For a year now, there have been discussions of a Britney Spears biopic in the works.

The Spears biopic, based on her memoir “The Woman in Me,” will be directed by Jon M. Chu. Chu previously directed the Oscar-winning movie “Wicked,” which hit theatres late 2024. 

“I haven’t really started anything fully yet,” Chu said in a clip from Pink News. “I have ideas, but it’s very early.” 

Since the biopic’s announcement, many stars have been fan-cast as Spears, but no official announcement has been made. 

Some popular choices have been well-established actresses like Florence Pugh and Sydney Sweeney. 

“I would be interested in Florence Pugh,” said Colin Whitworth, a lecturer of rhetoric teaching a pop culture course this summer. “With the budgets and kind of coaches they have they can get anybody as good as they need for the performance stuff. But I would also be really excited by casting an unknown.” 

Former Disney child stars, such as Sabrina Carpenter and Dove Cameron, have been another common suggestion, with many feeling their shared background as child actresses and now singers could have them more accurately represent Spears’ story.

Some people additionally felt that not only looks had to be taken into account but that vibes and aesthetics needed to be considered too. Both singers in the past have made some Spears references in their videos. 

“Tate’s got a little bit of attitude, she could pull off the raspier tone,” Daniel said. Some of these girlies have too clear of a tone to be Britney or are too clean to pull off the 2000s look.”

The most popular choice seemed to be Millie Bobby Brown, according to many. Brown recently dyed her hair blonde and has been going through a style change, some have suspected to possibly try and make herself more of a clear choice for the role. Brown in the past has said that playing Spears would be her dream role.

“I feel like Millie Bobby Brown could really, really capture the energy of Britney Spears,” said Tamara Bean, a junior philosophy major. “She can show the emotional depth and complexity. A bunch of actresses who want to be Britney seem to only want to be her for the icon status.” 

Bean elaborated that actors and actresses can be taught skills needed for the job, as is done for the skating movie “I, Tanya”, where actress Margot Robbie, who plays Tanya Harding, learned how to ice skate for the part.

There have been some who feel that the actress who gets to play Spears should be someone unknown. Dolly Parton’s upcoming musical “Dolly” recently went viral for their use of open auditions, which raised awareness and excitement. 

Many of Spears’ fans feel an open call would be more beneficial after witnessing the open auditions for “Dolly,” with many preferring someone to get their breakthrough through this role. 

“Open calls are good, there’s a lot of nepotism in businesses,” Bean said. “A lot of films that have done open calls have produced the most knock-out stars, like the ‘Harry Potter’ or ‘Stranger Things’ casts. I think open calls are the most fair way to go about a business that is all about status.” 

Despite much discourse over Spears’ casting, people agreed the most on who should play  Britney Spears’ dad in the biopic. Many people who are possibly in the running for Britney Spears were instead sometimes preferred for the role of Jamie Lynn Spears.

“I don’t like Alec Baldwin, but I also don’t like Britney Spears’ dad,” Daniel said. “Unfortunately, Alec Baldwin is perfect for this.” 

Whitworth felt similarly that there was an interesting parallel between Baldwin and Spears’ dad.

“I haven’t given a lot of thought to the family but I do think someone like Alec Baldwin, who himself is a controversial figure following the ‘Rust’ controversy, has something really interesting in the mirror of that,” Whitworth said. 

GCSU faculty and students showed clear interest in the biopic, regardless of how the movie turns out.

“I will be watching optimistically to see what happens,” Whitworth said. “I think it could be wonderful or it could be a mess but I hope it’s nothing in between.”   

Chu is reportedly aware of the fan casting speculations and takes them into consideration, but says he ultimately will not know anything for sure until the movie’s production is closer. 

Many young rising pop stars, such as Addison Rae and Tate Mcrae, who both started out as dancers, have been suggested to play Spears due to their strong dance background and likeness in appearance.

“The best option is Tate Mcrae or Bella Thorne,” said Mae Daniel, a master’s student of public administration.

Many celebrities that have been fan-casted as Spears have made public responses. 

“I honestly don’t think anyone deserves to play Britney,” Rae said in an interview for The New Hit List. 

Rae explained that she does not think it’s right to compare her to Spears, expressing that Spears created something untouchable that no one can replicate.

Stars have had a range of reactions, from stating that no one could live up to Spears to expressing how honored they would be to be able to play Spears.

Mcrae expressed that the comparisons between her and Spears were both flattering and scary, according to Rolling Stone.

Many stars emphasized the story being told how Spears wants it to be, a sentiment shared by GCSU students.

“Britney Spears needs to be heard,” Bean said. “She’s been silenced for so long. We need her to tell her story, there’s so much we don’t know.”