‘Dora the Explorer’ Isn’t Getting Whitewashed: Michael Peña and Eva Longoria Join the Cast
With the box office success of Coco, Black Panther, and Crazy Rich Asians, it’s apparently becoming very clear to Hollywood execs: representation matters and it pays off
Photo: Instagram/isabelamerced
With the box office success of Coco, Black Panther, and Crazy Rich Asians, it’s apparently becoming very clear to Hollywood execs: representation matters and it pays off. Dora the Explorer is the latest film to get cast appropriately by featuring two more Latinos in lead roles.
While we already know that the lead role of Dora will be played by 17-year-old Peruvian-American Isabela Moner, her parents will be played by Michael Peña and Eva Longoria! The live-action film, based on the Nickelodeon TV series, is set to be released in the summer of 2019.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the synopsis “sees a high school-bound Dora finding herself leading Boots (her best friend, a monkey), Diego and a rag-tag group of teens on a Goonies-esque adventure to save her parents and solve the impossible mystery behind a lost Inca civilization.”
The film kind of sounds like a mix between Jumanji and, well, Goonies, so we’re totally psyched about this film and we cannot wait to see it.
The movie is currently being film in Australia and also stars Eugenio Derbez, Micke Moreno, Nicholas Coombe, Madeleine Madden, Adriana Barraza and Temuera Morrison.
Yesterday, Longoria posted a celebratory Instagram caption about the news of her involvement in the film saying “‘Come on, vámonos! ?’ Couldn’t be happier to join this fabulous cast! Can’t wait for y’all to see what’s in store #DoraTheExplorer.”
Peña, by the way, is a hot commodity right now. The Latino star is currently in Ant-Man and the Wasp and will also be in the fourth season of Netflix’s Narcos: Mexico alongside Diego Luna. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Peña’s movies have grossed $466 million worldwide. Yes, Latinos can bring in the big bucks and we want to see more representation!!
Will you go see Dora the Explorer? Let us know in the comment section below!
