Hollywood loves a good celebrity biopic and these upcoming biopics are some of the most interesting and anticipated ones. The best biopics have more than just a great actor at the center of the project. They have to have a good creative team with an interesting vision behind them. They also have to have the commitment of those who want to tell the story.

Some of the most anticipated biopics are ones that have actually been in development for years. A biopic about Janis Joplin, for example, has been in development for over a decade and the stars simply have not aligned to make it happen. Plenty of Joplin fans are hoping that the next version will make it to theaters. Some of the most anticipated also have the cooperation of the biopic subjects (Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, and more) or their families. That allows for an insider’s perspective to help bring the story to life.

14

Michael (Jafaar Jackson As Michael Jackson)

Release Date: October 3, 2025

Michael was originally scheduled for earlier in 2025, but the film has been pushed back to allow for the finishing touches to be placed on it. A first look was given to theater owners at CinemaCon in 2024, but that footage was very early in the production process.

While a lot of modern biopics chronicle specific time periods in a person’s life now, Michael is taking a much more ambitious route. It tackles the life of Michael Jackson from his time as a child and member of the Jackson 5 in the 1960s all the way up to 2009 and the days before his tragic death.

What makes this movie so interesting is that it has the cooperation of the Jackson Estate. While that could mean the movie might shy away from heavier topics to spare the family, much of the Jackson family’s secrets have already played out in the media, so that seems unlikely.

It even has members of the family involved in the movie. Michael Jackson’s nephew, Jafaar Jackson will play him as an adult. While Jafaar Jackson has released music as an adult, he has never acted professionally, leaving a lot of Michael Jackson fans curious if he can pull off his uncle’s story on the big screen. Of course, the movie is also full of some incredible talent with Colman Domingo and Nia Long as the Jackson parents and Kat Graham as Diana Ross.

13

Deliver Me From Nowhere (Jeremy Allen White As Bruce Springsteen)

Release Date: Estimated For Late 2025

This could actually make for a very intimate and vulnerable portrayal of Springsteen…

There has already been a movie celebrating the music of Bruce Springsteen. 2019’s Blinded By The Light sees a young Pakistani-British man who finds hope and meaning in Springsteen’s music. While that movie is inspired by the real-life of journalist Sarfraz Manzoor, the story is fictional. This time around, Deliver Me From Nowhere is examining Springsteen’s journey to make music himself.

The movie spotlights Springsteen’s effort to record his sixth studio album, Nebraska. This could actually make for a very intimate and vulnerable portrayal of Springsteen on the screen, since it has become widely known that the musician actually recorded that album on a four-cᴀssette recorder in his own bedroom while trying to make music different from what he had done before.

Jeremy Allen White is starring as the musician, and while he is not known for taking on musical roles, he is known for his very visceral performances. His work in shows like The Bear and movies like The Iron Claw are great demonstrations that he has what it takes to dig into Springsteen’s process at this time in his life. What’s more, Springsteen actually visited the set multiple times and met with White during filming.

12

Fred & Ginger (Jamie Bell And Margaret Qualley As Fred Astaire And Ginger Rogers)

Release Date: To Be Determined

Jamie Bell and Margaret Qualley were announced to play Hollywood legends Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in this biopic in 2023. The movie was also expected to film later that year, but it did not with Qualley having other commitments, so it is not entirely clear if this movie is still in development or not. That being said, it’s still an exciting prospect because of the specific time period in Astaire and Roger’s careers that it hones in on.

The movie is expected to focus on “a life-defining point in their early careers when their contrasting dance styles and compeтιтive rivalry threatened to destroy their legendary partnership” (via ᴅᴇᴀᴅline). That’s especially interesting, especially for musical fans, because these two performers were so well-suited to one another on screen that some modern fans of the genre might not have realized they initially did not get along. Seeing how they become the perfect pair would be a fascinating journey.

Equally fascinating is that the Internet Movie Database does not list the movie as a biopic. Instead, it lists the movie as a fantasy, which means it could go the route of Rocketman and embellish the tale with some very inventive dance sequences.

Fred Astaire fans are in for an embarrᴀssment of riches as Tom Holland has also signed on to star as Astaire in a biopic from Paul King. Interestingly, both Holland and Bell have a tap dancing background with roles in Billy Elliot on the stage and the screen, respectively.

11

Janis Joplin: Get It While You Can (Shailene Woodley As Janis Joplin)

Release Date: TBD

Janis Joplin is one musician that Hollywood has been trying to make a biopic about for years. In the past, several stars have been attached to lead various films about the musician’s life. Brittany Murphy, Melissa Etheridge, Pink, Zooey Deschanel, and Amy Adams have all been attached to movies before, one of which was тιтled Janis Joplin: Get It While You Can. It’s not yet known if that will even remain the тιтle when or if the movie gets made.

The Janis Joplin movie is expected to tell the story of her life, not simply a particular time period within it. This particular project could be fantastic if Joplin’s estate finally approves the use of her music (which they have been very careful with allowing in other projects). Though Joplin pᴀssed away at the age of 27, her music has become legendary, and she was incredibly gifted at conveying emotion through her songs. Seeing if Woodley, or another actor by the time the movie is made, could tell her story, would be a treat for Joplin fans.

Woodley was announced for the role in 2024, but no writer or director has been publicly announced yet.

