Slipping away from the circus surrounding the Diddy trial, possibly surfing a tsunami of baby oil (allegedly), Jennifer Lopez might have found her perfect role. Dreamgirls director and writer Bill Condon is at it again, this time with an adaptation of the 1993 Broadway musical Kiss of the Spider Woman.
It was originally a 1976 novel by the Argentine writer Manuel Puig, then a 1983 stage play by Puig adapted from his novel. It was then a 1985 film adaptation of the novel, directed by Héctor Babenco, and then the 1993 Broadway musical by John Kander and Fred Ebb. Phew!
This version will be slightly time-shifted. It will star Lopez, Andor lead Diego Luna, and breakout Tonatiuh.
Set in an Argentinian prison in 1981 during the Dirty War, Luis Molina (Tonatiuh), a gay hairdresser, is serving an eight-year sentence for allegedly corrupting a minor. To escape the horrors of his imprisonment, Molina imagines films starring a classic screen actress named Ingrid Luna (Lopez), including a role as the spider woman, who kills her prey with a kiss.
Molina’s life is upended when a Marxist, Valentin Arregui Paz (Luna), is brought into his cell, and the two form an unlikely bond.
The 1985 version won William Hurt the Best Actor Oscar and was a breakout role for Raul Julia. Sonia Braga played the Spider Woman.
The stage version won seven Tonys including Best Musical.
Condon wrote the script for the adaptation himself. Kiss of the Spider Woman opens in cinemas on October 10th.
