Kristin Chenoweth Joins ‘The Boy Next Door’

Kristin Chenowith is in negotiations to join The Boy Next Door.

The Blumhouse thriller stars Jennifer Lopez as a newly separated mother who becomes attracted to her teenager neighbor. When she abruptly ends their relationship, the boy next door refuses to let her go.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Chenowith will play Lopez’s best friend.

Rob Cohen (xXx, The Fast and the Furious) will direct, and production is expected to begin this fall.

The Boy Next Door is the latest collaboration between Universal and Blumhouse. The two companies recently worked together on The Purge, which grossed $64 million domestically. The film’s budget was $3 million. Blumhouse’s most recent effort, Insidious 2, is coming off the second-best September debut ever after pulling in $41 million at the box office last weekend.

Jennifer Lopez is no stranger to thrillers. The 44-year-old recently starred in Parker opposite Jason Statham. The film, which is adapted from Donald Westlake’s Flashfire, received generally mixed to negative reviews. Some critics praised Lopez for her role as the comic relief, while others compared it to her role opposite George Clooney in 1998’s Out of Sight. The film grossed $46.3 million worldwide. She also starred in the 2002 thriller Enough as a waitress named Slim trying to protect herself and her daughter from her abusive husband.

Kristin Chenoweth, however, doesn’t have the same thriller background as her co-star. While she has appeared on stage, TV, and the big screen, Chenoweth’s career has largely revolved around the theater. Chenoweth’s film credits include supporting roles in Stranger Than Fiction, The Pink Panther, Four Christmases, and Running with Scissors.

Chenoweth also guest starred on Glee as April Rhodes, a former glee club member who never finished high school. She was nominated for an Emmy for the role. She will also voice a character in Rio 2, which will be released next year.

[Photo credit: Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com]