16 Films Featuring Latinx Talent Coming out in 2023
2022 was a great year for Latinx representation in film! From the record-breaking HBOMax film Father of the Bride starring Andy Garcia and Gloria Estefan, to the Black Panther sequel Wakanda Forever that offered unprecedented Indigenous Latinx representation in a successful Black-led mainstream franchise
Photo: Paramount Pictures/Warner Bros. Pictures/Prime Video
2022 was a great year for Latinx representation in film! From the record-breaking HBOMax film Father of the Bride starring Andy Garcia and Gloria Estefan, to the Black Panther sequel Wakanda Forever that offered unprecedented Indigenous Latinx representation in a successful Black-led mainstream franchise. But with the new year in full swing, we’re thrilled to see Latinx talent back on the big screen in so many new upcoming projects as the leads like Jennifer Lopez in Shotgun Wedding and The Mother, as well as supporting characters like America Ferrera in Barbie. We’re so excited to see what 2023 has in store so read on to learn more about 16 films featuring Latinx talent that are releasing in theaters and onto streaming services this year.
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Teen Wolf: The Movie on Paramount+
Release Date: January 26, 2023
Teen Wolf: The Movie is a film continuation of the original 2011 MTV show that last aired in 2017 after six seasons. In this new project, Tyler Posey, who is of Mexican descent, returns as leading man and Alpha werewolf Scott McCall as he protects his small California town against a new, more threatening, and deadlier supernatural force. He’s calling on new allies and reuniting with former friends along the way. We’re excited to see all of our favorite characters returning to our screens.
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Shotgun Wedding on Prime Video
Release Date: January 27, 2023
After being delayed for several months, we’re excited to finally see Shotgun Wedding co-starring Jennifer Lopez and Josh Duhamel as Darcy and Josh, an engaged couple on a destination wedding with their families. But it all goes awry when the whole party is suddenly taken hostage. Add in the fact that they both just got cold feet and suddenly the aftermath of their wedding becomes nothing but hijinks, chaos, and misunderstandings as they fight to save their families. We can expect to see other Latinx talent including Sônia Braga, Cheech Marin, and Desmin Borges in supporting roles.
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Distant in theaters
Release Date: January 27, 2023
Distant is a sci-fi comedy film following Andy, played by In The Heights star Anthony Ramos, as a asteroid miner who crashes on an alien planet. He must brave the rough terrain and resident creatures to save his fellow crew member and survivor Naomi who is stuck in her escape pod. With only an AI survival suit that isn’t much help and limited oxygen, is a race to survival.
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Magic Mike’s Last Dance in theaters
Release Date: February 10, 2023
Magic Mike’s Last Dance is the third installment in the Magic Mike series, originally based on Channing Tatum’s experiences as a young male stripper, who has starred in the lead role throughout the franchise. Co-starring alongside him in Last Dance is Salma Hayek in an undisclosed role but judging by the trailer she’s an empowered. “It’s the strongest love story, the strongest female character, from beginning to end,” Hayek told PEOPLE about her role. “How lucky am I?”
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Scream VI in theaters
Release Date: March 10, 2023
Scream VI is a direct sequel to Scream (2022) and will feature the return of our favorite Latinx scream queens Melissa Barrera (In the Heights) and Jenna Ortega (Wednesday), who play sisters in the film. In this sixth installment, they decide to leave Woodsboro for good after they survived the latest Ghostface killings and head to New York City to start a new chapter of their lives. But nothing goes as planned when everything they ran away from catches up to them.
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Shazam! Fury of the Gods in theaters
Release Date: March 17, 2023
Shazam! Fury of the Gods is a sequel to the original 2019 film again following Billy Batson / Shazam and his foster sibling superheroes as they save the world from the deadly force wielded by the Daughters of Atlas. In addition to the return of the main ensemble cast, we’re excited to see Rachel Zegler (West Side Story) making her DC debut as Anthea, a daughter of Atlas. We are here for more Latinx representation in superhero films.
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Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3 in theaters & Disney+
Release Date: May 5, 2023
Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3 is the third installment in the Guardians series. Taking place after the events of Avengers: Endgame, the film follows the Guardians as they purchase the alien planet Knowhere from the Collector and try to make it a haven for space refugees. But when they’re attacked, the team must band together not only to take down new threats but also to protect the life of one of their own and by extension, the entire team itself. Expect to see Zoe Saldaña, who returns in her main role as Gamora.
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The Mother on Netflix
Release Date: May 2023
Jennifer Lopez is headlining another film this year and this time it’s more violence and thrills and not so much romance. She stars as an ex-assassin who, after escaping the clutches of assailants, comes out of hiding to protect the estranged daughter she was forced to abandon. Other Latinx talent we can expect to see on screen include Mexican actor Gael García Bernal and Mexican American actor Jesse Garcia in undisclosed roles.
