Back in August, it was reported that a Britney Spears biopic is officially in development at Universal. Attached to the film as director isWicked director Jon M. Chu, and Spears herself is apparently set to be “very involved.” Biopics can be difficult to make, especially if the subject isn’t happy with the way they're being portrayed. But, according to a new report, Spears is indeed heavily in the mix, and it would appear that the producers can't afford to get this production wrong.
Since Madonna’s self-directed biopic has been gestating for four years and is still not in production, it feels like we should hold off on hopes for a movie about Britney Spears until we see an official movie poster. However, it's been reported that the film is really moving forward and has one thing that the "Vogue" performer's didn't. An insider said this to OK Magazine:
The real story here is that, unlike the botched Madonna biopic that Universal wasted two years of work on, Britney’s movie has strong source material in the form of Britney’s 2023 book The Woman in Me.
Unlike Madonna’s long-awaited biopic, the Britney Spears movie has the singer’s memoir, The Woman In Me, to use as source material. Universal Pictures reportedly earned the rights to in what was said to be a competitive auction. Of course, now all involved are faced with the task of following through with the project, which could both require a lot of money to make and make a lot of money. On that note, the source also pointed this out:
Britney understands how high the financial stakes are here, not just for the studio but for her personally, and that’s where she differs from Madonna. Failure is not an option.
When it comes to money, there were rumors flying in spring 2024 that Britney Spears was in danger of “going broke” due to blowing her money on lavish vacations. Many of those trips were initiated after her divorce from Sam Asghari and the end of her conservatorship in 2021. However, another source reported that she was “far” from penniless, thanks to the successful sales of her memoir and audiobook.
The bestseller surpassed two million copies sold just three months after it hit bookshelves and is currently in the 100 top selling Amazon biographies and memoirs over a year after its release. So there's quite a bit of interest in the Grammy winner's life, and a movie is sure to continue to garner a lot of buzz.
Read Britney Spears' 2023 memoir before the biopic goes into production. View Deal
While it’s been over six months since the Britney Spears biopic was officially announced by Universal, there’s a solid reason why we haven’t heard much about it moving forward yet. Jon M. Chu has been promoting Wicked, which earned $729 million at the worldwide box office. The film was also at the center of a lengthy awards campaign that concluded with it earning 10 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. Ultimately, the musical won two categories at the Academy Awards. On top of all that, Chu's readying Wicked: For Good, which is one of the biggest films on the 2025 movie schedule.
Perhaps once he finishes production on the Wicked movies, Jon M. Chu and Britney Spears will begin the casting process for their film. So far, Millie Bobby Brown has been a popular pick amongst fans and, earlier this year, the now-blonde Brown expressed interest in the role. Other actresses have thrown their hats in the ring, though. For example, Emma Roberts shared hopes to play the singer and when former Disney Channel star Olivia Holt was asked, she was also interested in the idea.
As in the insider also noted, when music biopics are successful, streaming numbers skyrocket, and that would of course be a positive bump for Britney Spears’ bank account. It remains to be seen just how the film will pan out but, with the singer herself and a strong director involved, this production is in good hands.