Who will play Britney Spears? Sydney Sweeney leads casting buzz, Millie Bobby Brown in the mix
Millie Bobby Brown, Addison Rae among contenders for Britney Spears role
Nearly two years after Universal bought the rights to The Woman in Me, the question fans actually care about has become a public argument: who plays Britney Spears?
Right now the name at the top of the list is Sydney Sweeney. OK! Magazine quoted a Hollywood insider who said she is being considered for the title role, and that although no final decision has been made, the 28-year-old has the profile, range, and familiarity with the pop star's image that make her an obvious pick.
The reaction was not kind. Social media split fast, with many doubting she could recreate Spears's performance style. One critic's verdict was blunt: "not talented enough for this role." Others asked who would handle the singing and dancing. Timing hasn't helped. Sweeney has repeatedly landed in controversy over provocative ad choices, including American Eagle and the Novig sports betting campaign, and some fans argued Addison Rae or Tate McRae would suit the role better given their music and dance backgrounds.
Millie Bobby Brown has chased the part for longest, and she has taken her own heat for it. In 2022, she told Drew Barrymore that a Britney biopic was one of her biggest career goals, saying she felt she could "tell her story in the right way and hers only." Spears appeared to push back online: "Dude I'm not dead!!!" By early 2025, with rumours swirling around her new blonde hair, Brown had softened. She called Spears an icon but said "that's her story," adding that she fully supported Spears telling it her own way. She remains firmly in the conversation.
Beyond those two, the reported shortlist includes Addison Rae, Bailee Madison, and Kylie Schultz. Rae appears to have a solid edge. She built her fame on TikTok dance videos, moved into singing and acting, earned a Grammy nomination for best new artist, and, like Spears, comes from Louisiana. At Lollapalooza Argentina in March, she mashed her song "I Got It Bad" into "...Baby One More Time," which fed the comparisons. Rae herself has played it down, saying "I honestly don't think anyone deserves to play Britney."
Madison has been acting since Bridge to Terabithia in 2007, has starred in Pretty Little Liars: Summer School, and has released pop music of her own. Schultz is the wild card. The Ithaca College student went viral recreating Britney's dances on TikTok and called herself the "Britney Spears Biopic Girl," though she hadn't been in contact with Chu or Spears's team.
Behind the camera, the team is set. Universal is reuniting the Wicked creative team, with Jon M. Chu directing and Marc Platt producing, and Liz Meriwether, creator of New Girl and co-creator of Dying for Sex, is writing the screenplay. Meriwether has described Spears's experience as a collision of intense attention and new media, and argues this is the right moment to revisit her story
The project stalled for months over its direction and how involved Spears would be, but talks are reportedly more productive now and she is expected to have significant input. That may be the real casting decider. Whoever lands the role will need more than a resemblance and a headset mic. They will need Britney's approval.
