Britney Spears’ life story may eventually become one of Hollywood’s most closely watched music biopics, but director Jon M. Chu is in no hurry to put a star in the singer’s shoes. The Wicked filmmaker has now revealed that he has seen parts of the screenplay being developed by Liz Meriwether, and his reaction suggests the creative team is taking an emotional rather than rushed approach to Spears’ story. The Universal Pictures project is based on Spears’ bestselling 2023 memoir The Woman in Me, with Marc Platt producing alongside Chu’s involvement as director. Despite the constant speculation surrounding who could play Spears, Chu says the movie has not reached the casting stage because the filmmakers are still concentrating on shaping the story.
Chu offered the update while attending the opening gala for the George Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles. Speaking about Meriwether’s progress on the screenplay, he appeared particularly enthusiastic about the material he has already been allowed to see. “She’s doing many beautiful things and I may or may have not gotten glimpses of what she’s been doing and it’s incredible,” Chu said. He continued, “It’s incredible, profound, beautiful. And that’s all I can say about it. You already got me to say too much.”
Britney Spears Casting Will Have to Wait
The biggest unanswered question surrounding the film remains who will eventually portray Spears, whose transformation from teenage pop sensation to one of the defining celebrities of her generation gives any actor taking the role an enormous challenge. Chu, however, made it clear that casting discussions are getting ahead of where the project currently stands. Interest is apparently not in short supply, with the director revealing that hopeful performers have already been reaching out to him from around the world. For the moment, those auditions are unlikely to influence the movie because Chu wants the screenplay and its perspective on Spears’ life settled first.
“I get emails every day, hundreds of emails from people all around the world. Thank you for sending all your auditions,” Chu said. “I am not even thinking about casting right now. We’re just trying to get the story right.” That comment is particularly important because it separates the film’s actual development from the many fan-casting conversations that naturally follow a project involving a star as recognizable as Spears. No actor has been officially announced for the role, and there is currently no confirmed production-start or release date.
The decision to build the story before finding its lead also makes sense given how much ground Spears’ memoir covers. The Woman in Me moves through her childhood, breakthrough as a global pop star, relationships, motherhood, intense media scrutiny and the conservatorship that controlled significant areas of her life for years. Turning that material into a feature film means deciding which experiences form the emotional center instead of simply recreating every major event in chronological order. Meriwether recently acknowledged that challenge herself while discussing the difference between writing a two-hour movie and the longer television formats she has worked in more recently.
Liz Meriwether Faces a Very Different Writing Challenge
Meriwether brings an interesting mix of comedy and dramatic experience to the adaptation. She created New Girl and later worked on acclaimed limited series including The Dropout and Dying for Sex, while her recent projects have kept her largely in television rather than feature filmmaking. Universal brought her aboard the Spears project earlier this summer to adapt the memoir for Chu, with Marc Platt producing the film under his relationship with the studio. Her appointment provided the clearest indication yet that the film had moved from a high-profile rights acquisition into the much more difficult process of determining exactly what kind of Britney Spears movie it should become.
Meriwether explained that transition herself in August, saying, “It’s really interesting because I haven’t written a movie in a long time, so that’s been part of the process is just trying to think in a two-hour story as opposed to like an eight-hour story, which is what I’ve been used to doing.” She has also been immersing herself in Spears’ music while working on the screenplay, including songs beyond the obvious career-defining singles. That approach could give the adaptation room to explore the person behind the enormous public image rather than functioning simply as a collection of recreated music-video moments and headlines. Meriwether has described the project as being early in development, which matches Chu’s insistence that storytelling remains the priority before casting.
One question Chu is not answering involves how closely he has recently been working with Spears herself. Asked whether he had been spending time with the singer, he replied simply, “I cannot say anything right now.” Chu had previously spoken publicly about wanting Spears to be involved in the development of the film, while Spears herself announced the project in 2024 as a “secret project” involving producer Marc Platt. How that involvement ultimately translates to the finished screenplay remains one of the most interesting unanswered questions surrounding the adaptation.
