Selena Gomez will go to new heights for a forthcoming movie role.
The actor and singer has signed on to star in “In the Shadow of the Mountain,” a biopic about Peruvian mountaineer Silvia Vásquez-Lavado. The film will be directed by Elgin James and based on Vásquez-Lavado’s memoir of the same name, due out in 2022 (there’s no release date yet for the movie).
Born in Lima, Vásquez-Lavado made history in 2016 when she became the first Peruvian woman to reach the peak of Mount Everest. Two years later, she became the first openly gay woman to have scaled the Seven Summits ― the highest mountain on each of the seven continents. The 46-year-old climber now lives in San Francisco.
In an Instagram post on Wednesday, Vásquez-Lavado said she was “honored and touched” that Gomez, whom she praised as “bold, talented, and brilliant,” had been chosen to play her.
Vásquez-Lavado’s passion for mountain climbing began as a child when she sought refuge and healing after being sexually abused by a family friend. In 2014, she founded Courageous Girls, a California-based advocacy group, to help young female survivors of sexual violence through adventure travel.
Gomez, who previously dated Nick Jonas and Justin Bieber, has never publicly labeled her own sexuality. In 2015, she laughed off media speculation about the nature of her relationship with model Cara Delevingne, who is bisexual.
“Oh, I think everybody [questions their sexuality], no matter who they are,” Gomez told PrideSource that same year. “I do, yeah, of course. Absolutely. I think it’s healthy to gain a perspective on who you are deep down, question yourself and challenge yourself; it’s important to do that.”
Gomez released her latest album, “Rare,” in January. She’s also set to produce and possibly star in the psychological thriller “Dollhouse,” the script for which has drawn early comparisons to 2010’s “Black Swan” starring Natalie Portman.