Zendaya is fresh off an Emmy win for Euphoria, and it’s no surprise that she’s quickly found another project to jump onto. She will play Ronettes member Ronnie Spector in an upcoming biopic for A24.
If you’re unfamiliar with the name, then you won’t be unfamiliar with the music. The Ronettes sang “Be My Baby”, a pop music classic that’s stood the test of time, been used in countless films, and affected Beach Boys czar and musical genius Brian Wilson so much that he’d listen to the chorus on loop for hours, with Beach Boys engineer Stephen Desper saw as “some kind of trance”.
Be My Baby is also the title of Spector’s autobiography, which will serve as the foundational text for the film, and likely the film’s title as well. Jackie Sibblies Drury is in early talks to adapt the book for A24 and New Regency.
Spector’s life story makes total sense as a movie. Her early success, vicious relationship with record producer and convicted murderer Phil Spector, then her eventual re-triumph, will likely form the backbone on the story. And it also seems like Ronnie, who’s helping produce the movie, is totally on board with Zendaya playing her, as the two posted a picture together after Zendaya‘s recent Emmy win.
A24 being in charge of this is also encouraging since they’ve been a studio willing to push boundaries. Don’t expect this biopic to be in the vein of your easy crowd pleasers like Bohemian Rhapsody and Judy. No director is currently attached to the project, but plenty of big names will surely be interested.
Zendaya has plenty of other interesting projects lined up too. She’ll be one of many stars in Denis Villeneuve‘s Dune, reprise her role as MJ in the third MCU Spider-Man movie, will play Anita Hemmings – the first African-American woman to graduate from Vassar College – in a film titled A White Lie, and will star alongside John David Washington in Sam Levinson‘s drama, Malcolm & Marie.
#Peace.Love.BeMyBaby
