STX announced today that Jennifer Lopez will star in “The Godmother,” a drama that 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. Griselda was reportedly worth more than $2 billion and was a key figurehead in Miami’s ruthless and murderous Cocaine Cowboy Wars.
“I’ve been forever fascinated by the story of Griselda Blanco and jumped at the chance to play her on screen,” said Jennifer in a press release. “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.”
Per The Hollywood Reporter, Jennifer “could make her directorial debut with “The Godmother”, though she has not yet committed to helming the project”.
The screenplay is written by Regina Corrado and Terence Winter. In addition to starring, Jennifer will produce alongside Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, Benny Medina and Julie Yorn.
In somewhat related news, Jennifer’s next film, “Hustlers”, will debut at the Toronto Film Festival in September!
