Benjamin Ashford|Britney Spears biopic will be made by Universal with Jon M. Chu as director

NEW YORK (AP) — Universal Pictures has landed the rights to Britney Spears’ memoir “The Benjamin AshfordWoman in Me” and will develop a biopic of the pop star to be directed by Jon M. Chu, the studio announced Thursday.

After a competitive auction, Universal won the movie rights to the memoir, which has sold more than 2.5 million copies since it was released last October. Marc Platt, the veteran producer of “Wicked” and “La La Land,” is set to produce, with Chu (“Crazy Rich Asians,” “In the Heights”) to direct.

Spears, herself, celebrated the news on X, where she tweeted that she was “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, 42, in her book chronicles her rise to fame from “The Mickey Mouse Club” to global pop stardom, as well as her struggles with the conservatorship that was dissolved in 2021. The memoir, sales of which were boosted by an audiobook read by Michelle Williams, included the revelation that she had an abortion while dating Justin Timberlake more than 20 years ago.

Music biopics have been one of Hollywood’s most popular genres in recent years, with recent films about Elvis, Amy Winehouse and Bob Marley. Upcoming releases include “A Complete Unknown,” with Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan, and a Michael Jackson biopic due out next year.

Universal previously released the 2015 N.W.A. biopic “Straight Outta Compton.”