Michael Pena boards Tom and Jerry

Michael Pena is set to star in the ‘Tom and Jerry’ movie.
Following the news that Chloe Grace Moretz has been cast in the live-action/animated hybrid movie from Warner Bros. as Kayla, a new employee at a posh hotel, the ‘Ant-Man’ star – who portrayed crook Luis in the Marvel blockbuster – has boarded the project as her alter ego’s evil boss Terrance.
After Jerry sets up home in the hotel, Kayla hires Tom, who is a struggling alley cat, to get rid of him but the pair soon work together to get rid of Terrance.
Tim Story (Shaft) is director and producer of the movie, which is scheduled for release in 2021.
Michael will next be seen starring as Mr. Roarke in ‘Fantasy Island’.
The 42-year-old actor was recently confirmed for the part in the film adaptation from director Jeff Wadlow.
The role was previously filled by Ricardo Montalban on the ABC TV series.
On the show, the iconic Mr. Roarke served as the overseer of the island who granted the fantasies of its visitors.
The hit series, which launched in 1978, touched on a host of dark themes and the supernatural.
The movie adaptation has been written by the director alongside Chris Roach and Jillian Jacobs.
Meanwhile, the ‘Crash’ actor recently claimed that attitudes towards Latino and Latina talent are changing in Hollywood.
Michael initially faced a struggle to establish himself in the movie business, given the lack of opportunities for Latino stars, but he thinks the landscape is slowly changing.
He shared: "The thing is, I started acting about 23 years ago, and it was very tough to get an audition, let alone a part. There are these things called ‘breakdowns’ where they give character descriptions and outline who can audition for them.
"I still have some of these, where the first 10 would be caucasian, so only caucasians could audition for them."
But he now feels more optimistic about the movie business.
He said: "It was difficult for me to break through, because nine times out of 10, it was some gangster or whatever. Now, though, I don’t have such a pessimistic viewpoint about it all.
"The way that I’m seeing it, things are changing and becoming better all the time. I’m glad I can be a part of that. I want to keep on changing the status quo. It’s good to want change, but only if you’re willing to be part of that change."