John Chu, the director set to helm a biopic about Britney Spears, has responded to rumors around who will lead the cast of the much-anticipated film.
In case you missed it, Chu first joined the Spears biopic back in August of last year, setting the internet alight with speculation as to who would portray the iconic pop star. Naturally, a movie of this pedigree spawned a fan-casting frenzy, with audiences floating names like Sabrina Carpenter, Ariana Grande and Millie Bobby Brown for the leading role. The suggestion of the former two actresses was well-placed, since Grande recently starred in Wicked, directed by Chu, and Brown has frequently expressed interest in portraying Spears.
Ariana Grande, Sabrina Carpenter and Millie Bobby Brown battle for Britney Spears role in a Jon M. Chu-directed biopic, described as a “career-making movie.” (Life & Style) pic.twitter.com/l08O4aM28A
— Buzzing Pop (@BuzzingPop) March 23, 2025
However, try as they might, fans didn’t quite have the behind-the-scenes influence they might’ve hoped for, at least according to Chu. The director took to social media to react to rumors of Grande, Carpenter and Brown being in contention for the role of Spears, and his response might feel like a dagger in the heart of the pop music fandom. “None of this is true,” Chu wrote in reply to a viral X post that quoted a report from Life & Style. Chu went on to say that while the trio’s attachment to the movie “sounds exciting,” suggestions of their involvement are impossible given where the biopic is at in its development.
“[We] have not had one conversation about casting this movie yet,” the director wrote, before confirming that “we are way too early in development.” Chu’s statement puts to bed much of the speculation around the cast for the film, which saw other fans put forward names like Olivia Holt, Sydney Sweeney, and Elle Fanning. While information around the cast remains scarce, we do know a few details about the currently untitled biopic.
None of this is true. Sounds exciting but have not had one conversation about casting this movie yet. We are way too early in development. Sorry
— Jon M. Chu (@jonmchu) March 23, 2025
Universal Pictures will produce the film after securing the rights last year, and it will be based upon Spears’ own best-selling memoir, The Woman In Me, which arrived in 2023. That book recounts Spears’ career from her days on Mickey Mouse Club to her much-publicized conservatorship battle, but it’s not yet known which elements of the memoir will be used in the biopic. Marc Platt — whose credits include Wicked, Dear Evan Hanson and Cruella — is also on board as a producer. Beyond those details — plus Chu’s revelation in January that Spears herself will be “very involved” — very little is known about the Spears biopic.
This isn’t the first time Grande and Carpenter have been at the top of fan-cast lists in recent months. Grande — who received an Oscar nomination for her role in Wicked — became the subject of much online chatter around an Audrey Hepburn biopic, after she was spotted channeling the iconic moviestar on multiple red carpets earlier this year. For her part, Carpenter has long been atop fans’ wishlists for the lead role in an inevitable live-action remake of Tangled, though neither actress has confirmed these speculations.
Millie Bobby Brown tells Access Hollywood that she would still like to play Britney Spears in a future biopic:
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) February 26, 2025
“I mean, you know, she is an absolute icon. I would love nothing more than to be a part of her story. But that’s her story, and I am in full support of her bringing her… pic.twitter.com/V6nAojozSP
Naturally, we’ll just have to wait and see who will be given the honor of portraying Spears in the biopic, but in the meantime, we can always revisit her iconic discography, or catch her on old reruns of Mickey Mouse Club. While we’re there, we may even spot a young Ryan Gosling, which I’m certainly not complaining about.
Published: Mar 26, 2025 4:10 AM UTC