"American Hustle" helmer, Jennifer Lawrence circling rags-to-riches story

PanARMENIAN.Net - American Hustle helmer David O. Russell is in early talks to rewrite and direct an untitled Fox 2000 film about the remarkable life story of Joy Mangano, a struggling Long Island single mom of three who became one of the country’s most successful entrepreneurs with her self-wringing Miracle Mop invention. He wants Jennifer Lawrence to play Mangano. Lawrence, after winning the Best Actress Oscar for the Russell-directed Silver Linings Playbook, is nominated for Best Supporting Actress for American Hustle, Deadline said.

The project has a script by Annie Mumolo, who with Kristen Wiig got Oscar nominations for scripting Bridesmaids. This is a rags-to-riches story of a woman who worked three jobs to support her kids and who overcame long odds to finally get her due with an invention that became an HSN sensation and allowed Mangano to clean up. It is a strong empowerment tale.

John Davis and John Fox are producing for Davis Entertainment, along with Ken Mok. Fox 2000′s Elizabeth Gabler and Rodney Ferrell shaped the script to get to this point. Mangano became known as the “Mother of Invention” after she sold her mop -making enterprise, Ingenious Designs, LLC, in a multimillion-dollar deal with HSN. She remains company president, continuing to be one of HSN’s most successful presenters, with hourly sales topping $1 million. Mangano developed Huggable Hangers, and Fast Company ranked Mangano as one of its 100 Most Creative People in Business and one of the 10 Most Creative Women in Business.

Lawrence has two more installments of The Hunger Games and reprises as Mystique in X-Men: Days Of Future Past. She is attached to reteam with Gary Ross in an adaptation of East Of Eden and the Hannah Kent novel Burial Rites.

American Hustle is up for 10 Oscars, including Best Picture, for performances by Lawrence, Amy Adams, Christian Bale and Silver Linings Playbook‘s Bradley Cooper. Russell is up for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay with Eric Singer. It is Russell’s third straight Best Director nomination, after Silver Linings Playbook and The Fighter.