Universal taps New Girl creator Liz Meriwether to write Britney Spears biopic

Liz Meriwether, creator of New Girl and co-creator of Dying for Sex, will write the upcoming Britney Spears biopic for Universal, according to Variety.

The film will be directed by Jon M. Chu, who most recently helmed Wicked, and produced by Marc Platt.

Variety first reported the news, confirming Meriwether's attachment to the project.

Details on casting, release timing and further creative credits have not yet been announced.

From read to reel

The movie is based on Britney’s memoir, The Woman in Me, released in late 2023. The memoir sold over one million copies in its first week, while the audiobook, read by Hollywood star Michelle Williams, became the fastest-selling in Simon & Schuster’s history.

News first broke in 2024 that Universal Pictures had landed the rights to the memoir, with Chu and Platt attached to develop the project.

Spears shared news of the “secret project” herself, writing on social media that Platt has “always made my favourite movies” and telling her fans to “stay tuned” for more news.

Meriwether has received four Primetime Emmy nominations for her work across Dying for Sex, which she co-created with Kim Rosenstock, and the Hulu limited series The Dropout.

Her breakthrough came in 2011 when she wrote the screenplay for the Natalia Portman-starring rom-com No Strings Attached, before she created the beloved Fox sitcom New Girl, starring Zooey Deschanel, which ran for seven seasons.

Keep on top of the most important media, marketing, and agency news each day with the Mediaweek Morning Report – delivered for free every morning to your inbox.