The planned film based on Britney Spears’ memoir is moving ahead. Screenwriter Liz Meriwether has been hired to write an early draft for Universal Pictures, according to Page Six.
Meriwether, creator of the Fox comedy series “New Girl” and co-creator of the FX limited series “Dying for Sex,” joins director Jon M. Chu and producer Marc Platt. They are working on the developing feature adaptation of Spears’ 2023 book, “The Woman in Me”.
The decision follows reports from the Daily Mail in September 2025, where a source told the outlet that progress on the project had stalled. However, Meriwether’s involvement suggests that the studio-backed retelling of Spears’ life is still under active development. Currently, no one has announced a casting or release date.
Memoir’s Reach Drives Hollywood Interest
The film is based on “The Woman in Me”, Spears’ memoir that became a high-selling publishing release when it arrived in 2023.
The book sold more than 1.1 million copies in its first week and went on to sell more than 3 million copies. It also reached the top of bestseller lists across multiple categories. Worldwide, the memoir has sold more than 6 million copies, according to figures cited for the project.
The audiobook edition, narrated by Academy Award-nominated actor Michelle Williams with an introduction by Spears, set a company record. It became the fastest-selling audiobook in Simon & Schuster’s history.
In Aug. 2024, Universal Pictures secured the rights to adapt the memoir into a feature film, attaching Chu and Platt to oversee the screen version. This pairing extends their ongoing collaboration. The two also worked together on the upcoming musical “Wicked.”
After news of the rights deal emerged, Spears acknowledged the adaptation on social media, referring to it as a “secret project.” Additionally, she praised Platt’s body of work, writing that he has “always made my favorite movies,” and told fans to “stay tuned” for further details.
Meriwether Adds Award-Winning Experience
Meriwether arrives with experience across network television, streaming, and studio film projects.
She created the comedy series “New Girl,” which starred Zooey Deschanel and ran for seven seasons on Fox. In film, she wrote the 2011 romantic comedy “No Strings Attached,” featuring Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher.
More recently, Meriwether co-created the FX limited series “Dying for Sex” with Kim Rosenstock and worked on Hulu’s “The Dropout.” The latter examined the rise and fall of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes.
Her work has received industry recognition. Meriwether won a Writers Guild of America award for “Dying for Sex” and has received multiple Primetime Emmy nominations for her television projects. Those credentials position her to shape the early draft of Spears’ story for the screen. Universal and the creative team are refining the direction of the adaptation.
Creative Team Shapes Next Stage
Meriwether joins a creative group that already includes Chu and Platt, whose collaboration on the two-part “Wicked” film has drawn widespread attention. The Spears project team is developing and bringing the memoir to the big screen for Universal.
The team is now focused on forming a screenplay that translates “The Woman in Me” from a first-person memoir into a narrative feature film. Meriwether is expected to help complete the adaptation. Chu and Platt will continue their work on the production side as the project moves through development.
The film is taking shape at a time when music biopics continue to secure strong box office results. The Spears project is positioned within that broader trend and could benefit from the genre’s current popularity. This popularity is reflected in recent releases such as “Michael,” which became one of the highest-grossing music biopics worldwide.
No casting decisions, production timeline, or release date have been made public. For now, the clearest sign of movement is behind the scenes. Meriwether’s hiring underscores that Universal and its creative partners are still actively working to bring Spears’ memoir to theaters.
