Universal Pictures Acquires Westbrook Studios Action-Comedy REGULATORS Starring Nicky Jam

Story details for the project will be announced later in time.

By: Sep. 26, 2022
Universal Pictures Acquires Westbrook Studios Action-Comedy REGULATORS Starring Nicky Jam
Enter Your Email to Unlock This Article

Plus, get the best of BroadwayWorld delivered to your inbox, and unlimited access to our editorial content across the globe.




Existing user? Just click login.

Universal Pictures has acquired the action-comedy Regulators after a multi-studio bidding war. Story details for the project will be announced later in time.

Award-winning singer-songwriter, rapper, actor, philanthropist and producer Nicky Jam (Bad Boys for Life) is set to star in the project, as well as produce as through La Industria, Inc., which he founded Brooks McLaren and D.J. Cotrona are attached to pen the screenplay. The two have already appeared on the famed Black List for their action-fueled script Fight or Flight.

In addition to Jam, Will Smith, Jon Mone, Miguel Melendez and Heather Washington will produce the feature for their company Westbrook Studios, alongside Juan Diego Medina and Lorenzo Braun for La Industria, Inc./ Three Six Zero.

Executive Vice President of Production Jay Polidoro will oversee the project on behalf of Universal.

Nicky Jam, is recognized around-the-world as an icon and pioneer within global Latin music. For more than 30 years, Nicky Jam has focused on becoming a multi-facet and unapologetic artist, where he has shared with his fans the ups and downs of being a musician. With the success of his music projects and personal rock bottom story, Nicky Jam has won the hearts of several Hollywood writers, production companies and movie/TV lovers, where he has starred in some of the top box office franchises and his personal TV series, "El Ganador" and his online show, "The Rockstar."

Today, Nicky Jam continues to be a top charting artist with sold out tours around-the-world, and has influenced the new generation within music, and has executed his philanthropy work from his heart. He believes in opportunities and change for more stories to be told onscreen and through music about his Latin and Latin-American upbringing, and cultures.

In addition to his work with Cortrona, McLaren previously wrote How It Ends, which was also featured on the Black List and premiered on Netflix with David M. Rosenthal directing and Paul Schiff, Tai Duncan, and Kelly McCormick producing. The sci-fi/thriller road movie starring Theo James and Forest Whitaker has been watched by over 100M total viewers, was the #1 movie on the platform for 8 weeks following its release, and recently returned to the Global #1 movie spot in April 2022. McLaren's credits also include Embassy at Paramount and Rambo: New Blood at Millennium Films. He is represented by Verve Talent and Literary Agency, Brillstein Entertainment Partners and Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole.

Cotrona, already a well-established actor, is now quickly becoming half of one of Hollywood's hottest writing team alongside McLaren. In addition to his writing projects, an actor, he can be seen in the upcoming Shazam 2 from Warner Brothers and the Spy Kids reboot from his frequent collaborator, Robert Rodriguez for Netflix. He is represented by Gersh, Inspire Entertainment and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman, Newman, Warren, Richman, Rush, Kaller & Gellman.

Westbrook Studios is a subsidiary of Westbrook Inc., the media company launched in 2019 by founders Jada Pinkett Smith, Will Smith, Miguel Melendez and Ko Yada, focused on empowering artists to tell stories that connect the world.

Led by Co-Presidents, Jon Mone (Film) and Terence Carter (Television), Westbrook Studios is home to the Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith and Adrienne Banfield-Norris, Emmy® award-winning Facebook Watch series, RED TABLE TALK and is rapidly expanding its footprint in entertainment, serving as the studio home to all new premium TV and motion picture projects.

In film, Westbrook Studios recently released six-time Academy Award® nominated KING RICHARD, based on the life of Richard Williams, father to tennis greats Serena and Venus; and has the upcoming EMANCIPATION which sold to Apple in the largest festival acquisition deal in film history; sports drama REDD ZONE, starring Jada Pinkett Smith; the hip-hop musical feature SUMMERTIME based on Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff's hit song; CLEAN AIR, a joint project from Westbrook, NASCAR and the Chainsmokers; action-thriller FAST & LOOSE starring Will Smith and directed by David Leitch, and live-action musical fantasy film, THE SOUL SUPERHERO.

In television, Westbrook Studios recently launched the highly anticipated series BEL-AIR, the dramatic reimagination of Will Smith's iconic The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air, which landed a two season order from Peacock and premiered February 2022; AMEND: THE FIGHT FOR AMERICA, a powerful, six-part, Netflix docuseries that uses a groundbreaking, multimedia narrative format to explore the Fourteenth Amendment of the US Constitution, as well as adventure series WELCOME TO EARTH (Disney+); season 4 of the six-time Emmy nominated and SAG Award nominated series COBRA KAI (Netflix); and the limited series WOMEN OF THE MOVEMENT (ABC).

Upcoming TV projects include THIS JOKA a 16-episode standup comedy series premiering on Roku in March 2022; and a two-season order of the docu-scripted hybrid series about African Queens coming soon to Netflix.

Nick Rivera Caminero, known as Nicky Jam, is recognized around the world as a pioneer of Latin Urban music. At the age of 11, he recorded his first album Diferente a Los Demás (Different From the Rest), which attracted the attention of DJs and artists in Puerto Rico.

As a young adult, Nicky Jam quickly rose to the top of his genre with radio hits including "Yo No Soy Tu Marido", "Me Voy Pa'l Party", "Fiel A Tu Piel" and "La Combi Completa" among others. He toured the world and became one of Latin urban music's first international stars.

He was obligated to stop his music career for 3 years, because of some major personal problems. In 2013, he debuted his new image and returned stronger than ever. He notched five radio hits: "Piensas en Mí", "Curiosidad", "Juegos Prohibidos", "Voy a Beber" and the global hit "Travesuras". In February 2015, Nicky Jam teamed up with Enrique Iglesias to release "El Perdón", his most internationally acclaimed single to date.

Tallying over 1 million YouTube views on the day of its release, "El Perdón" was #1 on Billboard's Hot Latin songs charts for 30 weeks (second longest-running single in the chart's history). In January 2016, Nicky released "Hasta el Amanecer", which also became the biggest Latin song of the year. In 2017 Nicky Jam releases "El Amante" and his very first solo album "Fenix".

The single "El Amante" quickly became an international hit, reaching a 7X platinum status. Same thing happened with the album, which achieved 11 platinum certifications. In 2018 he achieves three new Latin Grammy nominations, and collaborates with the remix "Te Boté", the song became the most watched video on YouTube globally in 2018.

Additionally, Nicky Jam had the honor of recording and performing the official soundtrack of the 2018 FIFA World Cup: "Live It Up," featuring Will Smith and Era Istrefi. His autobiographical series "El Ganador" premiered on Netflix at the end of 2019 and his seventh studio album "Íntimo". Nicky Jam returned to the big screen in early 2020 in the sequel "Bad Boys For Life", starring alongside Will Smith and Martin Lawrence.

Nicky Jam released his most recent studio album, "Infinity," in 2021. It is Nicky Jam's most diversified album to date, with 15 songs that take THE LISTENER on a journey through all the genres he has mastered over his career. He just finished his successful world tour INFINITY TOUR 2022.



Videos