‘Kiss of the Spider Woman’: Diego Luna Joins Jennifer Lopez led Musical Adaptation!!

Diego Luna has been tapped to join the cast of the upcoming musical version of Kiss of the Spider Woman. The Andor star will join Jennifer Lopez and newcomer Tonatiuh in the adaptation of the acclaimed stage musical, which will be directed by Bill Condon. Deadline reports that the project has been taken on by Artists Equity, the new studio launched by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon that made its debut with last year’s shoe-ography Air.

Based on the 1976 novel by Manuel Puig, the film is set in an Argentinian prison, during the “Dirty War” that saw the ruling military junta launch a war against the country’s political dissidents. It focuses on two cellmates; Luis Molina (Tonatiuh), a gay window dresser, and Valentin Arregui (Luna), a revolutionary. Molina is a cinephile, and maintains his sanity by fantasizing about a movie starring Ingrid Luna (Lopez) as both fashion editor Aurora and the deadly Spider Woman of the title. The two men form an unlikely bond, even as their captors try to use Molina to extract information from Valentin. Condon is an experienced hand at musical adaptations, having directed Dreamgirls and Beauty and the Beast, and written scripts for Chicago and The Greatest Showman.

When Has ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman’ Been Adapted Before?

The novel was previously adapted into an acclaimed 1985 film, which starred William Hurt as Luis, Raul Julia as Valentin, and Sônia Braga as the Spider Woman; Hurt won Best Actor at the Academy Awards for his performance. Its musical adaptation premiered in Toronto before moving to London’s West End and then Broadway. It starred the late Chita Rivera as the female lead; María Conchita Alonso and Vanessa Williams later took on the role. The musical was well-reviewed; it won the Tony for Best Musical, and all three of its leads collected Tony Awards for their work, as well.

Condon will write and direct Kiss of the Spider-Woman, adapting the musical by Terrence McNally, John Kander, and Fred Ebb. It will be produced by Barry Josephson, Tom Kirdahy and Greg Yolen, plus Affleck and Damon for Artists Equity. Executive producers for the film include Michael Joe, Dani Bernfeld, and Kevin Halloran for Artists Equity,Condon on behalf of 1000 Eyes, Lopez and Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas for Nuyorican Productions, D. Matt Geller for Josephson Entertainment, plus Luna, Pamela Thur, Sam Weisman, Daniel Weisman and Margaux Weisman.