By
Manuel Betancourt
Published:
2:00 PM PST, February 7, 2022
Back in 2001, Jennifer Lopez released her second studio album,J.Lo, the same week as her rom-com,The Wedding Planner. With album and film alike reaching number one, "Jenny From the Block" accomplished a rare feat. Over 20 years later, she may get the chance to boast yet again of having a number onefilm and a number onealbum in the same year.
After a brush of awards success with 2019’s Hustlers and a bombastic 2020Super Bowl performance alongside Shakira, 2022 will see Lopez headline Marry Me, a new rom-com evocative of her 2000s hits which will come with its very own accompanying soundtrack.
The Premiere Date and Teaser
As its original teaser trailer promised, the rom-com was initially slated to be released in time for Valentine’s Day on 2021, before it was dated for May 14, 2021. But given the uncertain state of theatrical distribution in the coming months, the film is officially coming out Feb. 11, 2022.
The Premise
Lopez plays Katalina "Kat" Valdez, a music superstar engaged to the equally successful Bastian, played by Maluma. While the two have been making music and a future together which will culminate in their livestreamed extravagant wedding, Kat finds out Bastian is having an affair moments before she’s to walk down the aisle. Calling off the engagement on the spot, she holds up a “Marry Me” sign and finds in divorced Math teacher Charlie Gilbert (Owen Wilson) a guy willing to take her up on the offer.
What follows may well make the bulk of the film, as Kat and Charlie learn to navigate their different worlds to see if such an unlikely beginning can lead to a fulfilling partnership, but there’s no denying those early moments between Maluma and J.Lo as a power couple are sure to keep fans of both buzzing.
Lopez surprised Maluma fans during his 11:11 concert at Madison Square Garden in 2019 for a "No Me Ames" duet between "Kat" and "Bastian."
The Cast and Crew
Maluma, who’ll be making his big screen debut with Marry Me, has had nothing but great things to share about the experience. The Colombian singertold ET in October 2019 that he was having an "amazing" time filming Marry Me in New York. "It's been an amazing month, actually. I've been here in New York for two or three weeks shooting the movie with Jennifer," he said. "It's been such an amazing experience also working, doing music. I mean, we never stop."
In addition to Lopez, Wilson and Maluma, Marry Me boasts a formidable comedic ensemble that includes Sarah Silverman, Michelle Buteau, Jameela Jamiland Utkarsh Ambudkar. Jimmy Fallon also has a small cameo in the film.
Written by John Rogers, Tami Sagher and Harper Dill, the film was directed by Kat Coiro, who's best known for her work on television shows like The Mick, Dead to Me and Modern Family --as well as the upcoming She-Hulk.
The Film’s Soundtrack
Given that Lopez and Maluma are playing Latin superstars in the film, it’s no surprise to find the two have collaborated on what promises to be a much-touted soundtrack to go alongside the film’s release.
"I wanted to make an album in English and Spanish. I wanted it to be the first English movie that had a bilingual soundtrack,” J.Lo shared during a joint interview with Maluma during Billboard Latin Week.
The two singers have released “Pa Ti” and “Lonely,” which the two performed at the 2021 AMAs, giving fans an early taste of what they can expect as part of the Marry Me soundtrack. The official soundtrack was released Feb. 4.
“This album was actually really difficult because I wasn't making a J.Lo album. I wanted it to be different than the things that I had done. And also, I was weaving in the songs and writing them for the story,” Lopez added.
For more on Marry Me, watch the video below.
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