Dolores Fonzi© Lalo Yasky

Dolores Fonzi to star in 'The House of the Spirits' adaptation

The adaptation is based on Isabel Allende's beloved novel


Senior Writer
AUGUST 7, 2024 4:50 PM EDT

The House of the Spirits is shaping up as one of the most exciting adaptations currently in development. The TV show, based on Isabel Allende's beloved first novel, is being adapted by Eva Longoria's production company and will air on Prime Video. It will star a cast of primarily Latin stars, including Dolores Fonzi, the Argentinean actress set to lead the series. 

© Hector Vivas

Dolores Fonzi at this year's Premios Platino

Fonzi will lead a cast of actors from various Latin American countries, including Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, and more. They include Alfonso Herrera, Juan Pablo Raba, and Fernanda Castillo. The TV series will be developed by Francisca Alegría, Fernanda Urrejola, and Andrés Wood, a Chilean team of filmmakers.

Earlier this year, it was announced that the series began production in Chile.

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

Allende confirmed the news of the series in a statement, "My first novel, 'The House of the Spirits,'' has been published in the world for 40 years and now it'll be a marvelous TV show in Amazon, with Eva Longoria leading an incredible creative team," she wrote in Spanish. 

© FELIPE AMILIBIA

Isabel Allende in the 80s

More details about 'The House of the Spirits'

"The House of the Spirits" was released in 1982, becoming an immediate hit. The novel has been published in various languages and launched Allende's career as a fiction writer. It has since been quoted as an example of Latin American magical realism, a genre that's become a large part of the region's literature. The story follows the Trueba family throughout four generations, following the political and societal shifts in post-colonial Chile through the '70s.