Jon M. Chu is not entertaining any toxic rumors.
After online speculation that stars like Ariana Grande, Sabrina Carpenter and Millie Bobby Brown may be in the running to play Britney Spears in Jon’s upcoming biopic ran rampant, the Wicked director firmly set the record straight.
“None of this is true,” Jon wrote on X (formerly Twitter) March 23. “Sounds exciting but have not had one conversation about casting this movie yet. We are way too early in development. Sorry.”
But while casting hasn’t quite made it on the agenda yet, Jon has gushed about how thrilled he is for the vast opportunity the project holds in telling the story of the “Circus” singer’s life—and doing it justice.
“I’m very excited about it,” he told E! News in November. “I think there’s huge potential about telling a great story, one that she deserves.”
Indeed, this wasn’t the first time that the biopic, based on Britney’s memoir The Woman in Me, has stirred up the rumor mill. In fact, Britney’s former assistant Felicia Culotta may have contributed to a few rumors and fan casts herself back in August when she suggested Emma Roberts would be the perfect person for the role.
As for how the American Horror Story actress reacted to Felicia’s suggestion? She expressed how honored she was and admitted that she would absolutely love to play the part.
“I was like, ‘I love her assistant,'” Emma told Cosmopolitan that same month. “I mean, it’s my true dream to play Britney Spears.”
And though she made it clear that the casting was definitely just a rumor at the time, the 34-year-old hoped that, “maybe it’ll come true.”
“I remember I locked myself in my room and listened to In the Zone,” the Scream Queens actress continued, “and said, ‘I cannot leave this room until I memorize every word.'”
While fans will have to patiently wait for the official casting announcements to quell their curiosities, they can rest assured that the “Womanizer” singer is playing a part in making some of the movie magic herself. In fact, she showed her support while revealing why she thinks producer Marc Platt is the perfect person to help bring her story to life.
“Excited to share with my fans that I’ve been working on a secret project with #MarcPlatt,” Britney wrote on X. “He’s always made my favorite movies … stay tuned.”
As we await more exciting updates on the Britney biopic, keep reading to look back at the “Baby One More Time” singer through the years.
