Say hello to the dynamic duo you always needed in your life but never realized: Jennifer Lopez and Constance Wu. Per Deadline, the two are set to costar in writer-director Lorene Scafaria’s upcoming real-life-inspired film Hustlers.
Based on Jessica Pressler’s 2015 New York magazine article “The Hustlers at Scores,” the film will follow a badass band of ex-strip club employees who turn the tables on their wealthy Wall Street clients. Lopez will reportedly front this savvy group of revenge-seeking strippers. According to a press release confirming Lopez and Wu’s involvement, Hustlers will scrutinize the financial crisis and “the toll it took on the livelihood of the dancers who relied on their Wall Street clientele” by way of themes like “identity, loyalty, survival, and control.”
https://twitter.com/jpressler/status/1092817183200215044
Scafaria weighed in on the project via a statement, explaining, “The film is an empathetic look at women and men, our gender roles, what we’re valued for, what we’ve been told is our value in every movie, every TV show, every corner of culture.”
She continued, “Men have been told they’re worth the size of their bank accounts. Women have been told they’re worth the symmetry of their faces, their bodies, their beauty and that’s what this film is based on. The rules of the club are the rules of the world.”
As for casting Lopez, Scafaria insists it was a no-brainer.
“There is no other actor who could embody this raw and dynamic character with such complexity, humanity and intelligence,” she said. “It’s always been her. She’s f***ing Jennifer Lopez.”
She has a point, right? This role comes hot on the heels of Lopez’s acclaimed role in another STX film, Second Act. Wu is at the top of her game too, having become a global darling with the wild success of 2018’s Crazy Rich Asians.
“Jennifer and her team made Second Act an unforgettable experience for STX, so we’re thrilled to be collaborating again,” John Friedberg, president of international sales for STXinternational, told Deadline. “Jennifer and Constance’s global star power, combined with an extraordinary true story, make this an undeniably hot package for our international partners.”
While we can’t speak to any international partners, we’re definitely excited to see these incredible women team up for such a fascinating film.
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