Jennifer Lawrence to star in new mafia movie 'Mob Girl'

July 24 (UPI) -- Jennifer Lawrence has joined the cast of the new mafia movie Mob Girl.

The Wrap confirmed Wednesday the 28-year-old actress will star in the upcoming film from director Paolo Sorrentino.

Mob Girl is based on the book Mob Girl: A Woman's Life in the Underworld by reporter and author Teresa Carpenter. The story follows Arlyne Brickman, a real-life mob wife turned police informant.

Brickman, now 85, grew up in the Lower East Side of New York City. She started dating "wiseguys" and got involved in mob activities before becoming an informant who was a major witness in the government's case against the Colombo crime family.

Variety said Lawrence will play Brickman and co-produce with Sorrentino, Justine Polsky and Lorenzo Mieli. Makeready is producing the film, with Angelina Burnett to adapt the script.

"Seeing this story from a woman's point of view is a fresh and exciting approach to telling a classic mob story," Makeready founder Brad Weston said. "We could not imagine a more perfect team of stellar filmmakers, with Jennifer starring in a tour de force role and Paolo at the helm, to bring Arlyne's strength and unique perspective to life on screen."

Sorrentino is known for such films as The Consequences of Love, Il Divo, This Must Be the Place and The Great Beauty. He also created the HBO series The Young Pope, which will be followed by The New Pope.

Lawrence will also star as Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes in an adaptation of the John Carreyrou book Bad Blood.