Former “That ’70s Show” star Wilmer Valderrama has entered a first-look deal for television movies with Pantelion Films and South Shore, the film and TV ventures between Lionsgate and Mexican company Televisa.
Under the deal — a reflection of Pantelion and South Shore’s efforts to build a strong roster of Latino talent — Valderrama will develop feature projects to star in and produce for Pantelion, as well as scripted and unscripted television projects for South Shore.
The companies recently entered similar deals with George Lopez and “Star Trek” actress Zoe Saldana‘s Cinestar Productions.
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“Wilmer is a versatile acting and producing talent with strong crossover appeal to mainstream U.S. and Latino audiences,” Paul Presburger, CEO of Pantelion Films and Managing Director of U.S. TV studio division, Televisa USA, said of the agreement. “This deal is part of our strategy of continuing to build a roster of Latino talent who will produce and star in mainstream commercial films and TV series that incorporate Latino characters and themes, and resonate with Latino audiences. The success of Pantelion’s ‘Instructions Not Included,’ the highest-grossing Spanish-language film ever in the U.S., underscores how large that audience can be.”