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Following its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, Bill Condon’s upcoming movie musical version of Kiss of the Spider Woman is heading to theaters on Oct. 10. Starring Jennifer Lopez, Diego Luna, and Tonatiuh Elizarraraz, the film is anticipated to be a serious Oscar contender, spinning a tale of human connection between two unlikely prisoners — and the movie star that binds them together.

It’s the second feature film adaptation to spring from Manuel Puig’s 1976 novel of the same name. Released on July 26, 1985, Héctor Babenco’s Kiss of the Spider Woman also proved a huge hit with Oscar voters, scoring four nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director, at the 58th Academy Awards. It made history as one of the first films with overt LGBTQ+ themes to be nominated in both of those major categories.

Kiss of the Spider Woman is, at heart, a long conversation...

Jennifer Lopez is all set to make her big-screen comeback after last year’s Unstoppable and Atlas with the upcoming musical drama Kiss of the Spider Woman. While it may sound like a Spider-Man-related film focused on Gwen Stacy, it is not. The film is an adaptation of the Broadway musical and novel of the same name.

Kiss of the Spider Woman has received rave reviews since its Sundance premiere, where it reportedly received a standing ovation. The film will mark Bill Condon’s comeback as a director after 2019. So, what is this movie about? Who stars in it? And, will the movie get a similar treatment like Emilia Pérez, last year’s controversial musical drama?

What is Kiss of the Spider Woman about? Diego Luna in Kiss of the Spider Woman | Credits: Lionsgate

Bill Condon’s Kiss of the Spider Woman is an upcoming musical drama that did wonders...

Photo Credit: Roadside Attractions Prepare yourself for a movie experience unlike any other! Celebrated director Bill Condon, famous for Dreamgirls and Beauty and the Beast, is making a comeback to the movie musical with an absolutely amazing and emotionally charged version of Kiss of the Spider Woman. Inspired by Manuel Puig’s 1976 novel and the celebrated Broadway version by Terrence McNally, John Kander, and Fred Ebb, this new film brings the story to life with striking visuals and real emotional weight. The film stars Emmy Award nominee Diego Luna as Valentín, a political prisoner who finds an unlikely connection with his cellmate Molina, played by Tonatiuh. Imprisoned for public obscenity, Molina, a window dresser, escapes the brutal truths of their confinement by telling the magical story of a Hollywood musical starring his favorite silver screen star Ingrid Luna, played by the one and only Jennifer Lopez. We can’t wait...

Roadside Attractions has dropped a trailer for Kiss of the Spider Woman, Bill Condon’s adaptation of the Broadway musical that stars Jennifer Lopez, Diego Luna and Tonatiuh. The pic, which had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, was picked up soon after by Roadside, Lionsgate and Ld Entertainment and is set for a theatrical release October 10 in the awards-season corridor.

The stage musical, which was based on Manuel Puig’s 1976 novel that was turned into the 1985 movie starring Raul Julia and William Hurt, is set in military-run 1983 Argentina and centers on a pair of prison cellmates. Molina (Tonatiuh), a gay window dresser jailed for indecency, keeps up the spirts of political prisoner Valentin (Luna) by telling tales about his favorite musical actress, Ingrid Luna. The trailer shows off the stark difference between the prison and Luna’s Old Hollywood fantasy world as the two men begin to fall in love.

Jennifer Lopez is taking center stage as a silver screen diva in the first teaser for Kiss of the Spider Woman.

The film, written for the screen and directed by Bill Condon, is based on the acclaimed 1976 novel by Argentinian writer Manuel Puig and the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical of the same name by the multiple-Tony-winning playwright Terrence McNally and the composer and lyricist team of John Kander and Fred Ebb.

The story centers on political prisoner Valentín (Diego Luna) who shares a cell with Molina (Tonatiuh), a window dresser convicted of public indecency. “The two form an unlikely bond as Molina recounts the plot of a Hollywood musical starring his favorite silver screen diva, Ingrid Luna (Lopez).”

“I couldn’t live without movies. One of them I’ll never forget,” Tonatiuh’s Molina says in the teaser as he looks at a movie poster for Kiss of the Spider Woman.

"I couldn't live without movies." Roadside Attractions has unveiled a powerful first look teaser trailer for Kiss of the Spider Woman, the big new musical starring Jennifer Lopez. This premiered to rapturous praise and great reviews at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival earlier this year (here's my review). Featuring one of the best lead performances I've seen in any film so far this year - from newcomer Tonatiuh as Luis Molina. Set in Argentina during a period of political unrest. Valentín, a political prisoner, shares a cell with Molina, who is convicted for indecency. An unlikely bond forms as Molina recounts his favorite Hollywood musical plot starring Ingrid Luna, played by Jennifer Lopez. Based on the Broadway musical of the same name, which is also adapted from the acclaimed 1976 novel Kiss of the Spider Woman by Argentinian writer Manuel Puig. Diego Luna co-stars as Valentín / Armando, with a magnificent cast featuring Tonatiuh,...

