Jon M. Chu; Britney Spears.Photo:Emma McIntyre/Getty; Steve Granitz/WireImage
Emma McIntyre/Getty; Steve Granitz/WireImage
Britney Spears’ story is a universal one, according toJon M. Chu.
Fresh off directing the movie musicalWicked(in theaters Nov. 22), Chu, 45, is teasing the screen adaptation of Spears’ hit 2023 memoirThe Woman in Me. “She represents a generation of people growing up in the 2000s and late ’90s,” the filmmaker toldThe Hollywood Reporterof the 42-year-old pop superstar.
“She has a story that deserves to be told properly,” he said. “There’s a lot about us in it.”
Universal Pictures announced Aug. 1 that it secured the rights to the Spears’ book, with Chu and producerMarc Plattdeveloping a movie. The “Toxic” singerwroteon X (formerly Twitter) that day, “Excited to share with my fans that I’ve been working on a secret project with #MarcPlatt. He’s always made my favorite movies … stay tuned.”
Jon M. Chu.Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty
No casting announcements have been made as of yet, and as Chu toldTHR, a screenwriter is not yet involved. “We haven’t written the script yet,” he said. “But in this initial conception, I think it’s a lot about how we treat people, young people, stars that we think we own, women, mothers. There’s a lot of things in there that I would love to explore.”
As for his own connection to Spears, theCrazy Rich Asiansdirector said, “I have been a Britney fan for many years. I saw her when she was one of 12 acts at the Shrine Auditorium. I’ve gone to many of her shows, and she’s always been someone I’ve looked up to.”
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Britney Spears.Britney Spears /Instagram
Britney Spears /Instagram
He added it’s “an honor” to receive shoutouts from her on social media. “I love that. 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.”
Britney Spears, The Woman In Me.Gallery Books
Gallery Books
Spears starred in the 2002 movieCrossroads. Themother of tworecentlycelebratedthe one-year anniversary ofThe Woman in Me, thanking fanson X“for your support over the past year !!! It means the world to me !!!”
Chu is the director and co-adapter of Broadway musicalWickedstarringCynthia ErivoandAriana Grande;Part Oneis in theaters Nov. 22, withPart Twodue Nov. 26, 2025.
source: people.com