Britney Spears‘ biopic has added a writer.
Four-time Emmy nominee and New Girl creator Liz Meriwether will write the screenplay for the film, which will be directed by Jon M. Chu.
Meriwether, who also co-created FX’s Dying for Sex, is to write the first draft for the biopic, which will be based on Britney’s 2023 memoir The Woman in Me.
Universal secured the rights to the book in 2024, and Wicked producer Marc Platt will produce the movie.
Jon M. Chu’s Thoughts
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Jon M. Chu shared, “She [Britney Spears] is going to be very involved. We haven’t really started anything yet; but she will be very involved. I have ideas and an approach and things, but it’s very, very early.”
Cast suggestions have already been pouring in from social media. Some have suggested Sabrina Carpenter, who, like Britney, was a Disney star before transitioning to a successful pop music career. Others have thrown Euphoria actress Sydney Sweeney’s name into the ring, too.
Chu replied to both, stating, “I have seen all the fan castings and all that stuff and I always take those in consideration, because maybe there is a good idea out there, but we will have to see what the approach of the movie is before we know who is right for it. But I am hoping for anything, really.”
The filmmaker previously revealed he saw a different side to Britney Spears after reading her 2023 memoir The Woman in Me, and he wants to “honor” her “human” side.
He told Bustle, “She’s always been this icon, but ultimately, especially more recently after reading her book, she’d become human to me. I think that is so beautiful. I hope to convey that humanity and the spectacle of what she is in all her glory. (I want to explore) what we expect from people that we think are ours. They’re their own people, and we have to respect that.”
Stars for the Role
Carpenter and Sweeney aren’t the only stars being mentioned or offering to play Britney Spears in the upcoming feature. Millie Bobby Brown, Emma Roberts, and Olivia Holt have all said they would love to play Britney in a biopic.
Speaking on The Drew Barrymore Show in 2022, Stranger Things star Millie said, “I wanna play a real person… I think her story, first of all, resonates with me.”