Roadside Attractions, Lionsgate, and Ld Entertainment have revealed the official trailer for Kiss of the Spider Woman, which is set to open in theaters on October 10, 2025.

Dreamgirls and Beauty and the Beast director Bill Condon returns to the movie musical in this dazzling Technicolor-hued fantasy. In the film, Valentín (Diego Luna), a political prisoner, shares a cell with Molina (Tonatiuh), a window dresser convicted of public indecency.

The two form an unlikely bond as Molina recounts the plot of a Hollywood musical starring his favorite silver screen diva, Ingrid Luna (Jennifer Lopez). Kiss of the Spider Woman is based on the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical hit.

Bill Condon’s visionary new adaptation is based on the acclaimed 1976 novel Kiss of the Spider Woman by Argentinian writer Manuel Puig and the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical of the same name by the multiple Tony Award-winning playwright Terrence McNally and composer/lyricist team John Kander and Fred Ebb.

The trailer for Kiss of the Spider Woman is here, and Jennifer Lopez is bringing the Broadway musical to the big screen!

Bill Condon’s visionary new adaptation is based on the acclaimed 1976 novel “Kiss of the Spider Woman” by Argentinian writer Manuel Puig. It later became a Tony Award-winning musical by composer/lyricist team John Kander and Fred Ebb and playwright Terrence McNally.

Head inside to watch the teaser trailer…

Here’s the film’s synopsis: Valentín (Diego Luna), a political prisoner, shares a cell with Molina (Tonatiuh), a window dresser convicted of public indecency. The two form an unlikely bond as Molina recounts the plot of a Hollywood musical starring his favorite silver screen diva, Ingrid Luna (Lopez).

The film will hit theaters on October 10. Be sure to find out who produced the film (they have a connection to JLo).

Watch the teaser trailer for the movie above!

Get ready to be caught in the web of the spider woman.

The first teaser trailer for Bill Condon's Kiss of the Spider Woman, starring Jennifer Lopez and Diego Luna, has arrived.

Written and directed by Condon, the film is an adaptation of John Kander and Fred Ebb's Tony Award-winning musical based on the Manuel Puig 1976 novel. Set in Argentina in 1981, Kiss of the Spider Woman focuses on Luis Molina (Tonatiuh), a gay hairdresser who is imprisoned because of his sexuality. While in captivity, Molina shares a cell with Valentin (Luna), an ardent Marxist. Lopez plays Ingrid Luna, a classic screen diva of musicals whom Molina sees in his fantasies as he tries to escape his current reality.

The trailer shows off Lopez's vocal chops and legendary dance moves.

Kiss of the Spider Woman premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January before being picked up by Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions.

She’s something a little strange. That’s what you notice, that she’s not a woman like all the others…Ahead of the film’s October 10th release, the latest version of Kiss of the Spider Woman has arrived, with Diego Luna, Jennifer Lopez and Tonatiuh leading the Bill Condon-directed film.

Here is the official plot of Kiss of the Spider Woman, as per Artists Equity: “Valentín (Diego Luna), a political prisoner, shares a cell with Molina (Tonatiuh), a window dresser convicted of public indecency. The two form an unlikely bond as Molina recounts the plot of a Hollywood musical starring his favorite silver screen diva, Ingrid Luna (Jennifer Lopez).” The film is based on the Tony-winning stage musical, which itself was based on the novel of the same name by Manuel Puig.

Kiss of the Spider Woman had its first screen adaptation in 1985, with the film starring William Hurt as Molina,...

When “Kiss of the Spider Woman” opens in theaters this October, theater fans will get a chance to see another work by one of Broadway’s most iconic composing duos on the big screen.

John Kander and Fred Ebb’s classic adaptation of Manuel Puig’s 1976 novel about a prisoner who spends his time fantasizing about a fictional movie star and his cellmate who can’t stand the hallucinations, was a massive Broadway hit when it debuted in 1992 and won six Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Original Score, and Best Book of a Musical. Bill Condon’s new film adaptation, which stars Jennifer Lopez, was one of the buzziest titles to debut at Sundance this year and could become a player in the upcoming Oscar race.

An official synopsis for ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman’ reads: Valentín (Diego Luna), a political prisoner, shares a cell with Molina (Tonatiuh), a...

It’s time to step back into the spotlight. The first teaser trailer for Kiss of the Spider Woman — the dazzling, Technicolor-hued musical from director Bill Condon — is here, and it’s as bold and breathtaking as fans could’ve hoped. Starring Diego Luna, Tonatiuh, and Jennifer Lopez, the adaptation of the Tony-winning Broadway hit is set to hit theatres on October 10, 2025 — and yes, Lopez sings.

