (Christopher “Turk” Turk) and Sarah Chalke (Elliot Reid) had been recurring. That is changing in Season 2 when Ava Bunn, who plays one of the new interns, Sam Tosh, is being promoted to series regular alongside Braff, Faison and Chalke.

In Season 2, J.D., Turk and Elliot have leveled up from interns to icons at Sacred Heart. Now, the respected doctors inspire the next generation while balancing the ups and downs of working in a hospital. Together with characters new and old, they are navigating this next chapter with laughter, heart and some surprises along the way.

The original series’ creator Bill Lawrence serves as executive producer on the revival via his Doozer Productions alongside the company’s Jeff Ingold and Liza Katzer as well as showrunner Aseem Batra and stars Braff, Faison and Chalke. Scrubs is produced by 20th Television, a part of Disney Television Studios. The series will return to ABC on Wednesdays Sept. 30 and stream next day on Hulu.

Mejia, known for her arc as Maria Sofia Estrada on Larry David’s HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm, has been keeping busy recurring on several high-profile comedies, including as Seth Rogen’s harried assistant, Petra, on Apple TV’s Emmy-winning The Studio and as chaotic teacher’s aide Ashley on ABC’s Abbott Elementary.

She will next be seen recurring on the upcoming second season of Apple TV’s Bad Monkey opposite Vince Vaughn and the third season of of Netflix’s Nobody Wants This. The casting on Bad Monkey may have paved the way to her joining Scrubs as both series come from creator Bill Lawrence.

Mejia is repped by UTA, Artists First and Jackoway Austen Tyerman.

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‘Deli Boys’ Canceled After Two Seasons At Hulu

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EXCLUSIVE: After two seasons, the Onyx Collective series Deli Boys has been canceled at Hulu. The crime dramedy stars Asif Ali, Saagar Shaikh, and Poorna Jagannathan.

The reason for the show’s cancellation is due to ratings, sources say. The series was a priority for Onyx, which pushed for the addition of a new series regular and a supporting cast to help attract new viewers, sources told me at the time. Following the casting of Fred Armisen in the series regular role, the show was renewed for a second season. Next, the supporting cast additions were announced for Andrew Rannells, Kumail Nanjiani, Lilly Singh, Robin Thede and Tan France.

Deli Boys was unique in that it centered South Asian characters, with the series creator Abdullah Saeed (Pakistani American) and the core three lead actors being of South Asian descent, a rarity in Hollywood in 2026. The series boasted representation for the community with many behind-the-scenes jobs, as well.

There are examples of TV shows featuring at least one South Asian actor in leading roles, including Mindy Kaling’s (Indian American) Hulu series Not Suitable For Work, featuring Avantika, an Indian American actress in the series regular cast; Prime Video’s 56 Days, led by Avan Jogia, whose father is British Indian; and CBS’ Ghosts stars Utkarsh Ambudkar, who is of Indian descent.

Deli Boys follows Mir and Raj Dar (Ali and Shaikh), a pair of pampered Pakistani American brothers who lose everything and are forced to reckon with their Baba’s (Iqbal Theba) secret life of crime as they attempt to take up his mantle in the underworld. Jagannathan stars as Naveeda “Lucky,” Baba’s confidant and a crime boss auntie.

In Season 2, Armison played Max Sugar, a legendary gambling savant with an uncanny ability to read people like cards in the half-hour series. His casino empire is global, but his crown jewel is in Philly.

Deli Boys was a special series for the actors like Jagannathan, who previously told Deadline, “What I love about this role is that Lucky has masculinity to her and a fieriness and a physicalness that I’ve never been able to play. It’s definitely not a role you’ve ever seen a South Asian woman play; you don’t see women play these types of roles. But she is stabbing someone with her left hand and shooting someone else with her right while taking somebody’s eye out with her heel. It’s on all possible fronts.”

Jagannathan will next be seen in HBO Max’s Lanterns, premiering August 16.

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Amplified Ups Kris Chesnokova & Christina Wachter To Manager

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Amplified has promoted assistants Kris Chesnokova and Christina Wachter to manager.

Born in Uzbekistan, Chesnokova immigrated to the United States at the age of four. She began her career at Riot Games before making the transition into talent management at Amplified. As a Talent Manager, Kristina works with both emerging and established talent, helping clients build careers across traditional film and television while also supporting those pursuing their own paths through content creation and independent creative ventures. She is passionate about finding talented people with unique voices and helping them navigate an ever-changing entertainment landscape.

After graduating from The University of Texas at Austin, Wachter began her career at IAG in the Scripted Literary and Media Rights departments, where she cultivated an appreciation for representation. An avid reader, she is drawn to character-driven storytelling and enjoys collaborating with writers as they shape projects for film, television, and beyond. At Amplified, she represents a diverse roster of emerging and established writers currently including Andrina Wekontash Smith (Deli Boys), Isabel E. (Tell Me Lies), May Darmon (Solar OppositesStar Trek: Lower Decks), Katie Avery (Pretty Little Liars: Summer School), and Patrick Emralino (The Cleaning Lady).

“We are thrilled that our very first assistant class at Amplified will be promoted to manager,” Amplified partners said in a statement. “Christina and Kris are exemplary colleagues, passionate, and have been incredibly hungry to achieve this promotion. We can’t wait to see what they will accomplish in their new roles.”

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