The actress is set to play the lead in a flick called "The Wives" -- which she's also producing, BTW -- and words is ... it's a classic whodunnit, where J Law will get to play a typical housewife in the vein of the Bravo world.

There aren't a lot of other details yet about Jennifer's new movie ... it was announced Friday and it's still being developed, so the plot isn't quite finished and there's no shoot date. Still ... the fact Jen's doing a 'Housewives' thing is honestly perfect casting, 'cause she's a huge fan!

Remember, J Law is a massive follower of all things 'Real Housewives' -- and she's even been on Andy Cohen's 'WWHL' a handful of times ... so it makes sense that she'd tap into this universe at some point in her career.

Apple Original Films says it beat out a ton of competitors for Jennifer's flick ... so, it sounds like there was a bidding war of sorts to snag this one -- which suggests it'll be damn good.

Jennifer will be reciting lines written by Michael Breslin and Patrick Foley ... they previously teamed up on a Pulitzer Prize finalist play, "Circle Jerk."

Apple Studios and A24 are heavily involved too ... and the production companies actually have a history with Jennifer ... they all worked together on her 2022 drama "Causeway."