Luna (Andor) stars as Valentín, a political prisoner wasting away behind bars in a crumbling Latin American jail. But life behind bars shifts when he’s forced to share a cell with Molina (Tonatiuh), a flamboyant window dresser arrested for public indecency. As the days drag on, Molina finds escape in the only way he knows how: by recounting the glamorous plots of old Hollywood musicals starring his favourite silver screen icon, Ingrid Luna — played with intoxicating charm and vintage grandeur by none other than Lopez,...

The Oscar-winning director behind movies like Forrest Gump, Castaway, and Back to the Future is reportedly collaborating with Jennifer Lopez on his next project. Per Deadline, sources say that Robert Zemeckis, who last directed the 2024 feature Here, will team up with Lopez on an adaptation of The Last Mrs. Parrish, a bestselling 2017 novel by Liv Constantine. The project is on the slate at Netflix.

The Last Mrs. Parrish will follow a con-artist, played by Lopez, who targets the Parrishes, a wealthy couple, to be her next victims. In the film, Lopez’s character will pretend to be friends with the wife while seducing the husband, with the end goal of becoming the next Mrs. Parrish. However, she discovers that the wife’s life is much more convoluted than she thought. The novel was a Reese Witherspoon book club pick and has sold over a million copies.

The Movie Will Be...

Jennifer Lopez and Robert Zemeckis are bringing The Last Mrs. Parrish to life.

Netflix is developing the psychological thriller feature that has Zemeckis set to direct and Lopez to star. Oscar-nominated screenwriters Andrea Berloff (Straight Outta Compton) and John Gatins (Flight) are penning the script.

The Last Mrs. Parrish is based on author Liv Constantine’s 2017 novel that was a Reese Witherspoon Book Club selection and has sold more than a million copies. The book centers on Amber Patterson concocting a plan to get closer to the wealthy Daphne Parrish, whose lavish life Amber envies.

Serving as producers on the film are Liza Chasin for 3dot Productions, Molly Sims for Something Happy Productions and Lopez, Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas and Benny Medina for Nuyorican Productions. Executive producers include Margaret Chernin for 3dot Productions, alongside Lynne Constantine, Valerie Constantine, Jack Rapke and Derek Hogue.

The adaptation of The Last Mrs. Parrish is part...

The highly anticipated musical drama film, Kiss of the Spider Woman, starring Jennifer Lopez, is finally headed to theaters worldwide on October 10, 2025. Moviegoers will get the chance to watch what critics call Lopez's most breathtaking performance as Ingrid Luna/ The Spider Woman, a classic screen actress. It will also star Diego Luna as Valentin Arregui and Tonatiuh as Luis Molina. Premiering first at the Sundance Film Festival in January, Kiss of the Spider Woman is directed by Bill Condon, who has a history of writing and directing acclaimed musical films such as Dreamgirls, Chicago, Gods and Monsters, plus more.

According to Deadline, the film was dubbed the "biggest movie at this year's Sundance Film Festival," and its North American rights were acquired by Roadside Attractions, Lionsgate, and Ld Entertainment. It's based on the stage musical by Terrence McNally, John Kander, and Fred Ebb. Argentine writer Manuel Puig wrote the...

Kiss of the Spider Woman has crawled it's way on to the 2025 release calendar. Jennifer Lopez and Diego Luna star in the big-screen adaptation of the hit Broadway musical, which will be released in time for awards season. Deadline reports that the Bill Condon-directed film will hit theaters on October 10. The film premiered to critical acclaim at Sundance earlier this year, and was acquired for North American distribution by Roadside Attractions, Lionsgate, and Ld Entertainment.

The October 10 date will see it open against a trio of big-name films: Tron: Ares, the latest entry in Disney's cyberpunk franchise; Animal Friends, a Ryan Reynolds-starring live-action/animation hybrid from Warner Bros.; and After the Hunt, a new thriller from Luca Guadagnino that stars Julia Roberts, Ayo Edebiri, and Andrew Garfield. It will have to deal with leftovers from the previous week, as well, including Osgood Perkins' latest horror film Keeper, the...

Exclusive: The feature musical Kiss of the Spider Woman starring Jennifer Lopez, Diego Luna and Tonatiuh will be getting wide theatrical release October 10. Deadline first told you that the biggest movie at this year’s Sundance Film Festival had its North American rights acquired by Roadside Attractions, Lionsgate and Ld Entertainment.

Also opening on October 10 is Disney’s Tron: Ares, Warner Bros/Legendary’s Animal Friends with Jason Momoa and Ryan Reynolds, and the exclusive launch of Amazon MGM Studios’ Luca Guadagnino thriller After the Hunt with Julia Roberts, Andrew Garfield and Ayo Edebiri.

The Bill Condon-directed Spider Woman, an Artists Equity production, is based on the book by Terrence McNally and John Kander and Fred Ebb’s songs from the Broadway show. Argentinian author Manuel Puig wrote the original 1976 novel upon which the 1985 Oscar-winning movie starring William Hurt, Raul Julia and Sonia Braga is based. Luna and Tonatiuh...

