Britney Spears Is Making A Biopic Based On Her Memoir

Britney Spears’ story is about to be told on the silver screen. As the singer announced on Aug. 1, her biopic is officially in the works at Universal Pictures, based on her 2023 New York Times best-selling memoir The Woman In Me. Wicked filmmaker Jon M. Chu is attached to direct, as first reported by The Ankler.

Before the announcement, Spears gave a heads-up to her fans on X (formerly Twitter), using a film camera emoji as a hint. “Excited to share with my fans that I've been working on a secret project with #MarcPlatt,” she wrote. “He’s always made my favorite movies … stay tuned.” Film producer Marc Platt, who’s known for producing the Legally Blonde franchise, is indeed onboard, and won the rights to her memoir after an intense bidding war.

As The Ankler reported in November, Margot Robbie, Reese Witherspoon, Spears’ onetime crush Brad Pitt, and Shonda Rhimes (who wrote Spears’ 2002 film Crossroads), all aimed to acquire the film rights through their respective production companies. However, Shondaland denied their involvement to Page Six.

Many film studios also vied for the project, including Sony, Warner Bros., Fox, Disney, and Netflix, before Universal won out.

The bidding war should come as no surprise given the success of The Woman In Me, which Spears reportedly received $15 million to write in one of the biggest book deals of all time. The book sold 1.1 million copies in its first week alone, and 2.5 million so far since its October 2023 release, becoming one of the best-selling celebrity memoirs in history.

The Michelle Williams-narrated audiobook also became the fastest-selling audio title in publisher Gallery Books’ history.

Spears expressed her gratitude in January after sales soared past 2 million. “Thank you to all the fans who have supported me and my story. Love you All!!!” she said in a statement.