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The Britney Spears biopic is chugging along, and now we know who might take on the enviable task of writing the screenplay. On Tuesday, “Page Six” reported that New Girl creator and Dying for Sex co-creator Liz Meriwether has been tapped for the project, which is currently set to be directed by Wicked phenom Jon M. Chu. Universal, which is producing the film in a deal with Marc Platt, has not yet confirmed the news, but given Meriwether’s credentials, it’s not difficult to imagine the esteemed television writer getting involved.
Aside from her most recognizable work on the long-running sitcom New Girl, Meriwether has received four Primetime Emmy nominations for her work on Dying for Sex, starring Michelle Williams, and the Hulu limited series The Dropout, in which Amanda Seyfried nailed her impersonation of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes. And while Meriwether is more than qualified for the gig, her addition would make for an interesting crew of collaborators. I’m having trouble visualizing Wicked meets New Girl meets Dear Evan Hansen meets “I’m a Slave 4 U,” but hey, that’s showbiz, I guess.
The biopic is based on Spears’s best-selling memoir, The Woman in Me, which was released in October 2023 and sold more than a million copies in its first week. The audiobook — read by the Academy Award–nominated Williams — detailed the pop star’s Disney beginnings, rise to stardom, and torturous conservatorship. No word yet on who will play a young Britney, though I’d like to throw my vote of confidence to Addison Rae. You just can’t argue with a fellow Louisiana pop girl.
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