We now know who will direct Zendaya in the Ronnie Spector biopic.
Barry Jenkins will helm the film about the lead singer of The Ronettes for A24, ABC Audio has confirmed.
David Kajganich will write the original screenplay. Rather than reading like a traditional biopic, the film’s story will reportedly center on the singer’s life with her first husband, the troubled producer Phil Spector.
Zendaya was first announced to be in talks to play the rocker in 2020. She was hand-selected by Ronnie Spector, who was an executive producer on the film before she died, to play her. Shortly after Ronnie Spector died in January 2022, Zendaya took to Instagram to pay tribute to the star.
“This news just breaks my heart. To speak about her as if she’s not with us feels strange as she is so incredibly full of life,” Zendaya wrote. “There’s not a time I saw her without her iconic red lips and full teased hair, a true rockstar through and through.”
Zendaya also thanked Ronnie Spector for the time she spent helping to prepare her to take on the role.
“Ronnie, being able to know you has been one of the greatest honors of my life,” Zendaya wrote. “Thank you for sharing your life with me, I could listen to your stories for hours and hours. Thank you for your unmeasured talent, your unwavering love for performing, your strength, resilience and your grace.”
This marks the third collaboration between A24 and Jenkins after the Oscar-winning Moonlight and the upcoming film Sorry, Baby, for which he serves as a producer.
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