Britney Spears’ ‘Erratic’ Antics Anger Hollywood Amid Biopic Turmoil

Two years ago Britney Spears dropped her bombshell memoir, The Woman in Me, and launched a fierce bidding war over the rights to adapt the tell-all book into a Hollywood movie.

Universal Studios ultimately won out in August last year, buying the rights to produce the first authorized biopic about the 43-year-old pop star, with Wicked director Jon M. Chu set to direct the film.

But 13 months later, an inside source has exclusively revealed to the Daily Mail that production on the film has stalled – or rather, it has barely began.

Between the director’s busy schedule – which will surely only ramp up when the highly anticipated second installment of Wicked is released to cinemas in November – and Spears’s increasing ‘erratic’ behavior, the insider shared that it still may be some time before any casting announcement is made.

‘There isn’t much movement on the project,’ the source told the Daily Mail.

‘There is no script and casting hasn’t even been considered because nobody has hired a casting department. Plus, quite a few people working on the film are busy with other stuff.’

In August 2024, Spears confirmed on social media that she was working with Hollywood film producer Marc Platt – whose credits include the Legally Blonde franchise and both Wicked films – to turn her bestselling memoir into a biopic about her life.

‘Excited to share with my fans that I’ve been working on a secret project with #MarcPlatt. He’s always made my favorite movies… stay tuned,’ Spears wrote.

Shortly after it was reported that a biopic was in the works, fans immediately shared their dream casting for the pop icon.

Fans named Sabrina Carpenter, Addison Rae and Sydney Sweeney as potential leads. Others contested that the role of Spears should reference her own rise to fame – that is, be played by an unknown actress plucked from obscurity.

Viral TikTokers Mia Marcuzzi and Kylie Schultz have been battling it out on social media, each posting videos of themselves mimicking Spears’s most iconic performances in the hopes they’ll one day audition for the part.

Then there were celebrities who took it upon themselves to throw their own hats into the ring.

Stranger Things actress Milly Bobby Brown sparked speculation on Instagram that she was casually auditioning for the part due to her recent physical transformation – which came complete with platinum-blonde hair and Y2K-style clothing.

She later confirmed her desire to portray Spears in an interview with Entertainment Tonight, telling the outlet: ‘Nothing would make me happier than being able to play such an iconic, beautiful person. I leave that to the Gods.’

Brown also told Access Hollywood that she would ‘love nothing more than to be a part of her story.’

‘I would want someone to bring it to life in the most beautiful way, and I’d always be open to that,’ she added.

However, the Daily Mail understands that it will be Spears herself who has final say over who gets to portray her in the film.

Though it won’t be as easy as getting a blonde dye job or dancing with a giant yellow python draped over your shoulder to convince her. Indeed, a separate source said Spears believed Brown was too ‘desperate’ for the role.

Not only will Spears have a say in casting for her biopic, but Chu has also said she’ll ‘be very involved’ in developing a storyboard for the film.

But that may be easier said than done, with our insider divulging that the singer’s ‘erratic’ behavior has stalled progress on the film.

‘One of the biggest issues has been how hard it is to lock down any meetings with Britney, which has been erratic at best,’ the source said.

The Crazy Rich Asians director also ‘doesn’t want to talk about’ the movie while promoting Wicked: Part Two next month because he ‘can’t bank on [the biopic] actually happening’, the source added.

‘He has at least six known projects ahead of him,’ the source continued.

‘It is hard to make a movie, even when many capable people try to make it. There is still some time to see what might happen.’

The Daily Mail has contacted Spears’s representatives for comment.

The singer’s recent social media antics have been cause for concern.

Earlier this month, family insiders revealed to the Daily Mail that Spears ‘isn’t functioning like an adult,’ and shared details about her chaotic home life in her ‘messy mansion’.

Following a recent string of particularly bizarre social media posts, one of which included a look at Spears’s disheveled home, one source claimed the singer is ‘having an episode right now, and we are going to see her battle through it the way she has for years.’

Another source from Spears’s family said they were ‘worried,’ adding the star is ‘not doing well at all’ and that those close to her are ‘terrified for her future.’

‘Her house is a mess. She doesn’t clean up after the dogs, she doesn’t have someone there cleaning every day, and she just isn’t functioning like an adult would function,’ the source said.

Some of Spears’s social media posts have seen her dancing with knives, claiming she burned down her bathroom and ranting about ‘fake friends.’

She also sparked ‘mental health crisis’ concerns in May last year at iconic Los Angeles hotel, Chateau Marmont, as shocking photos showed her being escorted out to emergency services while barefoot and wrapped in a blanket.

She quickly denied the claims, insisting she had simply twisted her ankle after attempting a leap in the living room in the early hours.

‘Family and friends are always concerned with Britney as they try to navigate her mental health while allowing her to still be able to do her own thing,’ the family source added.

‘Everyone sees the same thing, from fans to friends. But there isn’t anything that can be done to move forward and it just ends up being a never-ending circle.’