“Oh baby, baby,” a Britney Spears biopic is on its way! In early August Universal Pictures announced its plan to adapt Spears's autobiography, The Woman in Me. The project will be directed by Wicked's Jon Chu and produced by La La Land's Marc Platt.
The movie's announcement has set social media users into a frenzy, with rumors about who will portray Spears, and discussions about how her story should be handled. Universal Pictures has kept a tight lip about the project, with no set release date, nor an official cast list.
The Princess of Pop
The “Princess of Pop” Britney Spears has been making waves in pop culture since she debuted over twenty years ago. She's a defining artist of the early 2000s, and a driving force in the return of teen pop. Her album Oops!… I Did It Again!
held a fifteen-year record in the US for being the fastest-selling album by a female artist, and with 150 million records sold worldwide, she's one of the best-selling artists of all time. Outside of music, Spears is known for her iconic fashion style, her philanthropy, and being an overall icon to millions around the world.
But Britney's life hasn't just been glitz and glamor. From her tumultuous public breakup with Justin Timberlake to intense media harassment, her life has had its fair share of ups and downs. For years she was attacked by paparazzi who swarmed her for photos and had sensational articles tarnish her reputation.
After having her personal problems broadcasted to the world, she eventually had a public mental breakdown in 2008 and was put into a legal conservatorship. The media continued to exploit her, photographing her at her lowest and consistently pumping out articles that portrayed her as an unstable mess.
Britney's life has been a continuous source of speculation, from fans and critics alike. For years she didn't have a say in her story and was kept in a conservatorship that took away her personal freedom and allowed her father to control every aspect of her life, even things as mundane as her diet. Britney's elusiveness made the public desperate to hear her story in her own words.
Britney's Renaissance
Released in October of 2023, The Woman in Me is Britney Spears's autobiography, detailing her childhood, rise to megastardom, and the events that led to her conservatorship.
Three years before the book's release, the “Free Britney” movement was gaining traction on social media, with users pointing out the abusive conditions of her conservatorship and demanding that action was taken to free her. 2021 saw the release of Framing Britney Spears, a documentary that detailed how the media's long mistreatment of Britney led to her eventual breakdown. Britney reportedly didn't like the documentary since it showed her embarrassing moments, but regardless, the documentary brought more attention to the movement.
In June of that year, Britney released a statement in which she thanked the movement for giving her the courage to fight back, and she announced the court proceedings to remove her from the conservatorship. On November 12, 2021, after thirteen years of being in a conservatorship, Britney Spears was finally freed.
After much anticipation, The Woman in Me was released and sold 1.1 million copies in the US it's first week, and was the second-best-selling memoir of 2023.
Spears told Variety, “I poured my heart and soul into my memoir and I am grateful to my fans and readers around the world for their unwavering support.”
The book was praised for shedding insight into the ups and downs of Britney's life, and contributed to a larger conversation about the mistreatment of women in the entertainment industry.
After a highly competitive auction by studios, Univeral Studios won the rights to the book on August 1, 2024. Shortly after they announced their plans to adapt the story into a feature film, covering the book's plot from Spears's childhood to her newfound freedom.
The Woman in Me
The Woman in Me opens with Britney describing her grandmother Emma Jean Forbes, and the tragic outcome of her life. After the death of Forbes's three-day-old baby, she fell into a deep depression and was institutionalized by her husband. In the mental hospital, she was forced to take Lithium, and eventually ended her life. Spears notes that tragedy runs in her family, and this anecdote about her grandmother foreshadows the mental health struggles Britney would later deal with in her life.
Britney then goes over her childhood, including problems with her family such as her father's alcoholism. She describes how her father would often leave the family for weeks, and how her mother would drink with her when Britney was only thirteen. She recounts the start of her career at eleven, and her rise to fame as a teenage icon. Spears also notes that while she was marketed as being an innocent girl, she'd been a smoker since the age of fourteen, and had numerous relationships with boys prior to her fame.
The book describes tumultuous relationships in Britney's life, namely her public one with Justin Timberlake, and the media storm that followed their breakup, with the press blaming her. She describes her first marriage, motherhood, and how her post-partum depression was amplified by the paparazzi's harassment. After her mental breakdown in 2008, she almost lost total contact with both her sons and was forced to undergo mental health evaluations.
Britney was sent to a mental hospital and forced to take Lithium against her will, the same medication her grandmother had taken. At the same time, Spears was put into a conservatorship, with her estranged father having total control over her life. At times Britney feared that her family would kill her, and lamented over how she no longer had the freedom to be herself.
The book ends with Britney describing the “Free Britney” movement, and how it gave her courage to get a lawyer and fight for her freedom. Spears then expressed hope for her future and noted that after being released from the conservatorship she felt a sense of rebirth.
The story covers the extreme highs and lows associated with mega-stardom, all made worse by complicated family problems. Britney's story is a cautionary tale that shows how the media can build up a person only to break them down, but her story is also about a woman finding her inner strength and fighting for her freedom.
Casting
Currently, there's no official information surrounding the cast of the biopic. Fans have suggested everyone from Millie Bobby Brown to Addison Rae. One of the biggest rumors is that Emma Roberts will play Spears, with Roberts describing the role as “…her true dream.”
Other fans have suggested that instead of casting an A-list actress, casting directors should consider giving the role to a lesser-known actress to depict Spears's story.
Conclusion
With the influx of singer biopics coming out in recent years, it's no wonder why Universal would be so eager to adapt Britney's story into a movie. Britney Spears is a star who still has appeal decades after her debut, something not many other celebrities could achieve. With the success of The Woman in Me, there's no doubt that her upcoming biopic will be a box-office success.
