It’s been six months since Jennifer Lopez fans last heard about her latest project, Hustlers. In that time, the Nuyorican actress giving beauty tips, launching a skincare line, and working with numerous musical collaborators. Now, Hustlers is finally ready to go before cameras in March and studio STXInternational will be making it official at Berlin’s European Film Market.
The film, based on a New York Magazine article by Jessica Pressler, follows a group of “savvy former strip club employees” who join forces to “turn the tables” on the high-class men that visit the club. Lorene Scarfaria is directing and working on the adaptation and it’s been revealed that Crazy Rich Asians star, Constance Wu will be playing opposite Lopez. It’s not surprising that STX would be joining forces again with Lopez, who is also acting as producer on Hustlers; her recent feature, Second Act, did well for the studio last year.
This recent announcement is assuaging the fears that the project wasn’t going to happen since it was originally slated to be produced by Annapurna but who then dropped out. For fans, the good news is that Hustlers is officially in motion. Hearing that Wu is teaming up with Lopez only increases the interest now that the project has two female leads of color. If STX can market this well it could become another runaway blockbuster on par with Crazy Rich Asians and further remind people that projects with people of color aren’t fluke successes.
Hustlers starts filming this spring with an unknown release date.