Jennifer Lawrence to Star and Produce True-Life Mafia Story ‘Mob Girl’
Categories Excellent Cadaver Jennifer Mob Girl Movies

Jennifer Lawrence to Star and Produce True-Life Mafia Story ‘Mob Girl’

The Hollywood Reporter

‘The Young Pope’ filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino will direct the adaptation for Makeready.

Jennifer Lawrence and The Young Pope director Paolo Sorrentino are teaming on Mob Girl, a feature adaptation of a true-crime story for Makeready, the content studio founded by Brad Westson.

Lawrence will star in and also produce the adaptation of the book by Teresa Carpenter along with Justine Polsky via the duo’s banner, Excellent Cadaver, Makeready said Wednesday. Sorrentino and Lorenzo Mieli will also produce.

Angelina Burnett, a writer-producer who has worked on such shows as The Americans and Halt and Catch Fire, has been hired to pen the script.

Mob Girl centers on Arlyne Brickman, a woman who grew up among racketeers and mobsters on the Lower East Side of New York City. From dating the wise guys to then running errands for them, she became a “mob girlfriend” who then wanted a piece of the action herself. She eventually became a police informant and major witness in the government’s case against the Colombo crime family.

“Seeing this story from a woman’s point of view is a fresh and exciting approach to telling a classic mob story,” said Weston in a statement.

Makeready partner and head of film Pam Abdy and Natalie Williams will oversee for the studio.

Mob Girl marks the first project under the recently announced first-look film deal between Lawrence’s Excellent Cadaver and Makeready. Lawrence is currently shooting A24’s untitled soldier drama, which is being helmed by stage director turned first-time filmmaker Lila Neugebauer. Lawrence and Polsky are producing the feature along with Scott Rudin and Eli Bush.

Sorrentino and Miele produced The Young Pope, which starred Jude Law, for HBO. The duo are currently in production on the follow-up, The New Pope, with John Malkovich joining the Law-led cast. Both series were created and directed by Sorrentino.

Lawrence is repped by LBI Entertainment and Hansen Jacobson. Sorrentino is repped by UTA. Burnett is repped by Manage-ment and Gang Tyre. ICM Partners repped the author in the book deal.

Jennifer Lawrence Launches Production Company ‘Excellent Cadaver’
Categories Excellent Cadaver Jennifer

Jennifer Lawrence Launches Production Company ‘Excellent Cadaver’

The star and her producing partner Justine Polsky have inked a first-look film deal with Makeready.

Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence is gearing up for a more significant presence behind the camera with the launch of production company Excellent Cadaver.

With her producing partner Justine Polsky, Lawrence and Excellent Cadaver have inked a first-look film deal with Brad Weston’s Makeready.

Under the agreement, Makeready will have a first look at the film projects Excellent Cadaver develops and produces. Through the first-look film deal, Makeready and Excellent Cadaver will finance and produce films both independently and as part of Makeready’s deals with Universal and Entertainment One. The deal encompasses films that Lawrence and Polsky will produce, and some that Lawrence will additionally star in.

Makeready’s head of film, Pam Abdy, will oversee any Excellent Cadaver projects.

In a relatively short amount of time, Jennifer has already proven herself to be a one-of-a-kind actress and businesswoman,” says Weston. “Her versatility and commitment to working with the greatest filmmakers in the industry highlights our shared ambition to create thoughtful, fearless films, and we are extremely excited to partner with Jennifer and Justine as they start this new chapter.

Brad and Pam are visionary producers with incredible taste and a history of supporting diverse and compelling storytelling. We are thrilled to be partnering with Makeready and look forward to this exciting collaboration,” added Lawrence and Polsky.

Weston, the former president and CEO of New Regency, launched Makeready in 2017 with backing from eOne and a five-year agreement with Uni to handle worldwide distribution and marketing on two feature films per year. The company is currently developing Queen & Slim, the debut feature for Emmy winner Lena Waithe starring Get Out actor Daniel Kaluuya.

THR