Jennifer Lopez's hunt for an Oscar might finally be coming to a close. After earning rave reviews at its Sundance Film Festival premiere, the movie-musical Kiss of the Spider Woman, executive produced and starring J.Lo as the titular character, has just slotted a Fall 2025 release.

Per Deadline, Roadside Attractions, Lionsgate and Ld Entertainment have snagged the Kiss of the Spider Woman's North American release rights following its warm reception. Bill Condon directs and pens the Lopez vehicle, adapted from the Fred Kander and Fred Ebb musical of the same name. Set in the 1980s, the film follows Argentine prisoners swapping fantasies and stories—many performed by the eponymous Spider Woman (aka Ingrid/Aurora)— barely surviving under the nation's dictatorship.

The story has taken on many forms over the years. The original 1976 Kiss of the Spider Woman novel by Manuel Puig predates the musical concept. The songless version...

Roadside Attractions, Lionsgate, and Ld Entertainment announced today the acquisition of Kiss of the Spider Woman, from Bill Condon, the Academy Award-winning writer-director known for such films as Gods and Monsters, Chicago, Dreamgirls, and Beauty and the Beast.

This visionary new adaptation is based on the acclaimed 1976 novel Kiss of the Spider Woman by Argentinian writer Manuel Puig and the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical of the same name by the multiple Tony Award-winning playwright Terrence McNally and composer/lyricist team John Kander and Fred Ebb.

Photo courtesy of Roadside Attractions

Written for the screen and directed by Bill Condon, this visually stunning and emotionally charged adaptation stars Emmy Award nominee Diego Luna, Tonatiuh, and Emmy and Grammy Award-nominated superstar Jennifer Lopez, who also serves as an executive producer alongside Diego Luna.

Produced by Barry Josephson, p.g.a., Tom Kirdahy, p.g.a., and Greg Yolen, p.g.a., the...

Roadside Attractions, Lionsgate and Ld Entertainment have confirmed their acquisition of North American rights to Bill Condon’sKiss Of The Spider Womanremake that premiered in Sundance and stars Tonatiuh, Jennifer Lopez, and Diego Luna.

‘Kiss Of The Spider-Woman’: Sundance Review

WME Independent and CAA Media Finance negotiated on behalf of the filmmakers and the distributors plan a theatrical release this autumn.

AGC International acquired rights outside the United States and took the film to the EFM in Berlin last month.

Bill Condon’s remake of the Argentina-set drama is produced by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s Artists Equity...

Roadside Attractions, Lionsgate and Ld Entertainment have confirmed their acquisition of North American rights to Bill Condon’sKiss Of The Spider Womanremake that premiered in Sundance and stars Tonatiuh, Jennifer Lopez, and Diego Luna.

‘Kiss Of The Spider-Woman’: Sundance Review

WME Independent and CAA Media Finance negotiated on behalf of the filmmakers and the distributors plan a theatrical release this autumn.

AGC International acquired rights outside the United States and took the film to the EFM in Berlin last month.

Bill Condon’s remake of the Argentina-set drama is produced by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s Artists Equity...

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...

Roadside Attractions, Lionsgate and Ld Entertainment are understood to be in advanced talks for US rights to Bill Condon’s Kiss Of The Spider Woman remake that premiered in Sundance and stars Tonatiuh, Jennifer Lopez, and Diego Luna.

‘Kiss Of The Spider-Woman’: Sundance Review

AGC International acquired rights outside the United States and took the film to the EFM in Berlin last month. WME Independent and CAA Media Finance jointly represent US rights.

Bill Condon’s remake of the Argentina-set drama is produced by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s Artists Equity and follows two cellmates of vastly differing...

The new adaptation of Kiss of the Spider Woman that stars Jennifer Lopez is close to a sale after premiering at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year.

Roadside Attractions, Lionsgate and Ld Entertainment are in final negotiations to acquire domestic distribution rights for the musical feature. Diego Luna, Tonatiuh and Tony Dovolani round out the cast for director Bill Condon’s film that hails from Artists Equity and Mohari Media.

Kiss of the Spider Woman is based on playwright Terrence McNally’s stage musical that debuted on Broadway in 1993 and adapted Manuel Puig’s 1976 novel of the same name. Condon penned the script, and the film features music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb.

The project centers on a political prisoner (Luna), whose cellmate (Tonatiuh) creates a fantasy Hollywood narrative involving his favorite star, Ingrid Luna (Lopez).

Producers include Barry Josephson, Tom Kirdahy and Greg Yolen. Among...

“Kiss of the Spider Woman,” a musical remake from director Bill Condon and star Jennifer Lopez, is finally close to finding a buyer after its buzzy Sundance Film Festival premiere in January.

