Catherine Zeta-Jones is to portray a real-life drug lord in "The Godmother". The Golden Globe nominee has signed up for the crime biopic of Griselda Blanco, the pioneer in the Miami-based cocaine drug trade and underworld during the 1970s and early 1980s, AceShowbiz said.

Blanco, nicknamed La Madrina a.k.a. the Black Widow, was a prominent member of organized drug network Medellin Cartel. The Colombia-born woman established a cocaine business with her husband after moving to New York in mid '70s. She was allegedly involved in hundreds of assassination cases in attempt to stay on top.

Blanco was a multi-millionaire by the time she was in her 40s, but served 18 years in prison after arrested in 1985. Deported back to Colombia, she was killed by a drive-by motorcyclist in Medellin, Colombia in 2012.

Per Deadline, Frank Baldwin is providing the screenplay for "The Godmother" with Eva Sorhaug directing. Filming will begin early next year.