“Wicked” and “Crazy Rich Asian” helmer Jon M. Chu is set to direct a script written by Emmy-nominated writer Liz Merriwether about the life of the pop princess. The forthcoming film is based on Britney Spears’ 2023 memoir “The Woman In Me”, which became one of the publishing world’s biggest releases and offered the singer’s firsthand account of her rise to fame, personal struggles and life under a conservatorship.
The project has been in development since Universal won the rights to Spears’ memoir in a competitive bidding war in 2024. Producer Marc Platt remains attached through Marc Platt Productions, reuniting with Chu after their collaboration on “Wicked”. Meriwether’s addition gives the adaptation one of television’s most accomplished writers, following acclaimed work on New Girl, The Dropout and Dying for Sex.
Published in October 2023, The Woman in Me chronicles the “Baby One More Time” singer’s journey from her childhood in Louisiana and her days on The Mickey Mouse Club to becoming one of the defining pop stars of the 2000s. The memoir also recounts her highly publicized relationships, the intense scrutiny that accompanied her career and the 13-year conservatorship that ended in 2021 after the #FreeBritney movement gained worldwide support. The book sold more than 2.5 million copies in the United States within its first year and topped bestseller lists around the globe.
Universal has yet to announce who will portray Spears, though casting speculation has continued ever since the project was unveiled. Chu has previously said he wants to approach the film with care and respect, emphasizing that Spears deserves to have her story told from her own perspective.
The biopic adds another major title to Chu’s growing filmography, while Meriwether brings experience balancing humor and character-driven storytelling. With Spears’ memoir as its foundation, the adaptation aims to bring one of pop music’s most remarkable life stories to the big screen.