The in-the-works Britney Spears biopic is reportedly — and it’s the singer herself who threatens the chance of it ever being produced.
Universal Studios emerged as the winner in a competitive bidding war to secure the rights for a biographical film about the popular 43-year-old singer. The talented director Jon M. Chu, known for his work on the successful movie “Wicked,” has been enlisted to lead the project once he completes work on the much-anticipated second part of “Wicked.”
According to insiders who shared information with The Sun, Britney Spears, the renowned pop superstar, is actively involved in shaping the narrative of the upcoming movie. However, sources reveal that Britney has been facing challenges in finalizing her decisions regarding the film.
Despite her deep involvement in the project, the singer, who has sparked headlines with her rekindled romance with ex-convict Paul Soliz, has been described as indecisive by sources close to the production. It is reported that Britney has been wavering in her choices and struggling to map out a coherent storyboard for the biopic.
One insider said the biopic was still in the ‘early stages of development,’ well before filming would begin, and plenty of ideas have been suggested for possible paths the movie could take.
But, ‘As soon as it feels like they’re moving in one direction though, Britney will take it in another,’ the insider claimed.
The momentum on Britney Spears’ Jon M. Chu–directed biopic is threatened, as insiders claimed to The Sun that she has been ‘changing her mind like the wind’ while trying to lay out a storyboard
Spears’ current manager, Cade Hudson, is an executive producer on the biopic, and in that capacity he has reportedly been trying to share ideas between the creative team and Britney, ‘but it feels like it’s an ever-changing project at the moment with no clear direction,’ the source added.
Last month, at the Golden Globe Awards, Chu gave an update on the making of the biopic.
‘I’m a big fan of Britney. I’ve been a fan since I was young and she was young and she was one of 12 acts at the Shrine Auditorium,’ he recalled to Billboard.
‘So I want to do her justice and tell her story right.’
However, he cautioned that telling a sensitive story meant the biopic couldn’t be rushed out.
‘We’re developing it now and it’s a long road ahead,’ Chu said.
While chatting with Entertainment Tonight, the Crazy Rich Asians director also clarified that he was determined to keep Spears in the loop on the film about her life.
‘She’s going to be very involved. I haven’t really started anything fully yet, but she will be very involved in this,’ he said. ‘I have ideas and things, an approach, but it’s very early.’
As soon as it feels like they’re moving in one direction though, Britney will take it in another,’ the insider claimed; pictured in 2000 at the MTV Video Music Awards in NYC
The film is named after and reportedly based on her bestselling memoir The Woman In Me (pictured)
Chu (seen winning Best Director at the Critics Choice Awards on February 7 for Wicked) has warned fans that the making of the biopic will be a ‘long road ahead’
In addition to complicating things backstage, Spears left fans — and seemingly Chu — scratching their heads after weighing in on the project on social media in September of last year.
She claimed the Chu-directed film was not going to be a biopic, but instead a ‘fictional musical.’
Although it’s possible that a fictional film could still feature the outlines of real-life events, the post led fans to believe that the biopic was dead.
She added that she would be acting in the project and playing ‘an extremely intelligent character.’
Spears previously had a jukebox musical made about her life, which closed on Broadway just two months after it opened.
In January, when he was asked about her confusing post, Chu kept his cool without sharing much clarification.
‘You’ll have to ask Britney what she meant by all of that,’ he said obliquely. ‘But she wrote my name in one of her Instagrams or tweets. That’s an honor. I love that.
He added: ‘I think she likes to tease the audience in different ways. So I’ll let it be a mystery on her part, but I’m excited to work with her.’
Spears confused fans and insiders last year when she claimed the film Chu was involved with was not a biopic but a ‘fictional musical’ she would be featured in playing ‘an extremely intelligent character’
On Tuesday, the songwriter and producer Claude Kelly, who collaborated with Spears on Circus, pitched himself as a music supervisor for the biopic while chatting with TMZ
On Tuesday, the songwriter and producer Claude Kelly, who collaborated with Spears on Circus, pitched himself as a music supervisor for the biopic while chatting with TMZ.
He warned that the songs featured in the film can make or break a musician’s biopic, and he declared they were even more important to its success than the behind-the-scenes drama.
‘A music biopic has to be amazing in terms of acting, but the music’s gotta be legit,’ he said, before singling out biopics like the Jamie Foxx–starring Ray, the Queen film Bohemian Rhapsody and the Elton John biopic Rocketman as examples of films that truly succeeded because of their use of classic songs.
Kelly added that he thought Spears’ film had the potential to be one of the most successful musical biopics to date if handled correctly.
‘I know what I’m talking about,’ he added, noting that he worked on the music for Burlesque, which starred Cher and Christina Aguilera and has gone on to be considered a ‘cult classic’ in some corners.
He doesn’t appear to have any involvement in the film at this moment, but he clarified that whether or not he’s ultimately brought on to the production, he will definitely sign off to allow Circus to be featured in the movie.
