Yahoo Finance ‘El Chema’ Star Mauricio Ochmann Strikes First-Look Deal With Pantaya (EXCLUSIVE)
Mauricio Ochmann, one of the biggest stars in the Latino world, has signed a multiyear first look deal with Pantaya, the leading premium Spanish-language streaming service.
Under the terms of the deal, actor-producer Ochmann will develop and executive produce a slate of original films and TV series for the company. Films developed as part of the deal will be produced in tandem with Pantelion Films, Pantaya’s partner company.
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Announced Monday by Paul Presburger, CEO of Pantaya and Pantelion, the deal allies the two companies with the star of Telemundo Super Series “El Chema,” a spin off from “El Señor de los Cielos” – in which Ochmann also had a main character role. Aired over 2016-17, “El Chema” ranked as the No. 1 broadcast program at 10 pm in the U.S. regardless of language, among 18-34s.
The Pantaya-Pantelion deal builds on an already highly successful relationship between Ochmann and the two companies. In film, Ochmann commands the singular distinction of both starring in and executive producing the highest-grossing Mexican film in Mexico in both 2017 – Nicolás Lopez’s “Do It Like an Hombre” – and 2018: Pitipol Ybarra’s “Let’s See” (“Ya Veremos”). Both were released in the U.S. by Pantelion/Lionsgate, which also distributed Ybarra’s 2015 “A La Mala,” headed by Ochmann, another big hit in Mexico.
Ochmann underscored his range and acting chops in “Controlada,” a laugh-out loud, discomfiting episode of Netflix anthology “Easy” and Pantaya Original Series “R,” where he plays a put-upon man told he has terminal cancer.
“I am thrilled for the opportunity to work with Pantaya in such a substantial way over the coming years,” Ochmann commented. “Having partnered with Pantaya and Pantelion many times throughout my career, I feel as if I’ve always been part of the extended Pantaya family. This deal confirms it.”
Presburger added, “Pantaya and Pantelion’s audiences are longtime fans of Mauricio’s work, and we are thrilled to embark on this exciting new partnership together. This deal helps drive our goal of aggressively expanding our original content offerings on our service and I am sure our subscribers and Mauricio’s fan base alike will love the projects we have coming.”
Next up for Ochmann, in terms of movie releases, is Ariel Winograd’s awaited romantic comedy “Y Cómo Es Él?” which is co-produced by Pantelion and Eugenio Derbez’s 3Pas and scheduled for release in the U.S via Pantelion/Lionsgate in early 2022. Ochmann starred in “25 KM/H” for Sony Pictures International which will be released in 2022. Ochmann is set to shoot his first English-language feature film, “Give Me Your Eyes” with Mexican star Elyfer Torres in January 2022.
The first-look deal follows fast on the heals of a first talent deal for Pantaya, an overall deal with “Dark Desire” star Maite Perroni, another frequent collaborator with both Pantaya (“El Juego de las Llaves,” “Herederos por Accidente”) and Pantelion Films (“Un Rescate de Huevitos”).
The Perroni deal was announced in November. One of the fastest growing companies on the Spanish-language production scene, Pantaya has moved energetically in recent months to ramp up its original production through a string of alliances with established and prestige new players, often headed by high-profile executives, which have moved into the booming premium Spanish-language drama series space.
Recent deals take in a co-development and production deal with Elefantec Global, announced in August, and, unveiled in the space of a few days in mid-October, a alliance with Fremantle and Fabula to develop eight new series, and a multiyear direct-to-platform agreement for the production of Spanish-language films with El Estudio, The Lift and Traziende Films.
Ochmann is repped by UTA and managed by Larry Robinson at Avatar Entertainment., the L.A. and London-based management-production company.
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