It was announced last year that Wicked director Jon M Chu would be directing a biopic of Britney Spears's life, based on her book The Woman in Me.

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Now, following the success of Wicked, Chu has offered some further details on the project, revealing that Spears herself will be "very involved".

Chu was speaking with Entertainment Tonight at the Golden Globe Awards when he was asked about the popstar's own involvement.

He said: "She's going to be very involved. I haven't really started anything fully yet, but she will be very involved in this.

"I have ideas and things, of an approach and things, but it's very, very early."

Jon M Chu, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande at the Premiere of Wicked standing in formal attire
Jon M Chu, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande at the Premiere of Wicked. Max Cisotti/Dave Benett/WireImage

Chu was also pushed on the casting of the film's lead, to which he admitted he has seen "all the fan casting" around it, and that he will "always take those into consideration because maybe there's a good idea out there".

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He continued: "We'll have to see. We'll have to see what the approach of the movie is before we know who's right for it, but I'm open for anything."

The first part of Chu's adaptation of Wicked was released last year to strong reviews and an impressive box office haul, and when speaking with RadioTimes.com at the time of release, he revealed the best advice he got while he was making it.

He said: "You know, for me, it was what Stephen Schwartz and Winnie [Holzman] and Marc Platt said to me from the very beginning, the thing that was their guiding light in doing the show was, 'It's about the girls, stupid.'

"So no matter how distracting it can be to worry about the sets and the lights and the things... like, that was all important, but it's not the actual reason the show works.

"It is the relationship between these two women, the nuances and them sort of scratching at truths. That is the thing that I think is the most compelling of it all. So that was sort of my guiding light."

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Authors

James HibbsDrama Writer

James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.

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