Kiss of the Spider Woman Acquired by Roadside, Lionsgate, and LD
Roadside Attractions, Lionsgate, and LD Entertainment announced today the acquisition of Kiss of the Spider Woman, from Bill Condon, the Academy Award-winning writer-director known for such films as Gods and Monsters, Chicago, Dreamgirls, and Beauty and the Beast.
This visionary new adaptation is based on the acclaimed 1976 novel Kiss of the Spider Woman by Argentinian writer Manuel Puig and the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical of the same name by the multiple Tony Award-winning playwright Terrence McNally (Master Class, Ragtime) and composer/lyricist team John Kander and Fred Ebb (Cabaret, Chicago).
Written for the screen and directed by Bill Condon, this visually stunning and emotionally charged adaptation stars Emmy Award nominee Diego Luna (Andor, Y tu mamá también), Tonatiuh (Carry On, Promised Land), and Emmy and Grammy Award-nominated superstar Jennifer Lopez (Hustlers, Out of Sight), who also serves as an executive producer alongside Diego Luna.
Produced by Barry Josephson, p.g.a., Tom Kirdahy, p.g.a., and Greg Yolen, p.g.a., the film will be released nationwide this fall, exclusively in theaters by Roadside Attractions.
Set in Argentina in 1983, with the country’s military dictatorship waging a brutal war against its political opponents, prisoners Valentín (Luna) and Molina (Tonatiuh) find themselves thrown together in a cramped cell. Initially at odds, they begin to bond as Molina narrates the story of his favorite movie, Kiss of the Spider Woman.
A colorful fantasia of song and dance starring screen siren Ingrid Luna (Lopez), the film follows a woman attempting to outrun a mythical predator who kills with her kiss. Jointly visualizing the dazzling Technicolor adventure, the men escape the indignities of confinement, and their shared experience leads them toward hope, grace, and connection.
Kiss of the Spider Woman is a gripping exploration of love, identity, and the transformative power of storytelling.
“All of us who made this film believe it needs to be experienced in a theatre, so we’re grateful and excited to be partnering with the very talented folks at Roadside Attractions, Lionsgate Studios, and LD Entertainment to make that happen,” said Condon.
“On a personal note, this feels like a homecoming – Lionsgate picked up Gods and Monsters out of Sundance in 1998, and I’ve worked with them and Roadside on three other films since then.”
“Bill Condon’s showstopper of a musical adaptation of the beloved story that is Kiss of the Spider Woman had us on our feet cheering at Sundance,” said Roadside Co-Presidents Howard Cohen and Eric d’Arbeloff.
“A trio of multifaceted performances, from the amazing discovery Tonatiuh, the brilliant Diego Luna, and superstar Jennifer Lopez, alongside a tender story and a spectacular Kander and Ebb score, give us many riches to promote come our release this fall.”
An Artists Equity and Mohari Media presentation, Kiss of the Spider Woman is a Josephson
Entertainment / Tom Kirdahy / Greg Yolen / Nuyorican production.
Bill Condon, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Mark Scheinberg, Dani Bernfeld, Kevin Halloran, Michael Joe, Mickey Liddell, Pete Shilaimon, Whitney Williams, Jennifer Lopez, Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, Courtney Baxter, Diego Luna, D. Matt Geller, Pamela Thur, Sam Weisman, Daniel Weisman, and Margaux Weisman serve as executive producers.
WME Independent and CAA Media Finance negotiated the deal.
