Who Has What It Takes to Be Britney Spears?
Despite an illustrious 25-year career plagued by the trials and tribulations of Hollywood, there’s a reason a Britney Spears biopic hasn’t been made yet. Spears is the type of pop cultural enigma and powerhouse performer whose global allure isn’t easily duplicated. No one really looks like her, or sounds like her, or—most importantly—moves like her, and those who try to imitate her persona often pale in comparison.
With that said, we have faith that buzzy director Jon M. Chu—responsible for big-screen blockbusters like Crazy Rich Asians, In the Heights, and the highly anticipated Wicked, whose first half comes out this fall—will be able to find the woman for the job, following the announcement that he’ll be adapting Spears’s 2023 memoir, The Woman in Me. Perhaps not since 1997’s Selena has there been so much interest and fervor over who will lead what is sure to be one of the most memorable musical biopics in recent history. Below, we decided to have a little fun with some fantasy casting for the upcoming film and consider which stars could truly embody Britney Jean Spears.
Addison Rae
Of any of the names being floated to portray Spears, Addison Rae is the one with the most similar upbringing to the pop star. The TikTok sensation grew up dancing and is also from Spears's home state of Louisiana, thus already possessing the Southern charm necessary to play the singer. In recent years, Rae has also broken into the music industry and acting, with roles in films like 2021’s He’s All That and a newly signed deal with Columbia Records.
Millie Bobby Brown
Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown has expressed in the past that if she were ever to take on a biopic, she’d want it to be about Britney Jean. Before the news of the Chu-directed film broke, however, Spears expressed some hesitancy over the actor’s eagerness to portray her. “I hear about people wanting to do movies about my life … dude I’m not dead!!!” the pop legend wrote on Instagram in 2022.
Michelle Williams
Okay, so maybe Michelle Williams isn’t the most obvious choice to portray Spears, but the five-time Oscar nominee and Greatest Showman star did narrate the audiobook version of The Woman in Me. You can’t say she doesn’t know the material!
Halsey
Halsey is clearly familiar with the pop-star game, considering they are one themself. And for their most recent single, “Lucky,” Halsey sampled the classic 2000 Spears single of the same name—and had Britney’s blessing to do so.
A Total Unknown
Hear us out: Buzzy star power is obviously great (and helpful) when casting a biopic of this stature, but when you’re referencing a star as big as Britney, aiming for an already established Hollywood starlet may not be the answer. Remember how Jennifer Lopez’s fame erupted after portraying the late Selena Quintanilla in 1997? Maybe it’s time to go back to basics—hold a national casting call, dance camps, American Idol–style elimination! The person meant to be Britney Spears might just be waiting for their big break.
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