Jennifer Lawrence will play a Hollywood power agent for Paolo Sorrentino

The real-life Sue Mengers’ client list included Barbra Streisand, Cher and Michael Caine.

Words

Charles Bramesco

@intothecrevasse

Over the past few years, things seem to have slowed down for Jennifer Lawrence, her appearances in new films slimmed to one per year, if that. Her self-imposed hiatus will soon come to an end in grand fashion, however, with key roles in upcoming films by Adam McKay (the climate change satire Don’t Look Up), rookie director Lila Neugebauer (the military PTSD drama Red, White, and Water) and Paolo Sorrentino (the crime thriller Mob Girl).

Her comeback of sorts won’t be a flash in the pan, either, based on today’s news that she’s already setting up another project with Sorrentino. Variety reports that Lawrence will reteam with the Italian director on a to-be-titled film that would see her starring as quintessential Hollywood super agent Sue Mengers.

The take-no-prisoners talent rep handled some of the biggest names of the ’70s, her client list including Barbra Streisand, Peter Bogdanovich, Michael Caine, Cher, Ryan and Tatum O’Neal, Faye Dunaway, Brian De Palma, Bob Fosse, and on and on. She also made a name for herself by cofounding the International Creative Management empire still standing today, elbowing her way into a boys’ club at a time when women were still mostly restricted to secretarial positions.

The film will focus on this feminist bent to her achievements, reliving the wild times of New Hollywood with a modern political consciousness. As Variety notes, many of these famous faces from the era will provide roles for today’s stars, so fingers crossed for a Lady Gaga appearance as an in-her-prime Babs.

At present, Apple and Netflix have entered a bidding war for rights to the package, with Apple naming an eye-popping price tag of $80 million, Lawrence’s fee being a whopping $20 million. Mengers herself would be proud of whoever made that happen.

Published 9 Aug 2021

Tags: Jennifer Lawrence Paolo Sorrentino

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