Selena Gomez Leads Casting Rumours For Britney Spears Biopic

The Britney Spears biopic is going ahead and cast rumours are coming in hot. The film, based on Britney's autobiography, The Woman In Me, is currently on the hunt for its star, and some major names are being floated for the part. Apparently, Selena Gomez, star of Oscars frontrunner Emilia Perez, is high on the preference list. An insider said Gomez is someone "Britney loves as a person and an artist", also bringing her lived experience as a child star to the role.

The film is being directed by Wicked auteur Jon M. Chu, who has been building a close relationship with Britney behind the scenes. "She's going to be very involved," Chu told Entertainment Tonight. "I haven't really started anything fully yet, but she will be very involved in this. I have ideas and things, an approach, but it's very, very early." The director also conceded that he's "seen all the fan casting", which had Addison Rae and Tate McRae among the frontrunners. "I've seen all the fan casting, and I always take those into consideration because maybe there's a good idea out there, but we'll have to see. We'll have to see what the approach of the movie is."

In November 2024, Chu confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that a script had not been written yet. Despite the production being in its very early stages, the rumour mill is already ticking over with who should be cast to play Britney Spears—with several actresses and popstars throwing their hats into the ring.

Who Will Play Britney Spears In Her Biopic?

Here, a complete list of Britney casting rumours.

Image: Getty

An insider told Life & Style that Selena Gomez was a top choice for the role of Britney—as nominated by Britney herself. "She's someone Britney loves as a person and as an artist, she thinks she's mighty talented and knows she'd also have her own history as a child star to draw on, which would make things easier," the source said.

Gomez, who is fresh off a major role in Oscar-nominated Emilia Perez, plus her award-winning turn in Only Murders In The Building, is said to be switching gear from her pop career and beauty entrepreneurship to focus on acting. Could the stars align for a Britney biopic?

Image: Getty

The same insider who shared Britney's preference for Selena, also said the Toxic singer would love to see Natalie Portman play her on the big screen. "Britney adores Natalie Portman and thinks she's such an incredible actress, she'd love to see her cast and thinks with the right make-up artist she could easily be transformed," they said.

Image: Getty

Fans continue to nominate pop stars for the role of Britney, but Addison Rae continues to be a favourite—and not only because we know she's a killer dancer. Like Britney, Rae was born in Louisiana, so she should have the singer's accent in the bag. The 'Diet Pepsi' singer's fashion choices also have fans convinced she's campaigning for the role.

Image: @tatemcrae

Tate McRae's name has also been thrown into the mix, with fans remarking on her resemblance to the Princess of Pop. However, when asked to comment on the casting rumours, McRae said: "I haven't really gotten into acting, really. Maybe in the future. I think it's a very high standard to step up to. It's hard to recreate Britney Spears. People have such precious memories of their idols that those things are really hard to recreate. I don't know if I want to play that. The person who does play it has to be a really brilliant actor."

Image: Getty

The Stranger Things star has said she'd love to play Britney Spears. "I wanna play a real person, and I think for me, it would be Britney Spears," she said on The Drew Barrymore Show. "Her story resonates with me. Growing up in the public eye. Watching her videos, watching interviews when she was younger … I see the scramble for words."

At the time, Spears did not take kindly to the talk about her film, writing on Instagram: "I hear about people wanting to do movies about my life … dude I'm not dead!!!"

Meanwhile, back in 2022, fans confused Brown for Spears during a TV appearance in 2022. The resemblance is certainly uncanny.

Related Articles: Rebecca Mitchell Senior Writer

Rebecca Mitchell graduated from Charles Sturt University in 2011, with solid media experience already under her belt. She started her career in broadcast news, simultaneously hosting the Never Talk Politics radio programme on 2MCE and as a reporter at WIN News and after returning to her hometown of Sydney, she worked as a journalist in lifestyle media, including at Mamamia, SheSaid, and Foxtel's Lifestyle group. Formerly a freelance journalist, you can find her words at Refinery29, Urban List, Broadsheet, but she now resides as the Senior Writer for ELLE Australia, specialising in all things culture and lifestyle-related.