Penélope Cruz has secured her upcoming film. The beloved Spanish actress will star in an English-language adaptation of “The Days of Abandonment,” an Italian novel written by Elena Ferrante. The film will be directed by Isabel Coixet, a Spanish director that’s worked with Cruz in the past.

“The Days of Abandonment” will transplant its original Italian setting to America, with Cruz playing Olga, a writer forced to put her career on hold once her husband of 15 years abandons her and their two daughters for another woman. The screenplay will be written by Laurence Coriat and will be directed by Coixet, who worked with Cruz in the film “Elegy.”

Elena Ferrante is one of the most prolific and mysterious writers of our times. Her novels have become worldwide best sellers and have been adapted into succesful films and TV series, like “My Brilliant Friend,” “The Lying Life of Adults,” and “The Lost Daughter.” Despite her immense popularity, Ferrante keeps her life and identity private, writing under a pseudonym.