Steven Spielberg to Shoot a Mexican (and Aliens) for TNT

Just a few weeks after Martin Scorsese began shooting Spaniard Paz de la Huerta in the new HBO series Boardwalk Empire, I am now hearing that Oscar-winning auteur Steven Spielberg will shoot Mexican actress Seychelle Gabriel in an untitled pilot for TNT due in 2010. The project, which was wrtitten by Robert Rodat (The Patriot) and based on an idea he cocreated with Spielberg, is set in the aftermath of an alien invasion that has wiped out most of the human population on Earth. It centers on a group of soldiers and civilians who, under the leadership of Tom Mason (ER's Noah Wyle), struggle against the invading alien force.

In the pilot, Gabriel—who is perhaps best known for her role as Adelita on the Mexican-friendly Showtime series Weeds—will play Lourdes, a pretty teenager who has lost her family and helps run the camp's makeshift commissary (sad!). I can't even begin to tell you how happy it makes me that big-name directors like Scorsese and Spielberg are hiring young Latinas like Paz and Seychelle to star in their TV shows. And I predict, here and now, that Seychelle will become one of the biggest Latina stars of her generation!

The talented actress has already brilliantly channelled a young Eva Mendes as the young Sand Saref in Frank Miller's visually stunning comic book adaptation The Spirit. And not only was she hot hot hot in the film, but her performance was also quite good (some say it was better than Mendes's performance). Seychelle is also one hell of a soprano, and she appeared as one of the talented song-and-dance girls who performed Amy Winhouse's "Rehab" with the rival choir on Fox's Glee. In 2010, she's set to star as Water Tribe Princess Yue in the movie adaptation of the big name kids' show The Last Airbender from director M. Night Shyamalan, which costars Slumdog Millionaire's Dev Patel. Can I get a Jai-Ho? With all of these high-profile projects, it seems like Seychelle is wasting no time in the small leagues, and I like it!

But what say you, TVians? Do you like that these big-name dudes are hiring nuestras estrellas more regularly? Do you agree with me about Seychelle becoming the next big Latina star? Dish in the comments!