Roadside Attractions, Lionsgate and independent studio Ld Entertainment are circling domestic rights, though a deal has yet to close. It’s unclear how the trio of companies will work together to roll out the film.

This adaptation of Manuel Puig’s novel was one of higher profile projects to debut at Sundance. Set in an Argentinian prison in 1981, the film centers on queer window dresser Luis Molina (Tonatiuh) who is serving time for having sex with a man. To escape the horrors of his imprisonment, he dreams up vivid stories about the cinematic exploits of his favorite on screen diva, an actress name Ingrid Luna (Lopez), including her role of the spider woman, who kills her pray with a kiss.

Exclusive: We hear that Roadside Attractions, Lionsgate and Ld Entertainment are in final talks to take domestic rights to Sundance’s most buzzed about movie this year, the Bill Condon directed, Jennifer Lopez feature take of Broadway musical, Kiss of the Spider Woman.

We’re hearing it took a lot for this deal to come together on this net low-$30sM Artists Equity production based on the book by Terrence McNally and John Kander and Fred Ebb’s songs. Stuart Ford’s AGC handled foreign sales at EFM. WME and CAA Media Finance co-repped U.S. rights on the movie.

Tonatiuh and Diego Luna in ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman’

Details are still coming together. The pic follows Diego Luna and Tonatiuh as Valentín and Luis, jail cellmates in a military-run 1983 Argentinian. Gay widow dresser, Luis, keeps Valentín’s spirits alive with tales about his favorite actress, Ingrid Luna (Lopez...

In their dark, damp prison quarters, Malina (Tonatiuh) and Valentin (Diego Luna) only have each other for company. Valentin is a radical imprisoned for his revolutionary views; Malina is a window-dresser condemned for homosexual activities. Valetin wants nothing to do with Malina, focusing on his work as his cellmate flutters around their modest room trying to make the best out of a bad situation. To Valentin, Malina is a man who lacks substance and morals, living a life without dignity. Their room is decorated with Malina’s posters and trinkets procured by the guards, with his queerness implied to be the payment. “There are privileges in degradation,” he tells Valetin, who responds with disgust. Valentin remarks that Malina shouldn’t “make himself trivial.” Malina flaunts his queerness and Valentin displays no sexuality, but his straightness is implied––at least at first. As the two men slowly warm up to each other,...

Exclusive: While it continues to stalk a U.S. buyer, Jennifer Lopez’ Sundance musical-drama Kiss Of The Spider Woman will be tempting international buyers at next week’s EFM for Stuart Ford’s AGC.

AGC will screen the Bill Condon-produced film privately for buyers in Berlin where it’ll be among the bigger-budget projects available. WME and CAA Media Finance are co-repping U.S. rights.

Diego Luna (Andor) and Tonatiuh (Promised Land) star with global icon Lopez (Hustlers), who, along with Condon and Diego Luna, also executive produce. Pic is based on the acclaimed 1976 novel Kiss of the Spider Woman by Argentinian writer Manuel Puig and the Tony-winning Broadway musical of the same name by the multiple Tony-winning playwright Terrence McNally and composer/lyricist team John Kander and Fred Ebb.

The synopsis reads: “Argentina, 1983. With the country’s military dictatorship waging a brutal war against its political opponents,...

"Sooner or later, you're certain to meet, in the bedroom, the parlor or even the street... There's no place on earth, you're likely to miss her kiss." The moment this film ended I knew this performance was one of the best of the festival. But now that I'm finally writing this review after having seen a grand total of 54 films at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival line-up, I feel confident in saying - Tonatiuh gives the best performance in any film at the festival. This 2025 update on Kiss of the Spider Woman is a modern re-imaginging of this iconic story from South America, which was turned into a big Broadway musical in the early 1990s. It is the second film adaption of the 1976 novel Kiss of the Spider Woman by Manuel Puig, following the 1985 Brazilian film adaptation. Director Bill Condon, who's no stranger to big musicals having made Dreamgirls before, gives...

Oscar-winner Bill Condon was itching to make Kiss of the Spider Woman 20 years ago while he was still working on the hit adaptation of Chicago. The upcoming film, written and directed by him, is a reimagining of both Manuel Puig's Argentinian novel of the same name and the stage musical crafted by Terrence McNally. It focuses on two prisoners, one being a queer outcast and the other being a tormented revolutionary, as they form a bond while sharing a cell. Part musical inspired by Hollywood's Golden Age and part prison drama, Kiss of the Spider Woman promises to be a unique cinematic experience that is even difficult for Condon to put into words.

Cinema has long been a mirror for political repression, and in Bill Condon’s Kiss of the Spider Woman, that mirror is adorned with glittering sequins, drenched in melancholy, and distorted by the very power structures it aims to critique. A reimagining of Manuel Puig’s 1976 novel (and its stage musical adaptation and Oscar-winning 1985 film), this 2025 film leans into its meta-musical structure, shifting between the grim realities of an Argentine prison in 1981 and the dazzling escapism of Golden Age Hollywood pastiche. It is both a story about survival and a meditation on the ways cinema itself becomes a survival mechanism — how film can be a salve for oppression, a tool of control, or, sometimes, an act of resistance.

