Jennifer Lopez Says It’s Tough to Make Movies That Aren’t About Marvel Comics

Marvel’s home to Hollywood’s biggest franchise, something that’s grossed nearly $23 billion worldwide in the past decade. Over the course of the next few years, the Disney-owned studio will release upwards of a dozen properties in theaters and through direct-to-consumer platforms. The schedule’s heavy with just Marvel properties, let alone other franchise like Star Wars, Star Trek, Harry Potter, James Bond, or the DCEU.

Hollywood’s so franchise-friendly, in fact, Hustlers star Jennifer Lopez says it’s increasingly difficult to get a movie made that isn’t a comic book adaptation or part of some massive billion-dollar franchise. Speaking with Variety while promoting Hustlers this weekend at the Toronto International Film Festival, the actor says its tough on filmmakers looking to make people-centric movies.

“First of all, it’s hard to make a movie, period,” Lopez says about her leap into filmmaking. “It has to be a Marvel comic or some crazy franchise thing but the smaller movies about humanity and people and life and struggles, you don’t get that as much unless you do that for nothing and there’s no budget.”

The initial question that prompted Lopez’s response asked the star if she thought it was still tough making female-led movies in 2019. “We couldn’t make this movie that way,” the actor continued. “On top of the movies themselves, then when you have women characters at the front of it, it’s a whole another battle. It’s a whole new layer and it’s hard to get them made.”

After premiering this weekend in Toronto, Hustlers received some earlier critical acclaim, debuting on Rotten Tomatoes with a near-perfect 94 percent Fresh rating with 17 reviews counted. Most critics are applauding the film’s heart and comedic undertones with one critic going the length to say it’s better than the Oscar-nominated Wolf of Wall Street.

Starring Lopez, Constance Wu, Julia Stiles, Keke Palmer, Lili Reinhart, Lizzo, and Cardi B, Hustlers followers a group of New York City-based strippers during the late 2000s financial crisis. The film was written and directed by Lorene Scafaria (Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist) while Lopez produced with Jessica Elbaum, Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, and Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas.

Hustlers hits theaters September 12th.

Upcoming Marvel Studios projects include Black Widow on May 1, 2020, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier in Fall 2020, The Eternals on November 6, 2020, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings on February 12, 2021, WandaVision in Spring 2021, Loki in Spring 2021, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on May 7, 2021, What If…? in Summer 2021, Hawkeye in Fall 2021, and Thor: Love and Thunder on November 5, 2021, and Black Panther 2 on May 6, 2022. Marvel Studios Disney+ series without release dates include Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight, and She-Hulk.