Chu Is Already Introducing Britney to His Children
While Chu is keeping the screenplay and Spears’ possible involvement closely guarded, he was considerably more willing to talk about her music. The director revealed that he has begun introducing his children to Spears’ catalogue from the beginning rather than limiting them to her most famous later hits. “I have a lot of favorite Britney songs, but I would say the one that I’m educating my children about Britney right now is, ‘Hit Me Baby,’ of course,” he said, referring to “…Baby One More Time.” He then went deeper into Spears’ earliest recordings, adding, “But I like some of the early, early [songs] like ‘Soda Pop,’ which is kind of crazy or [‘E-mail My Heart’]. I’m starting them from the very beginning right now.”
That interest in Spears’ earliest material may prove relevant to the eventual tone of the movie. Spears became a global phenomenon with “…Baby One More Time,” but her story began well before the fame, paparazzi coverage and legal battles that later dominated the public conversation around her. A film willing to spend meaningful time on those formative years could explain how a young performer became one of the most commercially recognizable stars of the late 1990s and 2000s before examining what that level of fame demanded from her. For now, however, Chu appears determined not to define the finished movie before Meriwether has finished discovering its shape.
Universal first secured the rights to The Woman in Me in 2024 following strong industry interest in adapting the memoir. Chu and Platt were attached at that stage, reuniting creatively after their work on Wicked, while Spears publicly celebrated the project and told fans to stay tuned. Meriwether joining as screenwriter in 2026 was the next significant creative step, but Chu’s latest remarks make one thing clear: development is moving forward without the studio rushing directly toward production. The actress who eventually plays Britney Spears will undoubtedly dominate headlines, but the filmmakers currently seem more interested in determining which Britney story audiences will actually see.
Britney Spears Biopic: Questions Answered
Who is directing the Britney Spears biopic?
Jon M. Chu is attached to direct the Britney Spears biopic for Universal Pictures. Chu is known for films including Crazy Rich Asians, In the Heights and the Wicked movies. Marc Platt, who also worked with Chu on Wicked, is producing the Spears project. Universal acquired the rights to Spears’ memoir in 2024, although filming has not yet begun.
Who is writing the Britney Spears movie?
Liz Meriwether is writing the screenplay based on Spears’ memoir The Woman in Me. Meriwether is best known as the creator of New Girl and has also worked on The Dropout and Dying for Sex. She joined the film in 2026 and has described the adaptation as being relatively early in the writing process. Chu has now revealed that he has seen some of her work and described what he saw as “incredible, profound, beautiful.”
Who will play Britney Spears in the biopic?
No actress has been officially cast as Britney Spears. Chu says he receives hundreds of emails and auditions but is not currently thinking about casting. His priority is completing the story before beginning that process. Any names circulating online therefore remain speculation unless Universal or the filmmakers announce them officially.
What will the Britney Spears biopic be based on?
The movie is being adapted from Spears’ 2023 memoir The Woman in Me. The book recounts her childhood, rise to international fame, personal relationships and experiences under her conservatorship. Universal obtained the film rights after the memoir became a major publishing success. Meriwether now faces the challenge of transforming that extensive life story into a roughly feature-length narrative.
Is Britney Spears involved with the movie?
Spears publicly acknowledged the project when Universal’s acquisition was announced in 2024, describing her work with Marc Platt as a “secret project.” Chu has previously indicated that he wants Spears involved, although the exact extent of her current participation has not been publicly detailed. When recently asked whether he had been spending time with Spears, Chu answered, “I cannot say anything right now.” More information about her creative involvement will therefore have to wait for an official announcement.
When will the Britney Spears biopic be released?
Universal has not announced a release date for the film. The project remains in screenplay development, and Chu says casting is not currently underway. That means principal photography is still some distance away based on the information publicly available as of September 2026. The next major update could involve completion of the screenplay, Spears’ participation or the beginning of official casting.
