Jennifer Lopez Enters into Action Stardom with New Movie ‘The Mother’

Jennifer Lopez is trading in The Wedding Planner for The Mother, ditching rom-com royalty for sniper rifles and snowmobile chases.

A recent first look at J. Lo’s latest film, The Mother, depicts the singer-turned-actress as a retired assassin, leaping back into action to protect her teen daughter. Opening on a barren, snowy landscape, the teaser shows a buff Lopez doing pull-ups in the freezing cold. Her brow is furrowed in determination. As the usual action trope goes, she’s out for blood.

The minute-long clip is action-packed from start to finish, featuring a kidnapping, high-speed chases, speeding motorcycles, running through this, and jumping over that. The Mother appears to be the star’s first deep dive into the action genre. In the past, she merely dabbled in thrillers like Anaconda and Enough and crime dramas like Hustlers and Lila & Eve.

Lopez will appear alongside Joseph Fiennes, Omari Hardwick, Gael García Bernal, Paul Raci, Lucy Paez, Jesse Garcia, and Yvonne Senat Jones. While no characters have been officially confirmed, according to the first look, Paez will most likely be playing Lopez’s daughter, and Fiennes will portray the main villain.

The Mother is set to premiere exclusively on Netflix in May of 2023.

In celebration of the new movie announcement, J. Lo dug into the archives, sharing select clips from the 2006 biographical drama, El Cantante. Detailing salsa legend Hector Lavoe’s life and career, Lopez plays Lavoe’s wife, the fiery and passionate, Puchi. While El Cantante is not as action-packed as The Mother is expected to be, it is instead a testament to the superstar’s versatility.

Check out her performance below. Let us know your favorite J. Lo role in the comments below.

Photo by Daniele Venturelli/Daniele Venturelli/Getty Images for Luisaviaroma