Jennifer Lopez Wants To Make A Sequel To The Worst Movie Ever Made

By Charlene Badasie | Published

jennifer lopez

Jennifer Lopez’s acting career has been a blend of hits and misses, with movies like Selena doing very well, while Gigli was critically maligned. Still, the singer says the movie deserves a sequel. The 53-year-old made the revelation in Vogue’s popular 73 Questions segment. When asked which of her projects should get a sequel, the actress responded with a smile, saying Gigli.

Billed as a crime comedy, the story follows a mobster named Larry who is ordered to kidnap the brother of a powerful federal prosecutor. When the mission goes sideways, his boss sends a free-spirited gangster named Ricki to make sure everything goes smoothly. Featuring Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez in the lead roles, Gigli is written and directed by Martin Brest. But despite their star power, the project is widely considered one of the worst movies of all time.

It was also one of the most expensive box office flops in Hollywood history, earning a measly $7.2 million against a $75.6 million budget. Although the love scenes between Jennifer Lopez and her handsome co-star attracted the most ridicule, Gigli still holds a soft spot in the actress’ heart since that’s when the couple first met. They began dating a year later in 2002, split in 2004, and ultimately reunited decades later.

Ben Affleck doesn’t exactly share Jennifer Lopez’s sentimental view of Gigli, but he does credit the catastrophic flop as the driving force behind his directorial career. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, the actor said if the reaction wasn’t so negative he probably wouldn’t have decided to direct which has turned out to be the real love of his professional life.

But at the time, the studio was happy with the publicity Ben Affleck’s real-life relationship with Jennifer Lopez generated for Gigli. “It was selling a lot of magazines and appeared to generate a lot of enthusiasm,” the Justice League star said. He explained that people just predictably latched onto it because they wanted a romantic comedy. “They wanted more of that! And it was just like that SNL sketch: Bad Idea,” the actor explained.

ben affleck gigli
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez in Gigli (2003)

However, he did note that signing on for the movie meant he got to meet Jennifer Lopez, who has brought real meaning to his life, so there’s a silver lining for Gigli. The couple, who got married over the summer, also starred together in 2004’s Jersey Girl, which might be a better sequel option. Written and directed by Kevin Smith the movie stars Ben Affleck and Liv Tyler. George Carlin, Stephen Root, Mike Starr, Raquel Castro, Jason Biggs, and Jennifer Lopez appeared in supporting roles.

Jersey Girl follows a man who must take care of his young daughter after her mother dies in childbirth. Away from her real-life love story, the actress further elaborated on her film career. Jennifer Lopez said she regrets turning down the 2002 thriller Unfaithful, more than starring in Gigli. She also told the publication (via People) that the 2006 biopic El Cantante is under-appreciated, and that Hustlers in 2019 challenged her the most.

Meanwhile, Jennifer Lopez is preparing to release her album This Is Me… Now. The record is new take on her 2002 album This Is Me… Then, which she wrote during the early days of her romance with Ben Affleck on the set of Gigli.