J.Lo Will Portray Colombian Drug Lord Griselda Blanco in ‘The Godmother’

Jennifer Lopez is transforming into the “Cocaine Queen” for her next role in the upcoming film The Godmother. Aside from starring in the film, J.Lo is also producing it alongside Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, Benny Medina, and Julie Yorn. There are also talks that she may be making her directorial debut.

The Godmother is based on the real-life story of Colombian drug lord Griselda Blanco, who outsmarted rivals to become one of the most prominent leaders in the Miami drug trade, known for developing distribution networks across the U.S.

“I’ve been forever fascinated by the story of Griselda Blanco and jumped at the chance to play her on-screen,” said Lopez in a press release, via Variety. “She is all things we look for in storytelling and dynamic character — 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.”

Griselda Blanco went by multiple monikers including, “The Godmother,” “La Madrina,” “The Cocaine Queen,” and “The Black Widow” and was reportedly worth more than $2 billion when she was still alive. Blanco was a part of the Medellín Cartel and a key figurehead in Miami’s Cocaine Cowboy Wars. She also lived in Queens, New York for some time, expanding the cartel drug trade in the city during the ’70s.

Blanco was notorious for having invented the motorcycle drive-by murder and ironically, she died in that manner by an unknown assassin when she stepped out of a butcher shop in Medellín in 2012 at the age of 69. She was deported from the U.S. in 2004 after serving nearly two decades in prison on murder and racketeering charges in New York and Florida.

The upcoming film starring J.Lo isn’t the first time her story gets the Hollywood treatment. In 2017, Catherine Zeta-Jones portrayed Blanco in the Lifetime movie Cocaine Godmother: The Griselda Blanco Story. Her story was also featured in the 2008 documentary Cocaine Cowboys: Hustlin’. 

This is the third time J.Lo collaborates with entertainment company STXfilms. In 2018, she starred in Second Act, which earned $72 million at the global box office along with the upcoming Hustlers, which opens Sept. 13 and co-stars  Cardi B, Keke Palmer, and Constance Wu.

This news comes after she celebrated her 50th birthday on July 24, which she’s been celebrating with her “It’s My Party” tour proving yet again that age isn’t slowing her down one bit.