Liz Meriwether to Pen Britney Spears Biopic at Universal
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- Liz Meriwether is set to pen the first draft of the screenplay for the Britney Spears biopic 'The Woman in Me' at Universal, joining previously attached director Jon M. Chu and producer Marc Platt.
- Universal acquired rights to Spears' memoir back in August 2024, and the film will trace the pop star's 'rise, fall, and rise again' from McComb, Mississippi to multi-platinum stardom.
- 'The Woman in Me' became the fastest-selling memoir in Simon & Schuster history, selling more than 6 million copies worldwide after Spears signed a $15 million book deal in 2022.
- Meriwether, a four-time Emmy nominee, created Fox's 'New Girl' and co-created FX's 'Dying for Sex,' which received 2025 Emmy nominations for limited series and writing.
- Meriwether also created Hulu's limited series 'The Dropout,' which earned 2022 Emmy nominations for outstanding limited/anthology series and writing, underscoring her track record with prestige biopics.
- Britney Spears has accumulated a Grammy Award, close to 150 million records sold worldwide, and 70 million albums, singles, and songs sold stateside per Nielsen Music.
Why it matters: Universal handed its Spears biopic — already anchored by Jon M. Chu and Marc Platt — to a writer-producer with a proven track record on prestige limited series, signaling the studio's intent to position the film as awards-caliber rather than a standard pop biopic. With the source memoir having sold 6 million copies and ranking as the fastest-selling in Simon & Schuster history, the project carries both a built-in audience and the commercial weight of Spears' 150 million records sold worldwide.
