Kate del Castillo to Executive Produce & Star in A Beautiful Lie

Pantaya, Endemol Shine Boomdog and Cholawood Productions are set to co-produce A Beautiful Lie, a modern retelling of Anna Karenina based on The Beautiful Lie from Endemol Shine Australia.

Executive produced by and starring Kate del Castillo, A Beautiful Lie follows Olympic diver and Mexican national hero Anna Montes de Oca, who falls in love with a young musician and goes on a journey of self-discovery.

Spanish writers Almudena Ocaña and Aurora García Tortosa (Elite) are attached to the project, as are Carmen Cervantes and Jessica Maldonado, who will executive produce. Production is set to begin next year in Mexico.

“This is a passion project for me,” said del Castillo. “Reinterpreting a classic such as Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina is a huge responsibility, and we plan to do it justice. We’re retelling a story with strong female characters where infidelity is a major element. We will also address various mental health issues, including postpartum depression and the sometimes-disastrous impact social media can have on people’s lives, especially public figures. It’s a modern twist from a female perspective. I’m excited to play the lead and executive produce with my team at Cholawood, alongside Endemol Shine Boomdog and Pantaya, with whom I have been wanting to work with since their impressive launch.”

“Between the teams at Boomdog, Kate and her team at Cholawood, along with the incredible writing duo of Almudena Ocaña and Aurora Tortosa, we are very excited with the auspices of this project,” said Mario Almeida, head of content at Pantaya. “Adapting A Beautiful Lie for Mexico, itself a brilliant modernization of Anna Karenina, has proven a formidable challenge, and we are proud of the premium and elegant series we will be producing together”

Jerry Rodriguez, head of scripted at Endemol Shine Boomdog, added, “We are excited to work with Kate, both as an actress and also as an executive producer, and with her team at Cholawood. We are confident that this will become a brand-defining series, showcasing some of the best on-screen and behind-the-camera talent in the industry.”