Britney Spears memoir The Woman in Me to be adapted into biopic, here’s our dream casting

Get your dream casting picks in because the Britney Spears biopic is officially on.

The singer, memoirist and pop culture icon confirmed her biography The Woman in Me will be adapted into a biopic for cinema release.

Universal Studios secured the rights in what has reported as a competitive auction and has attached director Jon M. Chu and producer Marc Platt.

The Ankler said interested parties in the deal included Shonda Rhimes, Brad Pitt’s production company Plan B, Margot Robbie and studios Warner Bros, Sony, Fox, Disney and Netflix.

Spears posted on social media, “Excited to share with my fans that I’ve been working on a secret project with Marc Platt. He’s always made my favourite movies… stay tuned.”

It’s too early for casting news but that doesn’t take the fun out of speculating on who could portray Spears and the key players in her life.

The producers could go for a young actor with momentum, such as Euphoria star Sydney Sweeney, who has been on a roll with the release of Anyone But You, a commercially successful rom-com she also produced.

However, Sweeney has a relationship with rival studio Sony, and wasn’t a particularly strong singer during Anyone But You’s renditions of Natasha Beddingfield’s song Unwritten.

Another name that could come into the mix is Sabrina Carpenter. The 25-year-old is a double threat as a singer and actor, and has the added connection of her getting her start with on Disney Channel series Girl Meets World. Spears’ breakout was on the Mickey Mouse Club.

For a thespian with more grit and dramatic chops, The Americans and Ozark actor Julia Garner, 30, could convincingly play Spears across the years.

She’s also adept with accents and could recreate Spears’ patois with its mix of her native Mississippi, childhood year in New York City, and time in California as part of the Mickey Mouse Club.

Another feather in the Garner campaign is that she actually did a pretty spot-on Spears impression on Jimmy Fallon in 2020. If we could cast a vote, Garner would be it.

Other names that might engender excitement could be Mad Men and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina star Kiernan Shipka for Spears’ sister Jamie-Lynn and Laura Dern as her mother Lynn.

Justin Timberlake could play himself but he probably wouldn’t want to given Spears did not paint him in a flattering light.

The Woman in Me was released in October and sold an estimated three million copies globally. The book detailed her tumultuous journey from a child star and international superstardom when her music career took off in the 1990s, to her personal challenges including with her mental health.

It also went into her conservatorship battles with her father Jamie Spears who controlled her assets and even decisions about her body, relationships and healthcare.

At the time, Spears told People, “It is finally time for me to raise my voice and speak out, and my fans deserve to hear it directly from me. No more conspiracy, no more lies — just me owning my past, present and future.”

The audiobook version of The Woman in Me was read by actor Michelle Williams, with an excerpt in which her impression of Justin Timberlake went viral. The release became publisher Simon & Schuster’s fastest-selling audiobook.

Chu and Platt worked on the upcoming two-part Wicked movies, a screen version of the stage musical which was based on Gregory Maguire’s book. The first part will be released in November.

Chu is best known for Crazy Rich Asians but has a rich resume in the musical genre with 2021 film In the Heights and two Step Up movies. He also directed two Justin Bieber concert flicks, and is working on a big-screen version of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat.

Platt has produced numerous stage musicals including Wicked and films such as La La Land, Into the Woods and Dear Evan Hansen.

Biopics about musicians have ramped up in recent years including Bohemian Rhapsody (Freddie Mercury), Rocketman (Elton John), Elvis, Bob Marley: One Love, Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody, Back to Black (Amy Winehouse) and The United States vs Billie Holliday, which have all been released in the past six years.

Upcoming is A Complete Unknown, a biopic of Bob Dylan’s early years, starring Timothee Chalamet.