Antonio Banderas is teaming up with Broadway legend to entertain more Spanish speakers.

The 61-year-old Spanish actor is joining forces with his longtime friend and fellow collaborator Andrew Lloyd Webber under the banner of new company Amigos Para Siempre (APS), aimed at producing theatre, musicals and live entertainment shows, including some of Webber’s best-loved works, for major Spanish-speaking markets.

Under the initiative, Spanish-language rights to Webber’s shows will be ceded to the new company by the UK composer’s London-based company Really Useful Group.

Shows earmarked for Spanish adaptations include The Phantom of the Opera, Sunset Boulevard, Starlight Express, Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Cinderella, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and School of Rock.

The name of the company derives from a song Webber composed for the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, which was performed at the closing ceremony by Sarah Brightman and José Carreras.

The pair announced the new initiative at a media event in the Spanish capital of Madrid on Monday.

“Not only is Antonio Banderas entertainment royalty, he is also one of the most versatile, creative minds I have ever had the pleasure of working with,” said Webber.

“It is truly exciting to partner with Antonio to bring my work, as well as other brilliant Broadway and West End titles, to new markets. While millions of people in the Spanish-speaking world already love our shows and music, the appetite for more, and the level of musical and theatrical talent, is extraordinary. I can’t wait to work with Antonio to bring the very highest-quality Spanish language productions to the world.”

Acting star Banderas, who has been based in his Spanish hometown Malaga since 2019 after a stint living in the UK and nearly two decades in Los Angeles, now devotes much of his time to his Soho Theatre, alongside feature film shooting commitments.