Salma Hayek and Angelina Jolie are joining forces once again for an ambitious new independent feature.
According to an exclusive report from Variety, the duo is reuniting for the movie Arena. The project will be another creative collaboration between Hayek and Jolie after several recent projects connected the two filmmakers and actors.
Jolie previously directed Hayek Pinault in the war drama Without Blood after the pair co-starred in Marvel Studios’ Eternals. For Arena, Jolie joins the production behind the camera as an executive producer while Hayek Pinault pulls quadruple duty as writer, director, producer, and co-star.
More details emerge about Salma Hayek’s ambitious directorial debut
Arena will serve as Hayek’s official theatrical feature directorial debut. She wrote and directed the independently financed film. The movie is described as an epic romantic adventure about forbidden love, intimacy, and the healing power of desire.
Yura Borisov, who earned an Oscar nomination for Anora, and Delevingne lead the cast as the film’s central pair. Jolie is producing alongside Hayek, José Tamez, and Stacy Perskie.
The production also features Academy Award-nominated cinematographer Philippe Le Sourd. He is known for his work on The Grandmaster and Priscilla. Filming is underway in Mexico, with the production exploring natural locations across Quintana Roo and Veracruz.
The movie is using hidden and previously unfilmed landscapes in the regions as part of its visual approach. Arena is a significant new step for Hayek. Before this project, she directed the television movie The Maldonado Miracle, which won a Daytime Emmy.
With Hayek writing and directing, Borisov and Delevingne leading the cast, and Jolie involved as a producer, Arena brings together a notable group of talent for an independently financed production.
The Mexico shoot is now underway, though the film’s theatrical release date has not yet been announced.