Laura Esquivel’s most famous novel, Como Agua Para Chocolate (Like Water for Chocolate), is set to become an HBO Max series. The news was confirmed on September 20 by HBO Max Latinoamérica’s own social media channels, in a post that also announced the show has started filming.

“We are very proud to announce the beginning of production on Like Water for Chocolate, a project that brings together all the elements that as content creators we aspire to have in a story: a powerful plot that immerses us in a universe as particular as that of Latin American magical realism, deeply rooted in our culture, made in conjunction with great creators and local talent, with an enormous projection to travel globally and developed with the seal of quality that characterizes HBO,” Mariano César, Head of General Entertainment Content for Warner Bros. Discovery in Latin America and US Hispanic said.

Like Water for Chocolate is based on Laura Esquivel’s 1989 novel, a very clear exponent of the magical realism that defined decades of Latin American literature. The novel has been translated into more than 30 languages and has previously been adapted into a very successful 1992 movie. And most recently a ballet adaptation debuted at the Metropolitan Opera.

It follows Tita and Pedro’s love story, as they fight against family tradition that keeps them from being together – and leads to Pedro marrying Tita’s sister instead of her, all while Tita’s emotions begin to surface in magical ways, through her cooking.

Julián de Tavira y Ana Lorena Pérez Ríos are set to direct, with Irene Azuela, Azul Guaita, Ari Brickman, Ana Valeria Becerril, Andrea Chaparro, Andrés Baida, Ángeles Cruz and Louis David Horné set to star. The series is executive produced by Salma Hayek, among many others.

Hayek recently produced the Spanish language holiday film El Sabor de la Navidad. It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 13, 2023. And it’s set as a dramedy of three intersecting stories around the holiday season that celebrates Mexican culture.

There’s no date set for Like Water for Chocolate’s premiere.