What we first told you on Sunday is now official: Roadside Attractions, Lionsgate and LD Entertainment have officially picked up North American on the Bill Condon directed, Jennifer Lopez starring feature musical Kiss of the Spider Woman, which was one of the most buzzed about titles at this year’s Sundance. A fall wide theatrical release has been set just in time for awards season.
Look for Jennifer Lopez to be out there on the awards season trail, along with the new discovery in this pic, Tonatiuh, who wows as gay prisoner Molina during a 1980s Argentian dictatorship, an inmate who keeps his cellmate Valentín (Diego Luna) alive with stories about his favorite movie, Kiss of the Spider Woman, and its actress Ingrid Luna (Lopez). Molina’s stories are portrayed in colorful song and dance. An eight-figure P&A spend is in store to get the word out. Condon is a 1999 Oscar winner in the adapted screenplay category for his Lionsgate movie Gods and Monsters.
“All of us who made this film believe it needs to be experienced in a theatre, so we’re grateful and excited to be partnering with the very talented folks at Roadside Attractions, Lionsgate Studios, and LD Entertainment to make that happen,” said Condon. “On a personal note, this feels like a homecoming – Lionsgate picked up Gods and Monsters out of Sundance in 1998, and I’ve worked with them and Roadside on three other films since then.”
“Bill Condon’s showstopper of a musical adaptation of the beloved story that is Kiss of the Spider Woman had us on our feet cheering at Sundance,” said Roadside Co-Presidents Howard Cohen and Eric d’Arbeloff. “A trio of multifaceted performances, from the amazing discovery Tonatiuh, the brilliant Diego Luna, and superstar Jennifer Lopez, alongside a tender story and a spectacular Kander and Ebb score, give us many riches to promote come our release this fall.”
In a short amount of time after acquiring Gia Coppola’s The Last Showgirl out of Toronto, Roadside Attractions inserted that movie and its star Pamela Anderson into the awards season conversation with a Golden Globe Best Actress nomination and SAG Female Lead Actress nom, and Supporting Actress for Jamie Lee Curtis, as well as BAFTA, Golden Globes and Critics Choice noms for the pic’s Miley Cyrus song “Beautiful That Way.”
Kiss of the Spider Woman was originally a 1976 novel by Argentinian writer Manuel Puig. It was turned into an Oscar winning 1985 movie from director Hector Babenco and starring William Hurt, Raul Julia and Sonia Braga. Out of the movies four Oscar noms which included Best Picture and Director, Hurt won for Best Actor. The IP was then turned into a multi Tony Award-winning Broadway musical of the same name by the multiple Tony Award-winning playwright Terrence McNally (Master Class, Ragtime) and composer/lyricist team John Kander and Fred Ebb (Cabaret, Chicago). Chita Rivera onstage originated the role of Aurora/Ingrid who Lopez now struts on screen in vibrant song and dance.
Condon wrote the movie for the screen. Lopez is an EP alongside Luna. Produced by Barry Josephson, p.g.a., Tom Kirdahy, p.g.a., and Greg Yolen, p.g.a.
The movie was produced by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s Artists Equity as well as Mohari Media. It’s also a Josephson Entertainment / Tom Kirdahy / Greg Yolen / Nuyorican production. Condon, Affleck, Damon, Mark Scheinberg, Dani Bernfeld, Kevin Halloran, Michael Joe, Mickey Liddell, Pete Shilaimon, Whitney Williams, Lopez, Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, Courtney Baxter, Luna, D. Matt Geller, Pamela Thur, Sam Weisman, Daniel Weisman, and Margaux Weisman are all EPs.
The deal was negotiated by WME Independent and CAA Media Finance.