But Kiss of the Spider Woman is also a film struggling to find its own footing. Despite a fascinating premise, a powerhouse cast led by Jennifer Lopez, Diego Luna, and Tonatiuh, and...

Many Oscar contenders have been dive-bombed over the years, but Best Actress nominee Karla Sofía Gascón did herself in: first for complaining about rival Fernanda Torres, then for resurfaced tweets on her now-deleted X account (@karsiagascon). In past posts that went viral this week, she dissed Muslims, George Floyd, and Oscars diversity, among other things. We debate: If Gascón is out of the running, does she bring down her movie as well, which leads the field with 13 nominations?

Ryan Lattanzio is back from Sundance, which Friday announced its awards; he and Anne are both bingeing on the Sundance portal. While some films came in with distribution, the market seems slow. One Midnight entry spawned a bidding war won by Neon for over $16 million, Michael Shanks’ horror flick “Together,” starring husband-and-wife team Alison Brie and Dave Franco, which Ryan enjoyed and believes will hit big at the box office. Neon has...

For a musical so dedicated to celebrating and critiquing the transformative potential of cinematic fantasy, Bill Condon’s Kiss of the Spider Woman brings relatively little of the kind of overwhelming star power that can truly transport audiences. This isn’t to say that the film is poorly acted or doesn’t understand how to deliver movie magic. In fact, there are few working directors who know better than Condon how to recreate the pizzazz of classic Technicolor musicals without it feeling like pastiche. But despite the material’s highly dramatic potential and handful of show-stopper moments, it too often feels like a well-meaning production that has many of the right elements but misses a cast that could bring it all to life.

Condon adapted Terrence McNally’s book for the Tony-winning 1992 stage musical by John Kander and Fred Ebb, which was itself based on Hector Babenco’s Oscar-winning 1985 film of Manuel Puig’s novel.

As countries on both sides of the Atlantic careen uncontrollably towards illiberalism, authoritarian, and fascism, art as an act of resistance, opposition, or defiance gains ever greater importance. That includes an oft-adapted work, such as Manuel Puig’s 1976 postmodern novel, Kiss of the Spider Woman, which was initially banned in Argentina under the then-current military dictatorship, adapted for the stage in 1983 by Puig himself, adapted into an Oscar-winning film helmed by Hector Babenco (Pixote) two years later, adapted into a commercially successful, Tony Award-winning stage musical in 1993, and now, not exactly coming full circle, adapted into a new, stunningly realized cinematic adaptation, written and directed by Bill Condon. Following previous interpretations of Puig’s tale, Kiss of...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

This time last year, industry experts and armchair pundits began the drumbeat for Kieran Culkin’s performance in A Real Pain. The intimate drama about a pair of cousins (Culkin and writer-director Jesse Eisenberg) who travel to Poland to see the ancestral home of their grandmother, who left the country during the Holocaust, was one of several buzzy titles to debut at last year’s Sundance Film Festival. It was eventually acquired by Searchlight Pictures, given a platform theatrical release last fall, and feted throughout awards season with honors for Culkin. He’s currently the top pick to win Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars in March, 14 months after his film’s initial debut. Culkin and Eisenberg, a nominee in the Best Original Screenplay category, are just two of several 2024 Sundance standouts that received bids from the Academy this year, including A Different Man (Best Makeup and Hair) and Best Documentary nominees Sugarcane,...

As the films of 2024 alone have demonstrated, there's still a good amount of confusion about how a movie musical should function in our modern age. Even 2016's "La La Land," the film that ended up bringing back the popularity of the movie musical in a big way, wasn't interested in fully leaning into its ode to the movie musicals of classic Hollywood, using it instead as a jumping off point, a wry commentary on the subgenre and cinema itself. Since then, it's felt like each new movie musical has had to find some offbeat justification for its existence: this one is a multi-part blockbuster event ("Wicked"), this one is an anti-musical musical ("Emilia Pérez"), this one has a monkey in it ("Better Man"), and so on. Even "Chicago" director Rob Marshall, who for many years seemed to willfully bear the torch of keeping the more traditional movie musical alive, has...

Theoretical musings on gender, sexuality, and revolution are messily woven together in Kiss Of The Spider Woman, Bill Condon’s reimagining of the musical that swept the 1993 Tony Awards. While that production was based on the wildly successful 1985 Brazilian film of the same name—which itself was based on Argentine...

Even one of the biggest pop stars in the world was once upon a time just a theater kid.

Jennifer Lopez, who stars in the movie musical adaptation of “Kiss of the Spider Woman” that just premiered at Sundance, revealed in the IndieWire Studio presented by Dropbox that, unbeknownst to even some of her biggest fans, musical theater is where she got her start, and it’s where not just her true passion lies, but also where she says her true talent lies.

