Giovanna Lancellotti to Star in $20 Million Carmen Miranda Biopic

A 61 million reais (approximately $20 million) biopic of Brazilian Hollywood Golden Age icon Carmen Miranda will begin filming in Brazil and the United States in the second half of 2027, producers told Variety. Director Esmir Filho ("Homem com H," 2025) is attached, with actress Giovanna Lancellotti cast as Miranda and serving as one of the picture's producers.

The project, "Carmen," carries one of the largest budgets ever assembled for Brazilian cinema. Eighty percent of the financing has already been raised through Brazilian incentives, according to producer Tatiana Issa.

Who is making the film?

• H2O Films will release "Carmen" in Brazilian theaters in the second half of 2028.
• Ananã Produções (Julio Uchôa), New York-based Producing Partners (Issa and Guto Barra), Lancellotti's GL Filmes and H2O are producing.
• The screenplay is by Mariana Bardan and Eduardo Melo.
• The package will be unveiled on Oct. 7 at RioMarket, the business section of the Rio Film Festival.

The producers also plan theatrical releases in the United States, Europe and Asia, where Miranda retains a fan following seven decades after her death.

Who was Carmen Miranda?

Miranda became one of Brazil's largest radio, recording and film stars in the 1930s. Her American career began on Broadway in 1940. She went on to star in 14 features until her death from a heart attack in 1955. Her platform shoes, turbans and rapid-fire vocal style became her trademarks.

Issa, who is also producing, framed Miranda's commercial power in stark terms:

"Carmen became the highest-paid actress in the U.S. She would go into the office of Darryl F. Zanuck, the powerful head of production at Twentieth Century-Fox, and personally negotiate her contracts."

Issa also positioned the singer as a forerunner of Brazilian cultural diplomacy:

"She brought samba to the U.S. and turned it into something pop. Carmen was responsible for creating Brazil's soft power at a time when the term did not even exist. Before Pelé and Brazil won soccer World Cups, she was the one who helped shape the international image of Brazilians as a joyful and colorful people."

Why Esmir Filho?

Issa cited Filho's track record. His 2025 biopic "Homem com H," about Brazilian singer Ney Matogrosso, drew critical praise and posted a strong box office. The producer argued that reception qualifies him to tackle Miranda.

How is Lancellotti preparing?

Lancellotti, a regular in Brazilian telenovelas and film, has spent four years studying Miranda. She trained in vocal performance with Felipe Habib and in body movement and choreography with Márcia Rubin and Vanessa Garcia.

"I immersed myself in Carmen Miranda's story starting in 2021. I memorized the songs and began humming them every day. Carmen created an identity that, 70 years after her death, is still present in music, the arts and fashion," Lancellotti said.

Where will it shoot?

The production will film in three locations, each standing in for a different Miranda milieu:

• New York City — sequences covering her transatlantic arrival and her Broadway musicals.
• Maricá, Brazil — a city roughly 35 miles from Rio that doubles for Los Angeles in the script. Maricá is also one of the production's investors.
• Rio de Janeiro — additional Brazilian sequences.

The Maricá stand-in carries a legacy element. According to Issa, the Los Angeles-set footage will eventually be repurposed for a Carmen Miranda museum planned in Maricá.

What does the international cast look like?

The cast mixes Brazilian and English-speaking performers. The English-speaking roles include Twentieth Century-Fox production chief Darryl F. Zanuck, Broadway producer Lee Shubert and David Sebastian, Miranda's only husband.

If production stays on schedule, "Carmen" will arrive in Brazilian cinemas in late 2028 — a release that would place Giovanna Lancellotti's interpretation of Miranda before international audiences still wearing the platform shoes she made famous.