Liz Meriwether, the Emmy-nominated creator of shows such as “Dying for Sex” and “New Girl,” is set to write the screenplay for Universal’s upcoming Britney Spears biopic, TheWrap has learned.
Jon M. Chu, who hit career heights at Universal with his pair of “Wicked” films, is attached to direct the film. He will reunite with “Wicked” producer Marc Platt, who is also attached to DreamWorks’ “How to Train Your Dragon” remakes and Focus’ recent coming-of-age queer romance “Girls Like Girls.”
Meriwether, who last year received an Emmy nom for her work on the FX on Hulu limited series “Dying for Sex,” will adapt Spears’ 2023 memoir “The Woman in Me,” which has sold more than 6 million copies worldwide.
In it, Spears recounts her childhood in Louisiana and her rapid rise to teenage stardom after the release of her 1998 debut single “…Baby One More Time,” her struggles with mental health and substance abuse amidst a relentless media circus, her turbulent relationships with the likes of Justin Timberlake and Kevin Federline, and the hardships she faced under a court-ordered conservatorship her parents imposed on her from 2008 to 2021.
The Spears project is one of several that Chu has been attached to in the wake of his “Wicked” success. Others include an adaptation of the EA video game “Split Fiction” with Sydney Sweeney attached to star and a Warner Bros./Mattel-produced adaptation of the Hot Wheels model car toy line. Universal declined to comment on the Spears project.
Chu is currently working on an animated adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” that will see him reunite with “Wicked” star Ariana Grande. Chu will co-direct the film with “Abominable” director Jill Culton, with Warner Bros. setting the film for a March 2028 release.
Meriwether is repped by WME. The signing was first reported by Page Six.