“I actually started in musical theater. Actually, my voice is more suited to musical theater than it has ever been to pop music,” Lopez told IndieWire in regards to how she prepared for her role in Bill Condon’s film. “I love making music, but that was where my heart started and where I actually learned to sing. People don’t know this about me, but they’ll see,...

Fighting back tears and fresh from receiving the first of two standing ovations, Jennifer Lopez told a Sundance Film Festival audience on Sunday night that starring in Bill Condon’s movie musical Kiss of the Spider Woman made a lifelong dream come true. But it wasn’t for lack of trying.

Talking to The Hollywood Reporter on the red carpet ahead of the world premiere at Park City’s Eccles Center Theatre, the superstar entertainer revealed that she had auditioned for some of Hollywood’s best known modern movie musicals, only to get passed over.

“I remember auditioning for Evita, I remember auditioning for Chicago and for Nine — getting very close on Nine,” said Lopez, outfitted for the premiere in a very method ensemble, a glittering spiderweb gown by designer Valdrin Sahiti. “There was a lot of things that I had always hoped that I could do and just wasn’t the right time.

Last year was a tough one for Jennifer Lopez as she dealt with her messy divorce from her ex-husband Ben Affleck, and her movies heavily flopping at the box office. More than these, the Latina diva faced constant online bullying due to the circumstances in her personal life as well as the cancelation of her summer tour due to poor ticket sales.

Jennifer Lopez / Credits: ABC News

Despite all the challenges that came her way, Lopez continues to focus on her craft, and she has surprisingly a couple of projects already lined up at her door. Now, it seems like she’s getting back on track after early reviews of her new musical drama film showed positive critical reception.

Netizens express delight at Jennifer Lopez’s recent accomplishment

Kiss of the Spider Woman is an adaptation of the 1976 novel of the same title by Manuel Puig which follows an imprisoned...

Jennifer Lopez has never gotten a lot of love from fans or critics when it comes to her acting career, but all that seems to be changing thanks to her most recent performance in Kiss of the Spider Woman, which is getting rave reviews coming out of Sundance this past weekend. Lopez has been nominated for more Golden Raspberry Awards than she has Golden Globes in her 30-year career in Hollywood, but next year's Oscar buzz has already started thanks to director Bill Condon's musical thriller, in which Lopez stars as Ingrid Luna.

Fans and critics have been singing the praises of Lopez since Kiss of the Spider Woman's debut on Jan. 26, with Pete Hammond from Deadline calling it "the role she was born to play," while at the same time mentioning that the movie itself is "a master class in how to find the cinematic soul of...

Dreams do still come true, it seems. On Sunday night in Park City, Utah, the big “hot ticket” screening was the world premiere of Bill Condon’s much-anticipated “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” a dazzling big screen adaptation of Terrence McNally, John Kander, and Fred Ebb’s 1992 Broadway musical of the same name (itself a take on Manuel Puig’s 1976 novel of the same name). While the story, about a pair of Argentinian prisoners who are brought together during the “Dirty War,” was previously made into a feature film in 1985 with stars William Hurt, Raul Julia, and Sônia Braga, Condon’s film marks the first big screen musical spin on the original material.

And, for star Jennifer Lopez, starring in a musical — her very first, if you can believe it — was the culmination of decades of dreaming. The film, which stars breakout star Tonatiuh as Luis Molina and Diego Luna...

Bollywood Mascot: Jennifer Lopez made a striking entrance at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, where she attended the world premiere of Kiss of the Spider Woman. Known for her impeccable sense of style, Lopez wore a stunning black lace gown designed by Valdrin Sahiti. The gown featured intricate spiderweb-like detailing, adding a dramatic and thematic touch to the event. The design was elegant yet edgy, reflecting both the character she portrays in the film and the festival’s vibrant atmosphere. Lopez paired the gown with dazzling Hassanzadeh jewelry, further elevating her ensemble for the high-profile occasion.

Her performance in Kiss of the Spider Woman has already attracted a great deal of attention. In the film, she plays Aurora, a character in a political drama based on Manuel Puig’s 1976 Argentine novel. Directed by Bill Condon, the movie follows two political prisoners during Argentina’s tumultuous civil war. Lopez’s performance is...

Sometimes, it takes a pinch of audacity and a dash of serendipity for something to truly steal the spotlight. So, if you’ve been living under a rock (or perhaps in a parallel universe where Emilia Pérez hasn’t dominated every award show conversation), let’s quickly break it down. Directed by Jacques Audiard, it is a musical about a Mexican cartel leader—played by Karla Sofía Gascón—who embarks on a journey of transformation, seeking to become a woman.

The plot’s as complex as it is captivating, with a powerhouse cast including Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez, and Édgar Ramírez. It’s a film that’s garnered international acclaim, a solid 13 Academy Award nominations, and racked up accolades at the Golden Globes, including Best Motion Picture—Musical or Comedy.

