Sony Pictures has selected Lissette Feliciano, the writer and director of “Women Is Losers,” to work on “On Your Feet,” a movie version of the Broadway musical with an insider knowledgeable about the project.
The movie is in its early stages. As reported by Deadline, the first ones to share the news, the project is “a jukebox musical that tells the inspiring true story of Emilio and Gloria Estefan, two Cuban immigrants who started their journey to international musical fame from humble beginnings.”
The musical first appeared in 2015 at the Marquis Theatre on Broadway and depicts the extraordinary life of Gloria Estefan, the influential Cuban-American singer and songwriter. It illustrates her ascent from modest origins in Miami to becoming the lead vocalist of the highly successful Miami Sound Machine band, known for skillfully combining Latin rhythms with pop elements. The musical also explores her partnership with her husband and musical collaborator, Emilio Estefan. The musical ran for 750 performances.
Gloria and Emilio Estefan, along with John and Jordan Davis of Davis Entertainment, will produce “On Your Feet.” John Fox is the executive producer.
In TheWrap’s assessment of the musical, Robert Hofler stated, “Imagine a ‘Funny Girl’ in which Nicky Arnstein is Fanny Brice’s talented, hard-working manager-collaborator. That plot would pretty much sum up the love story and rise to fame of Emilio and Gloria Estefan in their new jukebox musical, ‘On Your Feet!’”
Feliciano gained attention with her 2021 independent drama “Women is Losers,” her first directorial work. The film featured Lorenza Izzo and “Shang Chi” star Simu Liu, as well as Bryan Craig and Chrissie Fit. “Women is Losers” premiered at SXSW and received critical acclaim before being acquired by MAX.
Feliciano is also an NYU Tisch graduate and recipient of the Tribeca Film Institute AT&T Untold Stories grant. She is represented by Verve and Adelman Matz.
