Kiss of the Spider Woman musical film sets world premiere dates and reveals first look

More details and a first look photo have been revealed for the upcoming film adaptation of the 1992 West End musical Kiss of the Spider Woman.

The movie is written and directed by Bill Condon (Dreamgirls), based on the book by Terrence McNally (which was in turn adapted from the novel by Manuel Puig).

The score is by John Kander and Fred Ebb (Cabaret, Chicago) and features such standards as “Dressing Them Up”, “She’s a Woman” and the titular number.

Kiss of the Spider Woman is set in 1981 in an Argentinian jail, where a gay hairdresser named Luis Molina is serving an eight-year sentence for allegedly corrupting a minor. He forms an unlikely bond with his cellmate – a Marxist named Valentin Arregui Paz – and creates fantasies in his own mind about a classic silver screen siren named Aurora to escape the horrors of prison.

As already confirmed, Jennifer Lopez stars as Aurora in the flick, while joining her are Diego Luna (Andor), playing Valentin Arregui, and Tonatiuh (Carry On) as Luis Molina. Also in the cast are Bruno Bichir, Josefina Scaglione and Aline Mayagoitia.

Its world premiere will take place at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah from 23 January to 2 February. Further plans will be revealed in due course.

Following workshops and initial productions at the State University of New York and in Toronto from 1990, the musical had its West End premiere at the Shaftesbury Theatre in 1992 ahead of a Broadway debut in 1993. The latter would go on to win a total of seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

Condon’s previous film credits include the likes of Chicago (2002), Dreamgirls (2006), Beauty and the Beast (2017) and The Greatest Showman (2017), while Lopez has starred in such movies as Selena (1997), Maid in Manhattan (2002) and Hustlers (2019).

Kiss of the Spider Woman is produced by Barry Josephson, Tom Kirdahy, Greg Yolen and Matt Geller, with Lopez, Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas and Benny Medina serving as executive producers on behalf of Nuyorican Productions.

Puig’s novel was previously adapted into a 1985 feature film, which saw William Hurt win an Oscar for his portrayal of Molina.

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