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Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse in theaters
Release Date: June 2, 2023
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is the highly anticipated sequel to 2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse which followed Miles Morales, a graffiti artist of Afro-Puerto Rican descent who became Spider-Man and discovered the multiverse during his adventures. He again faces a new threat in the sequel, reuniting with fellow Spider-Man Gwen Stacy and meeting the Multiverse’s protectors the Spider-Force, only for the team to face inner conflict that may threaten their reality as they know it. We’re excited to see new Latinx talent in voice roles including Guatemalan American actor Oscar Isaac (Moon Knight) as Miguel O’Hara, as well as the return of Puerto Rican actress Lauren Vélez who played Miles’s mother in the original film. And Spider-Man fans will be pleased to hear that a third film and a spin-off female-focused film are already in development!
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Transformers: Rise of the Beasts in theaters
Release Date: June 9, 2023
In Transformers: RIse of the Beasts, the latest installment of the Transformers franchise. This time we see human archeologists in 1994 come into contact with Autobots, leading to conflict and chaos that threatens their world. Anthony Ramos will be taking on the lead role as Noah Diaz, an ex-military electronics expert, co-starring with Lauren Vélez who plays his mother. Not to mention that among the notable line-up of actors playing Transformers will be Mexican actor Cristo Fernández (Ted Lasso) as Wheeljack and Afro-Puerto Rican actress Mj Rodriguez (Pose) as Nightbird.
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Barbie (America Ferrera) in theaters
Release Date: July 21, 2023
Barbie is an upcoming rom-com film based on the iconic Barbie dolls from Mattel starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken. The film takes place after Barbie is kicked out of Barbieland for looking imperfect and she decides to find the human world to achieve ultimate happiness. Honduran American actress America Ferrera (Superstore, Ugly Betty) will appear in the all-star cast in an undisclosed role. We love to see some diversity especially in relation to such an iconic doll!
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Haunted Mansion in theaters/ Disney+
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Release Date: August 11, 2023
Based on the iconic Disneyland ride, Haunted Mansion is an upcoming horror comedy film starring Afro-Cuban and Puerto Rican actress Rosario Dawson (The Mandalorian) in the main role as Gabbie, a mother who moves with her nine-year-old son to a mansion in New Orleans to start a new chapter of their lives. But when it becomes clear that the house is haunted with evil forces, she enlists the help of a priest, paranormal expert, psychic, and historian to exorcise the mansion for good.
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Blue Beetle in theaters/ HBO Max
Release Date: August 18, 2023
Blue Beetle is an upcoming superhero film from DC that excitingly stars a majority-Latinx cast, and will be directed by Puerto Rican directo Ángel Manuel Soto. It features the first Latinx superhero lead in both Marvel and DC franchises! Xolo Maridueña (Twin Peaks, Cobra Kai), who is of Mexican, Cuban, and Ecuadorian descent, plays Jaime Reyes, a teenager who is grafted by an alien Blue Beetle scarab, forming an exoskeleton around his body. Other Latinx actors expected to appear are Bruna Marquezine (Breaking Through), George Lopez (Lopez vs Lopez), Adriana Barraza (Dora and the Lost City of Gold), Elpidia Carrillo (Nine Lives), and Damián Alcázar (Miss Bala).
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The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes in theaters
Release Date: November 17, 2023
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is the fifth film in the Hunger Games franchise and is a prequel to the original 2012 film. It takes place ten years after the first Hunger Games as Coriolanus Snow, who will later become Panem President Snow, mentors a tribute for the upcoming Hunger Games while attending high school at the Academy. Rachel Zegler stars as Lucy Gray Baird, a tribute from District 12 who connects with Coriolanus, while her fellow West Side Story co-star Josh Andrés Rivera will play Sejanus Plinth.
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Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom in theaters/HBO Max
Release Date: December 25, 2023
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is a direct sequel to 2018’s Aquaman. Little has yet to be revealed about the film’s plot but fans can expect leading man Jason Momoa to return as the title character and king of Atlantis. New to the cast is Indya Moore (Escape Room: Tournament of Champions), who is of Haitian, Puerto Rican, and Dominican descent, who will appear in a supporting role as Karshon, a tiger shark humanoid with super intellectual abilities.
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Spellbound on Apple TV+
Release Date: Sometime in 2023
Spellbound is a musical fantasy children’s film that takes place in the magical world of Lumbria where Princess Ellian’s kingdom has been split in two by a spell and only she can break the curse. Rachel Zegler will star in the title role as Ellian. No release date has been announced for the film but we are excited to see Zegler in a princess role before she appears as Snow White next year in 2024.
