Variety is reporting that Jennifer Lopez has signed up to star in a film about notorious drug lord Griselda Blanco, otherwise known as “The Cocaine Godmother,” for HBO. Blanco—who helped pioneer the Miami cocaine trade in the ’70s and ’80s, and whose drug network brought in $80 million a month at its height—died in 2012, after serving just 19 years in prison for what’s suspected to be as many as 200 murders ordered during her reign.
Lopez has apparently been drawn to Blanco’s story—which, if you squint a little, is just another narrative about a tough, driven women succeeding in a traditionally male-dominated field—for some time, telling reporters, “I’ve been fascinated by the life of this corrupt and complicated woman for years” (Speaking of, Lopez currently stars on NBC’s crooked cop drama Shades Of Blue, where she plays a corrupt and complicated woman of her own.)
Blanco’s a fascinating enough figure that she’s been brought to the screen a number of times over the years. Catherine Zeta-Jones is currently starring in The Godmother, a feature film about her rise and fall. Meanwhile, Dan Harmon went on Drunk History last year to slur out Blanco’s story, with Maya Rudolph taking on the role of the notorious trafficker and killer of men.