Bill Condon brought Kiss of the Spider Woman to Sundance for the Sunday night Eccles Theater premiere of the festival's most eagerly anticipated acquisition title, starring Jennifer Lopez, Diego Luna and newcomer Tonatiuh. It has been 27 years and plenty of career evolution since Condon premiered Gods and Monsters at Sundance; 32 years since Kiss of the Spider Woman opened on Broadway and won seven Tony Awards; and 40 years since the original Hector Babenco-directed film drew four Oscar nominations with the late William Hurt winning Best Actor. Condon has written and directed a compelling new version of a tale that is one part vibrant movie musical, and one part prison drama.
Given the recent wildfires in Southern California and the usual wariness that goes into acquiring indie films, it's no surprise the Sundance market has gotten off to a slow start. But many hope things will open up after Kiss scores a deal for writer/director Condon and backers led by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon's Artists Equity.
Here, Condon explains why he returned to the story of two cellmates, one of whom is a revolutionary being tortured for intel by a repressive Argentinian government. He is distracted from his pain each night as his window dresser cellmate paints a vivid picture by re-telling his favorite MGM-style musical. The cellmate was planted by the warden to extract information that will allow the government to apprehend the revolutionary's cohorts and that brings its own pain as the men grow closer. >>>Q&A
Related:
‘Kiss Of The Spider Woman’: World Premiere Of Jennifer Lopez Musical Receives Standing Ovation
‘Kiss Of The Spider Woman’ Review: Bill Condon’s Film Version Brilliantly Reinvents Broadway Musical And Finally Gives Jennifer Lopez The Role She Was Born To Play |
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Lionsgate Shocker - In the first major sale of the year, Lionsgate has pre-emptively purchased the big concept earthquake short story After Shock for a sum in the mid-six-figure range. At the center of all this is Brandon Sklenar, poised to headline movies after a breakout turn in It Ends With Us and the imminent second season of Taylor Sheridan’s 1923. >>>Four Suitors 'Paradise' Found - Scott Teti, who has exec produced series such as ABC’s Claim to Fame and Bravo’s Summer House in addition to various Married At First Sight spinoffs, is taking over showrunner duties for the upcoming season of Bachelor in Paradise. >>>Returning This Summer Cathy Schulman On TBD Best Picture Producers - Cathy Schulman, a founding member of Producers United, has been through the credit battle gauntlet and wound up holding the Best Picture Oscar for Crash. She believes that the failure to mark the producers who actually make the movies in a more timely fashion marginalizes the whole breed. >>>Guest Column
LeBron James' 'Draft Day' - Ivan Reitman’s 2014 football movie Draft Day from Lionsgate is being adapted for television with a new twist. From Lionsgate TV, SpringHill and Madison Wells, the series in development will capture the drama and excitement of watching basketball players get drafted and fulfill their dreams. >>>SpringHill To EP
Fernanda Torres Apology - After scoring a Best Actress Oscar nomination after winning the Golden Globe for her portrayal of a mother searching for her disappeared politician husband in I’m Still Here, Fernanda Torres is making an apology for a decades-old skit that has resurfaced. She played multiple characters in the skit, one of them in blackface. >>>"I Am Very Sorry "
In Brief - Lionsgate in talks to reteam with Ruben Fleischer on The Sun Always Sets in the West... Chris Pratt’s Mercy heads to winter 2026... Michael Notarile to script Bune for Monarch Media... Warner Bros in talks with Susanne Bier to direct Practical Magic 2 |
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Five-and-a-half years after the end of Elementary, CBS is returning to the world of Arthur Conan Doyle with Watson, which debuted Sunday night after the AFC Championship game. The medical drama stars Morris Chestnut as the eponymous Sherlock sidekick who leads a team of young doctors in solving medical mysteries. In an interview with Deadline, Watson creator Craig Sweeny, who also served as EP on Elementary, spoke about the genesis of the idea for a medical drama about Sherlock’s confidant and Chestnut’s casting in the role, Watson’s internal struggles, the show’s similarities to (and differences from) House and the decision to have two identical twin young doctors played by the same actor, Peter Mark Kendall. >>> Read The Interview |
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Exclusive
Brad Pitt has found his next star vehicle in Heart of the Beast, David Ayer's action adventure film for Paramount Pictures, on which we were first to report last March.
Exclusive
Bradley Whitford has been tapped for a recurring role opposite his former The West Wing co-star Allison Janney on the Netflix political thriller drama series The Diplomat. What’s more, the two West Wing-ers are headed back to the White House, with Whitford playing the First Gentleman to Janney’s President.
Exclusive
Awkwafina is set to star in the holiday family comedy The Man with the Bag, alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger and Alan Ritchson.
Exclusive
Tim McGraw will no longer headline Netflix‘s upcoming rodeo series. A source close to the actor-musician indicated that he needed to undergo back surgery which would require recovery time.
Exclusive
Ulrich Thomsen (The Blacklist) has been tapped to recur in the HBO, WBTV and DC Studios series Lanterns as DC supervillain Sinestro.
In Brief - Caleb Foote upped to NCIS: Origins series regular... Godzilla x Kong sequel adds Kaitlyn Dever... Christine Ko & Christian Convery join Live Nation comedy Rolling Loud ... Zoe Lister-Jones & Sofia Rosinsky board Peacock’s The Miniature Wife |
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More News 👀 Dr. Phil McGraw said on Sunday that he’s embedding with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials as they conduct what federal officials are calling “targeted operations” to enforce immigration law in Chicago.
🎸 Spotify and Universal Music Group have struck a new multi-year agreement for recorded music and music publishing “focused on growth, innovation and the advancement of artists’ and songwriters’ success.”
❌ France’s Academy of Cinema Arts and Techniques, which oversees the prestigious César awards, has announced it is quitting X (formerly Twitter), saying the social network is no longer in step with its mission and values. |
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BY THE NUMBERS
109M - Viewership for the first trailer for Osgood Perkins' 'The Monkey' across all platforms |
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Trending
 The BBC’s hit reality TV show The Traitors’ third season has gone out with a bang. The finale of the murder mystery game set in a Scottish castle won an audience of 7.4 million viewers.
🔻 Dark Horse Comics has dropped Neil Gaiman, cancelling his Anansi Boys comic series, in the wake of sexual assault allegations brought against the author. |
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Obituaries 🕯️ Jim Tauber, a longtime film executive who was president of Sidney Kimmel Entertainment for a decade after working at Fox, Propaganda Films, Columbia TriStar and elsewhere, died Wednesday of multiple myeloma complications. He was 74. 🕯️ DJ Unk, the Atlanta rapper who had a Top 10 pop single with “Walk It Out” in 2006 and followed with the R&B hit “2 Step,” died Friday. He was 42. 🕯️ Alex Fraser, the former Red Arrow Studios, Sky Vision and IMG Media executive, has died aged 54. The acquisitions and distribution specialist had cancer and passed away earlier this month at home in London.🕯️ 2025 Deaths Photo Gallery: Hollywood & Media Obituaries |
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On the Radar
Wed - Meta earnings
Thu - Comcast, Apple earnings; FireAid benefit concert
Sun - Grammys |
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Cue The Confetti - Taylor Swift took to the field with boyfriend Travis Kelce after The Kansas City Chiefs won the AFC Championship Game, securing a spot in the Super Bowl for the third consecutive year and potentially setting up a history-making "three-peat" victory. |
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