Thursday, August 1, 2024

Britney Spears biopic based on ‘Woman in Me’ memoir in the works with Jon M. Chu directing


Britney Spears' memoir, "The Woman in Me," will become a biopic. Gallery Books

Britney Spears' memoir, "The Woman in Me," is being turned into a biopic, Page Six can confirm.

Universal Pictures has won the rights to the New York Times bestseller following a "fierce, months-long auction," a source tells us.

We hear "Crazy Rich Asians" and "Wicked" director Jon M. Chu will helm the film, which Marc Platt of "Legally Blonde" and "La La Land" will produce.

"Crazy Rich Asians" and "Wicked" director Jon M. Chu is set to helm the film. Getty Images for CinemaCon It will follow Spears' life and career. WireImage

Spears, 42, teased the project earlier Thursday, writing on X, "Excited to share with my fans that I've been working on a secret project with #MarcPlatt. He's always made my favorite movies … stay tuned."

A second insider tells Page Six that the deal includes the rights to the Princess of Pop's music catalog, and she will be involved in the project.

Casting was not immediately announced.

The Princess of Pop rose to fame in the '90s. WireImage She dated Justin Timberlake in the early aughts. WireImage Her biggest songs include "…Baby One More Time," "Toxic" and "Womanizer." Getty Images Her most recent hit was the 2022 Elton John collaboration "Hold Me Closer." Getty Images for EJAF Want more celebrity and pop culture news?

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Universal beat out Sony, Warner Bros., Fox, Disney and Netflix in securing the biopic for an eight-figure sum, according to the Ankler newsletter, which was first to report the news.

Page Six previously reported that Brad Pitt and Reese Witherspoon were among a slew of A-listers who had been gunning to produce the screen adaptation of Spears' book, which hit stores in October 2023 and has since sold more than 2.5 million copies in the US alone.

In "The Woman in Me," the "Toxic" singer detailed her storied music career, romantic relationships and marriages, secret abortion with ex Justin Timberlake, controversial 13-year conservatorship, which a judge terminated in November 2021, and ensuing family feud.

Spears was under a conservatorship for 13 years. Getty Images The controversial legal arrangement ended in November 2021. Getty Images She is estranged from most of her family. Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

Oscar-nominated actress Michelle Williams narrated the audiobook for Spears, who previously said that reliving her past during the writing process was "heart-wrenching and emotional" and required "a lot of therapy."

Since being freed from her conservatorship, the Grammy winner has insisted she "will never return to the music industry" due to the trauma she endured under the legal control of her father, Jamie Spears.

She has not released a full album since "Glory" in August 2016 but did drop two collaborations in recent years: "Hold Me Closer" with Elton John in August 2022 and "Mind Your Business" with Will.i.am in July 2023.

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