Last year, we had Ocean’s 8 . This year, it’s all about Hustlers .
Along the same lines as Ocean’s , Hustler follows a group of diverse women who pull off robberies.
Unlike Ocean’s , this group has a unifying profession: they’re all strippers!
In order to train for the movie, Lili Reinhart has taken up pole dancing. And she’s absolutely killing it.
Here’s what we know about the movie
We’ll get to the stacked cast in a minute.
For now, here’s the tea: Hustlers is based on a true story. In 2015, journalist Jessia Pressler wrote an article, The Hustlers at Scores , about two strippers: Roselyn Keo and Samantha Barbash.
They had a lucrative side business going
Keo and Barbash met after Keo quit her job at a diner in search of a more profitable career.
Barbash pulled Keo in on a plan: they’d make even more money stripping if they robbed their clients.
So, they began a grand scam
Barbash would call up her old clients and lure them to the club.
There, the two women would spike the men’s drinks with MDMA and ketamine.
From there, they’d rob the men, and the drugs would ensure they’d remember nothing.
They were caught in 2014
And the charges they faced were no joke.
The police charged them with forgery, conspiracy, grand larceny, and assault.
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The authorities were tipped off anonymously, and the two’s story was over…until now.
Enter Hustlers
Flash forward to 2019. Hustlers stars Jennifer Lopez, Constance Wu, Cardi B, Lili Reinhart, Julia Stiles, Madeline Brewer, Mercedes Ruehl, Trace Lysette, Frank Whaley and Keke Palmer.
That cast, though. I’m starstruck already.
Production has already started
From JLo’s outfits (and big hoop earrings) in the sneakily snapped pics of filming, it looks like the movie will take place in the early 2000s.
This lines up with the timeline of the original story.
And the cast is clearly having a good time
Constance Wu shared this snap of she, JLo, Keke Palmer, and Lili Reinhart on a rooftop in New York.
Where on Earth are Lili and Keke’s shoes? It looks cold up there!
The cast is training hard for it
Speaking of JLo, Lili, and Keke…
All three have shared some behind-the-scenes footage of what it’s like to be training to pole dance. And honestly? It looks hard.
Keke Palmer shared her first lesson on Instagram. It’s clear that the fluidity we’re used to seeing is hard-won. You can do this, Keke!
JLo is also working on her moves
Since she’s producing the film as well as starring in it, it’s a no-brainer that JLo is putting in some real work to play Ramona.
Here, she successfully gets up on the pole and spins, which is more than, uh, most of us could ever do.
If you can do this, I respect you so much.
The beauty this has, the grace this has, the power this has…
The abs (and thighs) of the woman on the left perfectly demonstrate how strong pole dancing makes you.
JLo is clearly getting one huge workout by learning how to do this.
For Lili, however, this isn’t new
Riverdale star Lili Reinhart has some experience pole dancing.
Good girl (and occasional murderer) Betty Cooper took a turn on the pole in Season 2 of the show. It was part of her initiation into Jughead Jones’ gang, the Southside Serpents.
Yes, everything I just typed is true. Welcome to Riverdale !
It looks like she’s stepped everything up a notch, however
While Betty played it safe, Lili definitely isn’t.
Because she is upside-down.
On a pole.
This is amazing. The core strength that she has to not only keep herself up there, but to do it with one leg extended? Iconic. Legendary. Exhausting.
Move over, Betty Cooper
If anyone ever has to do the Serpent Dance again, I think they might have to step their moves up.
Congrats to Lili on her…everything, actually. This whole experience looks awesome.
Hustlers is heading our way soon
JLo made the announcement on Instagram: Hustlers is due out on September 13th.
Everyone remember to pencil it in their calendars. Or put it in their Blackberries — the movie is set in the early 2000s, after all.
Here’s a pic of JLo’s abs
Just because I think we should all appreciate the hard work she’s put into becoming the badass, fashion-forward Ramona.
What a babe. We have decided to stan forever and ever, amen.