Penelope Cruz is to star in Pedro Almodovar’s next film, “Los abrazos rotos,” described as a “four-way tale of amour fou, shot in the style of ’50s American film noir at its most hard-boiled.”

“Abrazos” will go into pre-production next year, with Almodovar aiming to shoot in the spring, partly in Madrid.

“Abrazos” is set in the ’90s and present day. It will mix stylistic references to films such as Nicholas Ray’s “In a Lonely Place” and Vincente Minnelli’s “The Bad and the Beautiful” with signature Almodovar themes: “Fate, the mystery of creation, guilt, unscrupulous power, the eternal search of fathers for sons, and sons for fathers,” Pedro Almodovar told Daily Variety.

“Penelope will exchange the era’s aprons, cardigans and the hairdos for an updated look, but one that mixes the transparent turbulence of Gene Tierney and the mistreated, challenging beauty of Linda Darnell in Otto Preminger’s ‘Fallen Angel,’ ” Pedro Almodovar explained, talking about points of departure for the film.

He is completing the screenplay. “Like some of my other films — ‘Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown’ — this film came easily, in one go,” Almodovar said.