Jennifer Lopez will star in Annapurna Pictures’ Hustlers, directed by Lorene Scafaria.

The film is inspired by a New York Magazine article by Jessica Pressler entitled The Hustlers at Scores. It tells the story of a group of savvy former strip club employees who collaborated to turn the tables on their Wall Street clients. Lopez will play the ringleader of the group of ambitious women. 

Hustlers is written by Scafaria, and it will take place in the late aughts of New York City during the financial crisis. It also examines the toll the crisis placed on the livelihood of the dancers who depended upon their Wall Street clients. 

According to Variety, Scafaria said that “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, TV show, every corner of culture…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.”

Scafaria is very satisfied with Lopez joining the cast. She considers Lopez the perfect actress for this role and “There is no other actor who could embody this raw and dynamic character with such complexity, humanity, and intelligence.”

Lopez will next be seen in the romantic comedy Second Act alongside Milo Ventimiglia and Vanessa Hudgens.