Eva Longoria to direct and produce an adaptation of Xochitl Gonzalez’s socialite thriller Anita de Monte Laughs Last

After directing the 2023 docudrama Flamin’ Hot, about the story of Richard Montañez, who, as a Frito Lay janitor, channeled his Mexican heritage to turn Frito Lay snacks into a spicy sensation, entertainment industry superstar Eva Longoria is ready for her next directorial effort. According to reports, Eva Longoria is re-teaming with Searchlight Pictures to direct an adaptation of Xochitl Gonzalez’s novel Anita de Monte Laughs Last. In addition to getting behind the camera, Longoria will produce through the Hyphenate Media Group, which she shares with Cris Abrego and Jada Miranda.

According to Deadline, Anita de Monte Laughs Last “tells the story of a first-generation Ivy League student who uncovers the genius work of a female artist decades after her suspicious death.”

Here’s a description for Gonzalez’s novel, courtesy of Amazon:

1985. Anita de Monte, a rising star in the art world, is found dead in New York City; her tragic death is the talk of the town. Until it isn’t. By 1998 Anita’s name has been all but forgotten―certainly by the time Raquel, a third-year art history student is preparing her final thesis. On College Hill, surrounded by privileged students whose futures are already paved out for them, Raquel feels like an outsider. Students of color, like her, are the minority there, and the pressure to work twice as hard for the same opportunities is no secret.

But when Raquel becomes romantically involved with a well-connected older art student, she finds herself unexpectedly rising up the social ranks. As she attempts to straddle both worlds, she stumbles upon Anita’s story, raising questions about the dynamics of her own relationship, which eerily mirrors that of the forgotten artist.

Moving back and forth through time and told from the perspectives of both women, Anita de Monte Laughs Last is a propulsive, witty examination of power, love, and art, daring to ask who gets to be remembered and who is left behind in the rarefied world of the elite.

Eva Longoria has multiple pre-production projects, including 24-7, an upcoming comedy she’ll direct, based on a script by Sarah Rothschild. The story focuses on a group of accountants who band together against their firm’s male colleagues to solve a fraud case that will save their jobs. Longoria stars alongside Kerry Washington, with other cast members yet to be announced.

Are you familiar with Xochitl Gonzalez’s novel? Will Eva Longoria do Anita de Monte Laughs Last justice on the silver screen? We’re excited to find out!

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