Lopez and Lasse

In what will surely go down as one of the least expected cinematic partnerships for some time, Jennifer Lopez – or the soon-to-be Mrs Affleck – is in talks to team up with Swedish director Lasse Hallstr. Best known for his poignant, sweet-centred tales as Cider House Rules, Chocolat and The Shipping News, Hallström is to bring his particular brand of life-affirming whimsy to the family drama An Unfinished Life which focuses on a down-on-her-luck woman who, desperate to care for her daughter, is forced to move in with her estranged father-in-law. This being a Hallström film an' all, rather than all-out family war studded with a few poisoning attempts and horrible domestic accidents, over time the bickering pair learn to forgive each other and heal those festering wounds. Put on a fast track with shooting scheduled to start as early as the Spring, An Unfinished Life would be Jenny from the Block's next film project and one which El Lopez might well hope will steady her recent rocky track record in dramatic roles. She may have topped the U.S. chart with rom-com Maid in Manhattan and found yet another hubbie in upcoming comedies Gigli and Jersey Girl, but her latest attempts at serious roles, Enough, Angel Eyes and The Cell have made her music videos look like minor masterpieces. With a couple of Oscar nominations firmly under his Nordic belt, Lasse might just be the man to change that.