Selena Gomez To Star as Famed Gay Mountaineer Silvia Vásquez-Lavado in New Biopic

Selena Gomez will star as famous LGBTQ+ mountaineer Silvia Vásquez-Lavado in a new film.

On Wednesday (November 11), The Hollywood Reporter announced the upcoming movie, In the Shadow of the Mountain. The film is set to debut in winter 2022 and will be based on Vásquez-Lavado’s upcoming autobiography of the same name. The film will tell her life story, including how she survived sexual abuse while growing up in Peru.

The movie will also show how she became the first openly LGBTQ+ woman to complete the climbs of the Seven Summits, the tallest mountain on each continent. It will also tell the story of how she became the first Peruvian woman to climb Mount Everest.

Elgin James is the director and writer of In the Shadow of the Mountain. Gomez will not only star in the film, but she will also produce the movie through her production company, July Moon Productions, alongside Oscar winner Donna Gigliotti. Scott Budnick's company, One Community, will finance the project.

“Silvia is a force of nature,” Gigliotti told the outlet. “Scott [Budnick] and I are so excited to work with Elgin and Selena to tell this story of resilience, courage, adventure and humanity.”

Budnick added, "We are thrilled to get to work bringing Silvia’s incredible and inspiring story to life onscreen."