Jon M. Chu Puts Britney Spears Casting on Hold

Jon M. Chu is not choosing his Britney Spears yet. The director said he is not thinking about casting for the singer's biopic right now and is focused on getting the story right, he told Variety on 22 September.

He spoke to Variety at the opening gala of the George Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles. No casting has been announced for the film.

That has not stopped the tapes from coming in. Chu said he receives hundreds of emails every day from around the world with auditions for the part. He is not watching them with a decision in mind.

The priority, he said, is the script. Chu said he has read some of the pages from writer Liz Meriwether and the team is working through the story first.

Meriwether is writing the screenplay, the written blueprint that sets dialogue and structure before shooting. She created the television comedy "New Girl" and her credits also include "Dying for Sex," as reported by Variety. Screenwriter Elizabeth Meriwether had said in late August that the project was still in the works and in its early stages.

The film is based on Spears's bestselling 2023 memoir "The Woman in Me." Universal Pictures landed the rights to the book, with Marc Platt producing under his deal with the studio. In film terms, that deal means Platt develops and oversees projects for Universal.

Speculation about who will play Spears has run for months. Variety reported in March 2025 that Ariana Grande, Sabrina Carpenter and Millie Bobby Brown were among the names linked to the role. Actor Olivia Holt also told Variety in February 2025 that playing Spears would be a dream amid fan casting.

For fans, this means the wait goes on a little longer. The lead will come after the story is set, not before.