Jennifer Lopez will star in STXfilms’ “The Godmother,” a drama about Colombian drug lord Griselda Blanco, the studio announced on Thursday.
Lopez is also eyeing “The Godmother” as a potential project to make her directorial debut, according to a source close to the project, but she has not yet made a commitment.
“The Godmother” is based on a true story and comes from a screenplay by Regina Corrado (“Deadwood: The Movie”) and Terence Winter. The film chronicles the rise-and-fall of Griselda “La Madrina” Blanco who outsmarted and out-hustled the men around her to rise from an impoverished childhood in Colombia to become one of the world’s biggest drug lords, who reportedly was worth more than $2 billion and was a key figurehead in Miami’s ruthless and murderous Cocaine Cowboy Wars.
Lopez will star as Blanco. She’ll also produce along with Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas and Benny Medina, as well as Julie Yorn. Winter, Alex Pettyfer, Alex Brown and Rick Yorn will executive produce.
“The Godmother” is the third project between Lopez and STXfilms following last year’s “Second Act” and “Hustlers,” which makes its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 7 and opens in theaters Sept. 13. Their rom-com “Marry Me” moved from STX to Universal earlier this year.
“I’ve been forever fascinated by the story of Griselda Blanco and jumped at the chance to play her on screen,” Lopez said in a statement. “She is all things we look for in storytelling and dynamic characters – notorious, ambitious, conniving, chilling. In a genre dominated by legendary kingpins, I’m eager to shine a spotlight on this anti-hero and excited to partner with STX for the third time so we can bring this compelling, complicated story to life.”
“We love working with Jennifer, Elaine and Benny. They are extraordinary producers and we value their partnership and trust. This is an epic true crime story that Jennifer is passionate about telling and we can’t wait to begin production on ‘The Godmother’ with her and her team,” STXfilms chairman Adam Fogelson said.
Lopez is repped by CAA and managed by TheMedinaCo. Winter and Corrado are repped by CAA. Kate Vorhoff is overseeing the project on behalf of STXfilms.