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Jennifer Lopez to play drug lord Griselda Blanco in new film© Getty Images

Jennifer Lopez to play Colombian drug lord Griselda Blanco

The actress might make her directorial debut


UPDATED JULY 25, 2019 1:30 PM EDT

Jennifer Lopez is the latest Hollywood star to steps into the shoes of Colombian drug lord Griselda Blanco. The Jenny from the Block singer will play the criminal, who was known as the “Godmother of Cocaine,” in the film aptly titled, The Godmother. Entertainment Weekly reports that the 50-year-old actress is considering stepping behind the camera and making her directorial debut, in addition to playing the lead role. Alex Rodriguez’s fiancée will produce the movie alongside Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, Benny Medina and Julie Yorn.

 
Jennifer Lopez to play drug lord Griselda Blanco in new film© FilmMagic
 Jennifer Lopez will play drug lord Griselda Blanco in The Godmother

“I’ve been forever fascinated by the story of Griselda Blanco and jumped at the chance to play her on screen,” Jennifer said in a statement (via EW). “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.”

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The Godmother, which was inspired by actual events, follows Griselda’s rise and fall as a drug lord who “outsmarted and outhustled the men around her to rise from an impoverished childhood in Colombia to become one of the world’s biggest drug lords.” Griselda, who was killed in 2012, was reportedly worth more than $2 billion, and was a key figurehead in Miami’s Cocaine Cowboy Wars.

 
Jennifer Lopez to play drug lord Griselda Blanco in new film© Getty Images
 The actress might finally make her directorial debut

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Jennifer is following in the footsteps of Catherine Zeta-Jones, who portrayed the drug lord in the 2017 Lifetime movie Cocaine Godmother. Prior to its release, the Welsh actress spoke to Deadline about the role, admitting that there was "something fantastic about how she was the boss in a dangerous man’s world."