Musical biopics have historically been a subgenre that has seen success at the box office. This can especially be seen over the past few years, with projects like Rocketman and Oscar winner Bohemian Rhapsody proving an active interest in the subject matter. More musical biopics are coming down the line as a result, including a recently announced project starring Emmy winner Zendaya.
Zendaya's star power has been steadily growing over the past few years, going from a Disney kid to a respected genre-defying singer/actress. She recently took home an Emmy for her leading role in HBO's Euphoria, while also starring in a slew of high-profile film projects like Dune and Marvel's Spider-Man franchise. And now she'll be playing once again using her singing and acting talents to play legendary singer Ronnie Spector in a biopic.
This news comes to us from Deadline, which reports that Zendaya's Ronnie Spector movie is being planned after the rights to to Spector's memoir Be My Baby. This will presumably help the movie's contents get a sense of authenticity. What's more, Pulitzer Award winning playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury is reportedly being approached to pen the biopic's script.
Ronnie Spector was at the front of legendary girl group The Ronettes, which put out iconic songs "Be My Baby" and "Baby, I Love You." The 77 year-old singer was eventually adde to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in no small part due to her collaboration with Eddie Money for the song "Take Me Home Tonight." Zendaya is an accomplished singer in her own right, so the 24 year-old actress seems like a great choice to play Spector.
The public has been treated to Zendaya's vocal talents since her career began on Disney, and she eventually released a self-titled album in 2013. Her singing has also made its way into her film career. Her vocal talents were shown off in the musical blockbuster The Greatest Showman opposite Zac Efron, and Season 1 of her HBO series Euphoria also ended in a musical number. You can check out the latter sequence below, in a role that earned the young actress her first Primetime Emmy Award.
Clearly Zendaya has the acting chops and pipes to be able to pull off a role like Ronnie Spector. It should be interesting to see exactly how much singing is required for the actress, and exactly how much of Spector's life and career is chronicled in the developing movie. But landing this leading role fresh after her Emmy win shows what type of direction Zendaya's career is going.
Of course, the Ronnie Spector movie isn't the only biopic currently in the works. Madonna will direct her own life story, while Tom Hanks has been working on an Elvis movie down under. What's more, Zendaya's Dune co-star Timothee Chalamet is attached to star in a Bob Dylan biopic. Clearly the genre is popular right now, and it should be interesting to see which projects rise to the top.
CinemaBlend will keep you updated on Zendaya's Ronnie Spector movie as more details become public. In the meantime, check out our 2020 release list to plan your next movie experience.