Emilia Pérez | Credit: Netflix

But while critics and industry bigwigs can’t stop singing Emilia Pérez’s praises, there’s...

Oscar-winning Sundance Film Festival veteran Bill Condon returned to Park City to present the world premiere of his new movie musical, Kiss of the Spider Woman, at Eccles Center Theatre on Sunday night. When it was over and all the credits had rolled, his star Jennifer Lopez was moved to tears, the capacity crowd delivered two standing ovations and a star was born thanks to a revelatory turn from Tonatiuh.

Considering the pedigree of its filmmaker — Condon previously directed musicals Dreamgirls and Beauty and the Beast and wrote the Oscar-winning Chicago — and its global superstar who plays dual roles including the title character, Spider Woman was the most anticipated debut of Sundance this year. In his review, The Hollywood Reporter‘s chief film critic David Rooney calls it one of Lopez’s best roles of her decades-long career.

Lopez, who skipped snow boots and sweaters for her festival debut, hit...

Jennifer Lopez, outfitted in a sparkling, webbed-up gown and sky-high black heels, fought back tears as “Kiss of the Spider Woman” was embraced at Sundance Film Festival with a standing ovation. She told the audience at Park City’s Eccles Theatre that starring in the musical adaptation fulfilled a lifelong dream.

“I’ve been waiting for this moment my whole life,” she said. “The reason I even wanted to be in this business is because my mom would sit me in front of the TV and [‘West Side Story’] would come on once a year. I was mesmerized and was like, ‘That’s what I want to do.’ This is the first time I actually got to do it. This man made my dream come true.”

She’s referring to director Bill Condon, who has become a preeminent filmmaker for movie musicals, having worked on “Chicago,” “Dreamgirls,” Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast...

Jennifer Lopez is not one of those actresses who disappears into a role. For one, she’s too famous to allow the audience to separate artist from character entirely. Often, those characters, whether Selena or in last year’s “Unstoppable” as a sports mom, are extensions of her persona, astral projections of her stature as a global pop superstar into a fantasy movie world that depends on her song-and-dance gifts. For another, a Jennifer Lopez joint is always more about her presence — her name on the marquee, her face under the big bright lights — than her skills in vanishing inside a character.

Writer/director Bill Condon’s “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” a new screen version of the John Kander and Fred Ebb Broadway musical itself inspired by Manuel Puig’s novel and Héctor Babenco’s 1985 Oscar winner, could do no better casting than Lopez as Ingrid Luna, a fictional...

A touching dedication at the end of Kiss of the Spider Woman reads simply: “For Fred, Terrence and Chita.” That would be lyricist Fred Ebb, playwright Terrence McNally and original star Chita Rivera, key figures behind the 1993 Broadway musical, alongside composer John Kander and stage director Harold Prince. The show won seven Tony Awards and ran for just over two years, though critics and audiences were divided, and it’s mostly considered a second-tier musical by the standards of Kander and Ebb, the celebrated team behind Cabaret and Chicago.

Bill Condon sets himself a tough assignment trying to transform the tricky material into a great movie musical, but thanks in part to laudable work from his three leads, he occasionally comes close. The writer-director revisits an idea that worked well in his screenplay for 2002’s Chicago — paralleling squalor and splendor, with central characters stuck in grim reality seeking escape through Golden Age Hollywood musical fantasy.

Boundaries are constantly blurring in “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” the revolutionary mid-’80s film that became a Kander and Ebb musical, and that cunningly (and stunningly) morphs back to the big screen, courtesy of “Dreamgirls” director Bill Condon. Confined mostly to an Argentine detention facility in 1983, at the height of the country’s Dirty War, the show is the flip side of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Evita,” focusing on the brutal military regime that came decades after first lady Eva Péron’s death. Bleak as that may sound, the musical finds rare shards of light — and an unlikely connection — in the most despairing of places.

In every incarnation of Manuel Puig’s novel, cinema offers much-needed escapism from not only political injustice, but also the kind of biological prisons that oppress us. Sitting in the dark, transfixed the dreams unfolding on screen, filmgoers leave their bodies for a time,...

There can be no question the Broadway musicals of John Kander and Fred Ebb have been charmed when it comes to movie adaptations. Bob Fosse’s 1972 film reinvention of Cabaret won eight Oscars. Director Rob Marshall and screenwriter Bill Condon’s cinematic interpretation of Chicago in 2002 is still the last musical to win the Best Picture Oscar. Both made the musical format work, even for those who hate movie musicals, by integrating the songs so they don’t collide with the narrative but seamlessly fit in with it.

It’s nice to report that the stunning new film adaptation of their 1993 Tony-winning musical Kiss of the Spider Woman joins Cabaret and Chicago as a master class in how to find the cinematic soul of...