Jennifer Lopez Will Star in Bill Condon Adaptation of ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman’: Reports

Jennifer Lopez has a new movie role in the works. The actress and singer is set to star in a film adaptation of 1993 Broadway musical Kiss of the Spider Woman, which is being directed by Dreamgirls‘ Bill Condon, Variety reports.

The music side of the film is led by John Kander and Fred Ebb, while the musical’s book is written by Terrence McNally.

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Lopez will play the lead role of Aurora, a character created by an incarcerated gay hairdresser named Luis Molina, who’s serving an eight-year sentence for corrupting a minor. The film follows Molina as he imagines movies starring Aurora, including one where she plays the role of a spider woman that kisses her victims.

The film follows Molina as he builds a bond with his Marxist cellmate.

A casting call obtained by Variety states that it’s seeking a person who “presents as an openly queer and effeminate gay man, but may be on the non-binary/trans femme spectrum” to play Molina. Rehearsals for the film are set for February while filming will take place in April in New Jersey.

Barry Josephson, Tom Kirdahy, Greg Yolen, and Matt Geller are producing the film, and Lopez, Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, and Benny Medina are executive producing on behalf of Nuyorican Productions, per Variety. Sergio Trujillo is the choreographer, per Deadline.

The novel by Manuel Puig has been adapted in the past, including in a 1985 drama film starring William Hurt, Raul Julia, and Sonia Braga. Hurt won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in the film, while it earned nominations for three other Oscars including Best Picture.

Lopez has been attached to films Atlas and Unstoppable, and last starred in The Mother earlier this year. Among her recent film credits are Marry Me and Shotgun Wedding in 2022, along with Hustlers and Wonder Boy in 2019. She’s set to release her album This Is Me… Now early next year, which will be accompanied by a film.

As for Condon, the filmmaker has directed films such as The Greatest Showman, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn (both parts), and Gods and Monsters.

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