While Selena Gomez debuted her comeback record Rare earlier this year, the singer has since pivoted to her acting career. While in quarantine, the singer starred in HBO’s Selena + Chef series, which invited famous cooks to teach her how to prepare their famous dishes. Now, Gomez is taking on another film project, this time starring in a feature-length movie about a Peruvian mountaineer.
The Hollywood Reporter confirmed Gomez’s involvement, reporting that the film will be created by Elgin James, who is known for the 2011 indie drama Little Birds. Titled In the Shadow Of The Mountain, the film will center around the inspiring story of Silvia Vásquez-Lavado.
In the Shadow Of The Mountain is based off Vásquez-Lavado’s memoir of the same name, which details how she overcame childhood trauma and abuse to become the first Peruvian woman to successfully summit Mount Everest. Vásquez-Lavado is also the first openly-gay woman to complete the Seven Summits challenge, which is the trial to climb the highest mountain on all seven continents.
Producer Donna Gigliotti, who is known for her involvement in Hidden Figures, expressed her excitement about the project in a statement. “Silvia is a force of nature,” Gigliotti said. “Scott [Budnick] and I are so excited to work with Elgin and Selena to tell this story of resilience, courage, adventure and humanity.”
