Lead role in HBO Max's drama series More recast with Ana Ortiz

Ana Ortiz is going to lead the cast of the HBO Max drama series More. Ortiz will replace Veronica Falcón, who was originally hired to star as the lead.

It appears that the recasting decision for the lead in More was made after the table read of the pilot episode.

Written by journalist Chozick inspired by her reporting, More follows the Lorenz family, a tight-knit clan of seemingly flawless Latinas led by mom/mastermind Leona (Ortiz). The Lorenzes are the Vanderbilts or the Astors of the Instagram era. Drawing some parallels to the Kardashians and their “momager” Kris Jenner, the Lorenzes pulled their way up from debt and obscurity to reality TV stardom and forged a billion-dollar mega-conglomerate not from oil or steel but from something more elusive and modern: influence.



Leona Lorenz (Ortiz, photo) is the matriarch of the Lorenz family media dynasty. A former single mom, Leona used her formidable, self-taught business skills to scrap her way to the 1 percent, parlaying her four glistening daughters (Christian Serratos, Ceci Fernandez, Yvette Monreal, and Georgie Flores) into a billion-dollar media empire, with a top-rated reality TV show and lucrative brand partnerships. But can this stage mom for the Instagram era acquire more fame and power than even she could imagine, without losing her grip on her daughters?

Ortiz recently portrayed Isabel, Victor's mother, in Hulu/Disney+'s Love, Victor. She is also known for her portrayal of Hilda Suarez in ABC's Ugly Betty. Ortiz has recently been a part of Whiskey Cavalier, which featured Lauren Cohan (Maggie from The Walking Dead) in the lead. It was canceled after one season.



Christian Serratos (photo) is known from AMC's The Walking Dead. She has been a part of the series since 2014 and was part of the main cast up until the final episode, which aired recently. She portrayed Rosita Espinosa. Next to that, Serratos portrayed the lead character in the biographical Netflix series Selena: The Series. That series focuses on the life of singer Selena Quintanilla.

Ceci Fernandez has portrayed guest characters in The Good Wife, The Resident, and The Exorcist.

Yvette Montreal had a regular role in the recently canceled superhero series DC's Stargirl from The CW. She had guest roles in the Freeform drama series The Fosters (2013), and the CBS crime drama series NCIS.

Georgie Flores had guest roles in the CBS series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: Miami, CSI: NY, and Hulu's Into the Dark.

Chozick and Natalie Chaidez serve as executive producers and co-showrunners. Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, and Leigh London Redman of Berlanti Productions also executive produce.