Principal photography is underway in Chile on Prime Video Original ‘The House of the Spirits,’ an 8-part series based on Chilean author Isabel Allende’s career-launching novel. Allende, Eva Longoria and her Hyphenate Media Group are executive producing the show.
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The project had been in development at lead producer FilmNation Entertainment, which brought in Chilean filmmaking team Francisca Alegria and Fernanda Urrejola (“The Cow Who Sang a Song into the Future”) to write and also showrun the series alongside seasoned local director/producer Andres Wood whose extensive credits include “Machuca” and series “News of a Kidnapping” and “Los 80.” Pablo and Juan de Dios Larrain’s Fabula (“El Conde,” “Spencer”) is providing production services.
With over 70 million copies sold, “The House of the Spirits” is considered one of the most prominent novels of the 20th century. It was brought to the big screen in 1993 by Bille August with Meryl Streep, Jeremy Irons, Antonio Banderas and Wynona Rider leading a star-studded international cast.
This series adaptation aims to hew closer to its Latin American roots, said Javiera Balmaceda, head of Local Originals for Latin America, Canada and Australia at Amazon Studios. “What’s been so exciting about this opportunity is being able to showcase the talent that the region has to offer,” she told Variety , adding, “And not just in acting, but behind the camera with Fernanda and Francisca as well as production designer Rodrigo Bazaes, who won a Platino Award for his work on ‘El Conde.’”
“We really want to make sure that we’re capturing both the people from the region and the essence of the story,” she noted. The series format would allow for a deeper dive into Allende’s tale as it follows the multi-generational Trueba family in post-colonial Chile, blending magical realism with political and personal struggles. Centering on Clara’s psychic abilities and Esteban’s authoritarian rule, it explores themes of love, power and resilience amid societal and political turmoil.
The mostly Latin American cast includes Alfonso Herrera (“Sense 8,” “Ozark”), Dolores Fonzi (“Blondi”), Nicole Wallace (“Culpa Mía”), Juan Pablo Raba (“Narcos”) and Fernanda Castillo (“El Señor de los Cielos”).
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“My first novel, ‘The House of the Spirits,’ has been in print out in the world for 40 years, and now it will be a wonderful series on Amazon with Eva Longoria leading a dream creative team. I hope everyone enjoys it,” said Allende. Scheduling conflicts have prevented Longoria from taking on a role she was originally going to take on. “Eva’s such a prolific actor and producer but our schedules didn’t line up. However, she’s been with us every step of the way, advising and helping; she’s been a fabulous partner,” said Balmaceda.
“Isabel Allende is an exceptional storyteller who has touched lives across the globe with her writing. We couldn’t be prouder to be a part of such an ambitious adaptation of her seminal novel ‘The House of the Spirits’ and to be working alongside an international team of award-winning artists coming together with a shared passion and deep connection to the novel,” said FilmNation CEO Glen Basner and SVP Television and Executive Producer Courtney Saladino in a joint statement.
“The House of the Spirits” is among the latest high-profile Latino projects at Prime Video, which includes Mexico-based action thriller “A Billion to One,” Brazilian filmmaker Fernando Meirelles’ “Animal Race” and “Betty la Fea, the Story Continues,” a sequel to the wildly popular Colombian series that spawned a hit ABC adaptation in the U.S. among nearly 30 other countries.
In Chile alone, Prime Video has backed the hit series “El Presidente” and “La Jauria” and the action thriller franchise directed by Alexander Witt, “Sayen,” which has had two sequels, “Sayen: Desert Road” and “Sayen: The Huntress,” with Fabula producing.
Said Balmaceda: “I think all the groundwork we laid during the pandemic is now coming up. So it might feel like we’re not taking as many pitches, but we greenlit so much and are now getting those projects off the ground; we’re charging full steam ahead.”
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