Apologies for what I’m about to write, but it has to be said: It’s biopic, bitch. Britney Spears’s best-selling memoir, The Woman in Me, is being adapted for the big screen. Variety reports that the rights went to Universal after a “highly competitive” auction and that Wicked director Jon M. Chu will be helming the film.
Now the question is: Who will play Spears? Will producer Marc Platt and Chu go the way of the always-in-flux Madonna biopic and put some of our best and brightest young stars through a Britney boot camp? Whoever gets the part will have to be a true triple threat: an actor, singer, and dancer (not necessarily in that order). Luckily, this production might already have a leg up when it comes to casting.
Coming off the Wicked movies, Chu is probably aware of every blonde singer-actress Hollywood has to offer. There has to be a ton of overlap between the Glinda pool and the Britney pool, right? Was someone perhaps too young to play the Good Witch, but might look really good with a giant snake draped around her shoulders? Let’s call her up!
There’s no word yet on who will be penning the screenplay, but they will not be lacking for material. In The Woman in Me, Spears goes into detail about her relationship with Justin Timberlake, her tumultuous family life, and her experiences under a conservatorship. In any case, I have a free idea for Chu: If you use a little de-aging magic, you could have Michelle Williams reprise her role from the audiobook.