‘Emilia Perez’: Selena Gomez, Zoe Saldaña Starring Musical Comedy to Begin Filming in Spring!!

French director Jacques Audiard is prepping to film his next endeavor, a musical crime comedy entitled Emilia Perez that was first announced in 2022. Led by Selena Gomez, Zoe Saldaña, and Karla Sofia Gascón, the feature is set to begin shooting this April, as revealed by Variety. Production was initially set to take place in Mexico but will now occur at a Paris studio.

The film centers on Gascón‘s character, a Mexican cartel leader on the run who undergoes a sex reassignment surgery to escape the law and help her become “the woman [she’s] always wanted to be.” Ten years later, she returns to see her children but now poses as their aunt. Prior to the film, Gascón starred in a variety of Spanish-language series, including El Señor de los Cielos, Rebelde, and Hasta el fin del Mundo.

At this time, there are no details on which characters Saldaña and Gomez will play. Currently, Saldaña can be seen in James Cameron‘s Avatar: The Way of the Water reprising her role as Neytiri in the sequel. The movie released at the end of 2022 and has been a box office success since. As of January 16, the film crossed the $1.9 billion mark in global sales and is on a fast track to hit and potentially surpass $2 billion. Saldaña is currently confirmed to appear in subsequent Avatar films. She will also return as Gamora for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Beyond The Way of the Water, she recently starred in the Netflix limited series From Scratch and feature film Amsterdam.

Singer and actor Gomez has also had a busy couple of years, most notably with Hulu‘s original series Only Murders in the Building. The mystery comedy follows three strangers whose shared love of true crime sparks their own investigation of murders. It premiered in 2021 and garnered praise from critics and general audiences, eventually winning three Emmys and several nominations. Filming for the third season is currently under way.

Emilia Perez was written and directed by Audiard, and follows his feature, Paris, 13th District. The film premiered at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival and was a contender for the Palme d’Or. It ultimately won the Cannes Soundtrack Award. Thomas Bidegain co-wrote Emilia Perez and previously collaborated with Audiard on A Prophet and Palme d’Or winner Dheepan. It is produced by Why Not Productions and Page 114.