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Isabel Allende © FELIPE AMILIBIA

Isabel Allende's 'The House of the Spirits' begins production in Chile

The eight-part series is an adaptation of Allende's beloved novel.


Maria Loreto
Senior Writer
JULY 23, 2024 11:41 AM EDT

The adaptation of "The House of The Spirits" will begin production in Chile. The series, produced by the novel's author Isabel Allende, and filmmaker Eva Longoria, will be made up of eight episodes and will air on Prime Video. 

Eva Longoria is one of the series' producers© Aldara Zarraoa
Eva Longoria is one of the series' producers

The series will be run by Chilean filmmakers Francisca Alegria and Fernanda Urrejola, working alongside seasoned filmmaker Andres Wood. The three will be responsible for writing and show running the series' full season. It'll also be produced by Javiera Balmacera, Pedro Pascal's sister, who revealed that the adaptation will stick close to its Latin American roots.

“What’s been so exciting about this opportunity is being able to showcase the talent that the region has to offer,” said Balmaceda to Variety.  “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 said. 

More details about 'The House of the Spirits'

The House of the Spirits author Isabel Allende cast and director Bille August alongside the film's cast: Glenn Close, Mariam Colon, Meryl Streep, Jeremy Irons, Vanessa Redgrave, Armin Mueller-Stahl© Rolf Konow
The House of the Spirits author Isabel Allende and director Bille August alongside the film's cast: Glenn Close, Mariam Colon, Meryl Streep, Jeremy Irons, Vanessa Redgrave, and Armin Mueller-Stahl

"The House of the Spirits" helped launch Isabel Allende's massive career as a novelist. The story follows various generations of the Trueba family living in post-colonial Chile, exploring the country's politics with plenty of Latin America's magical realism. Following the announcement of the series, Allende released a statement, sharing her excitement. "My first novel, The House of the Spirits, has been published in the world for 40 years and will now become a wonderful series in Amazon with Eva Longoria leading an incredible team," she wrote in Spanish. "I hope you will all enjoy it." 

The series will star Alfonso Herrera, Dolores Fonzi, Nicole Wallace, Juan Pablo Raba, and Fernanda Castillo. 

"The House of the Spirits" was previously adapted into a film in 1993, starring Meryl Streep, Jeremy Irons, Winona Ryder, Glenn Close, Vanessa Redgrave and Antonio Banderas