Lopez and Blum Team-Up for “Boy Next Door”

Before Jennifer Lopez makes her return to TV with an appearance on next year’s American Idol (don’t hate me for knowing that), she’ll be teaming up with Blumhouse Productions to star in their new thriller “The Boy Next Door.”

According to Variety “Lopez will star as a newly separated mother who begins an affair with a new teenage neighbor who befriends her son. Trouble ensues, however, when she tries to abruptly end the relationship.”  Yes, I know that the first reaction to that sort of news is usually “OMG, that’s so hot! I wish J-Lo was my neighbor.”  However, the act of an older person seducing and enticing someone that is underage is still a bit disturbing.  I hope the movie doesn’t shy away from that aspect and tries to explore the issue.

Rob Cohen (“Alex Cross” and “Stealth”) is currently in talks to direct the film which is being written by Barbara Curry who appears to be a newcomer to Hollywood.  Cohen is an interesting choice for a project like this, his sensibilities seem to be driven towards action flicks and not character-driven thrillers.

The film is expected to start shooting this fall with reports indicating that it’ll continue to follow in Blumhouse Production’s plan of making micro-budget films that have greater returns at the box office.  Early rumors indicate that this film will shoot for around $3-$4 million, which is an impressive budget when you consider Lopez gets paid over $15 million for appearing on Idol (once again, don’t hate me for knowing that).   Perhaps it’s a sign that more people are seeing the wisdom in making low budget films that potentially have high returns.