STX is assembling an all-star cast for Hustlers, a film that follows the exploits of a group of Manhattan strippers who set out to scam Wall Street bros out of their cash. The film is based on the a 2016 New York Magazine article, “The Hustlers at Scores” by Jessica Pressler.
So far, the film has attached an incredible cast which includes Jennifer Lopez, Cardi B, and Constance Wu. This will be Cardi’s acting debut, but it shouldn’t be much of a stretch as was a stripper prior to becoming a rap superstar. Also joining the film is Lili Reinhart (Riverdale), Keke Palmer (Scream Queens), and Julia Stiles. In addition, Mercedes Ruehl (The Fisher King) and Trace Lysette (Transparent) are joining as well.
The article followed the exploits of a group of strippers working at the famed Scores in New York, who saw a downturn in clientele after the 2008 financial crisis. Under the tutelage of a senior stripper, the girls started reaching out to wealthy club-goers and partying with them, before convincing them to hit a strip club, where they would then get a cut of the money spent at the club.
The scheme escalated, with the women drugging the men’s drinks with ketamine and MDMA in an effort to part them from their money. At their height, the crew was scamming tens of thousands of dollars off of these men in a single night. Think Ocean’s 8 but with way more body glitter. Lopez will play the ringleader of the group.
The film is written and directed by Lorene Scafaria (The Meddler), who said of the project, “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.”
This looks it has the potential to be a lot of fun, and not exploitative considering it has a wome behind the camera and a talented and diverse cast of actresses. We’re tentatively excited to see where this all goes.
(via Deadline, image: Frazer Harrison/Ethan Miller/Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
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