Bestselling author Isabel Allende has revealed that the series adaptation of her iconic debut novel “The House of the Sprits” is set to premiere next year on Prime Video.
Speaking at a press conference in Santiago, Chile, Allende also showed attendees a clip of the 8-episode Spanish-language series based on her wildly popular family saga.
“The House of the Spirits” follows the Trueba family through decades of love, conflict and social upheaval. It tells a multi-generational magical realist story of hidden romances, deep passions and the toll of a violent revolution. As the years pass, the family’s secrets and struggles build to a breaking point, setting the proud, controlling patriarch and his strong-willed granddaughter on opposite sides of a growing divide.
New images of the series revealed a cast led by Aline Kuppenheim (“Chile ‘76”) as Nivea del Valle along with Fernanda Urrejola (“Cry Macho”) and Sara Becker (“The Movie Teller”) as Blanca Trueba in different life stages.
Other cast members include Alfonso Herrera (“Sense8”) as Esteban Trueba while Nicole Wallace (“My Fault”) and actress-helmer Dolores Fonzi, whose second directorial outing “Belen” is currently in official competition at the 73rd San Sebastian Film Festival, play the clairvoyant Clara del Valle at different times of her life. “Belen” will play on Prime Video after its festival run.
The author participated in a panel discussion with showrunners Francisca Alegria (“The Cow Who Sang a Song Into the Future”), Urrejola and Andrés Wood (“News of a Kidnapping”) where they discussed its adaptation into a series.
Having sold over 70 million copies worldwide, “The House of the Spirits” is considered one of the most momentous novels of the 20th century. It was previously adapted into a film in 1993 starring Meryl Streep, Jeremy Irons and Antonio Banderas. The film was panned given its hodge podge of accents. In a 2021 interview with Variety, Allende reflected on the movie adaptation, noting that in the early ‘90s, one needed a big cast as most people were not used to subtitles then. “Nowadays, it could be in Mayan, Spanish, Quechua or whatever language and you don’t need big names, just good actors,” she said.
The series is produced by FilmNation, the multi Academy Award-winning team behind “Anora” and “Conclave,” with the support of Pablo and Juan de Dios Larrain’s production company Fabula, the Chilean Oscar-winning producers of “The Eternal Memory” and “A Fantastic Woman.”
Allende, Eva Longoria (“Desperate Housewives”) and Courtney Saladino (“Jessica Jones”) serve as executive producers.
The much-anticipated Chilean series will be available exclusively on Prime Video in over 240 countries and territories worldwide.
It joins a growing slate of Latin American Amazon Original productions led by “Betty La Fea: La Historia Continúa,” “Desconectados 2 :Reconectados,” “Vencer o Morir,” “Menem” and “Sayen.”
The House of the Spirits
