(AllHipHop News) Lorene Scafaria’s Hustlers was a critical and box office success. The 2019 crime drama grossed over $150 million worldwide, and singer/actress Jennifer Lopez’s portrayal of Ramona Vega has garnered award season attention.
It looks like Hustlers could also be headed to Broadway in the future. Variety spoke to Scafaria on the Golden Globe red carpet, and the filmmaker hinted that the story based on real-life New York City strip club employees could be converted into a musical.
What kind of music will be in the #Hustlers Broadway musical? "It's going to depend what Usher lets us do," says director Lorene Scafaria https://t.co/SUepqREPNa #GoldenGlobes pic.twitter.com/8tO1sehEhR
— Variety (@Variety) January 5, 2020
“We’re just starting,” revealed Scafaria. “I said it to them a few months ago that I thought it would be a good idea.”
When it comes to potential tunes for the show, Scafaria suggested she may need to turn to a veteran performer. The screenwriter/playwright said, “I think you can have a little bit of a mix [of old music and new music]. It’s going to depend on what Usher lets us do really. So much depends on Usher.”
Grammy-winner Usher Raymond made a cameo in Hustlers. The cast also featured recording artists Cardi B, Lizzo, and Keke Palmer. However, songs by Cardi, Lizzo, Palmer, and Lopez were not used in the film.
Jason Markey, the music supervisor for Hustlers, did secure the rights to Janet Jackson, Fiona Apple, Lorde, and Big Sean records. Apparently, Usher’s #1 hit from 2008 that made the final cut was not the Atlanta vocalist’s first choice.
“We had cast [Usher] in the movie and he wanted a different song,” recalled Markey. “We had to call his manager and say, ‘No, we want “Love in This Club.”‘ The other song he was pitching was not even the right time period. That’s a whole other thing — Lorene was very strict and staunch about every song.”