Actress Eva Longoria will play the mother of children’s TV character Dora the Explorer in an upcoming live action film, her publicist has confirmed.

The 43-year-old Desperate Housewives star will portray Elena in the big screen version of the Nickelodeon series, produced by Paramount Pictures.

Isabela Moner, 17, will play the title role, heading to high school after spending most of her life exploring the jungle with her parents.

The film will see Dora, her best friends Boots the monkey and Diego try to solve the  mystery behind a lost Inca civilisation.

Longoria rose to fame in eight seasons of comedy drama Desperate Housewives from 2004 to 2012, alongside Teri Hatcher and Felicity Huffman.

Longoria and her husband, businessman Jose Baston, announced the birth of their son Santiago on June 21.

She and Santiago appeared on the cover of Hola! USA magazine in July.

Longoria married Baston, president of Latin American media company Televisa, in May 2016.

Dora the Explorer has been scheduled by Paramount for a release in August 2019.