10

Jon M. Chu’s The Woman In Me (A Britney Spears Biopic)

Release Date: TBD

Jon M. Chu got his professional directing start in music videos, so he seems like a natural fit for musicals and music-related projects with his unique vision. Most recently, he adapted big-budget adaptations of Broadway musicals In The Heights and Wicked. He also, however, is attached to direct The Woman In Me, a biopic inspired by the memoir released by Britney Spears.

There have been unauthorized Spears pictures before, most notably, Britney Ever After for Lifetime. Parts of her life are also said to have inspired Crossroads, where some of her music was used in her acting debut. Chu’s movie would be the first time Spears is allowing her story to be told on screen, and she will also be involved in the project.

Chu told Entertainment Weekly at the 2025 Golden Globes:

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, an approach, but it’s very early… I’ve seen all fan castings and I always take those into consideration, because maybe there’s a good idea out there. But we’ll have to see what the approach of the movie is before we know who’s right for it.

Chu has several projects set for release before he gets to really work on Spears’ story, so there is no one else attached to the creative team just yet. It could be quite a while before fans get to see it.

9

Ang Lee’s Bruce Lee Biopic (Mason Lee As Bruce Lee)

Release Date: TBD

Ang Lee’s so far unтιтled Bruce Lee biopic was announced in 2022. While the script was finished and the movie was expected to shoot in 2023 or 2024, various delays have prevented it from moving forward. It’s possible the movie could film in 2025. Lee cast his own son, Mason Lee in the role of Bruce Lee, and he commented to Variety in 2024 that he hopes they get to make the movie sooner rather than later because “Neither of us are getting any younger.”

He also pointed out to the publication that Bruce Lee’s own family brought him the pitch for the biopic, and it took him a while to connect with “the character” of Bruce Lee after accepting taking on the movie:

It took me years to think of a way to crack it, to connect to it. Character-wise, I couldn’t be more different from Bruce Lee but there are aspects I relate to. He had idenтιтy issues; he was always yearning to belong, to find his place. That really speaks to me.

Ang Lee has become a prolific and impressive filmmaker with everything from Sense and Sensibility to Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon on his resume. His experience with all of those different genres is part of what makes him a great choice for the role, especially since it is said to focus on Bruce Lee’s life during the time of making his iconic movie, Enter The Dragon.

In 2023, Producer Lawrence Grey said the movie would focus on that time period but also have a nonlinear structure, which sounds right up Ang Lee’s alley from an artistic standpoint.

8

Josh Gad’s Chris Farley Biopic (Paul Walter Hauser As Chris Farley)

Release Date: TBD

A Chris Farley biopic was announced in 2024. A movie about the beloved comedian is surely going to be carefully scrutinized by fans. Farley was the rare comedian who could appeal to audiences with family-friendly stories, gross-out comedy, and everything in between. Though Farley is best known for his work on Saturday Night Live, he also had a prolific movie career before his life was cut short.

Both Josh Gad and Paul Walter Hauser have been very vocal about wanting to do their best work to honor Farley with the movie. They were both huge fans of the actor and have their own careers that have been able to cross genres and audiences.

The movie, which does not have a release date just yet, will be Josh Gad’s directorial debut. As he pointed out to Collider, he chose the movie to be his debut because he has always wanted his first directing project to be something more personal:

I’ve wanted to direct for a while, but I knew that I needed to do something that was very personal and a story about the struggle with weight, struggle with confidence, struggle with inner demons, and wanting to make people laugh even if sometimes it’s at your own expense. Those things felt wholly familiar and recognizable, in part because I worshiped Chris Farley growing up. So, it’s sort of a full-circle project for me, and in a way, I see a lot of myself in it.

The movie is expected to be based on the book The Chris Farley Show and Farley’s family has approved of the project.

7

David O. Russell’s Linda Ronstadt Biopic (Selena Gomez As Linda Ronstadt)

Release Date: TBD

This particular biopic was announced in early 2024, and it has already seen some spirited reactions from fans. A whole thread on Reddit has been dedicated to complaints about David O. Russell being the director chosen to helm the project. Russell has a rumored history of taking his anger and frustrations out on the actors on his sets, so several commenters were apprehensive. One of the comments in the thread noted, “Full support for Sel[e]na Gomez acting and staring in a movie but with him really????”

The rest of the team are exciting additions to the project. Producers on the project include James Keach, who helmed the 2019 documentary Linda Ronstadt: Finding My Voice, and John Boylan, Ronstadt’s manager.

Selena Gomez has also been a fan of Ronstadt’s for years. She told The Hollywood Reporter how much she admired her:

With Linda, once I met her and read two books, one of them over and over, I just found her to be so [compelling]… She had such an interesting perspective on music and life, and I really admired that. She never really needed to be as successful, and she was willing to try different things.

Gomez also revealed that, nearly a year after she was announced for the role, she is still attached to star as Ronstadt in the movie, though she is not sure how long it will be before the movie is made.

6

A Ronnie Spector Biopic (Zendaya As Ronnie Spector)

Release Date: TBD

Zendaya was initially announced to be playing musician Ronnie Spector in a biopic in 2020. The movie was set to be produced by A24 and Zendaya even met with Spector to discuss stories about her life. In 2022, when Robbie Spector pᴀssed away, however, there had still been no further public announcements about the movie, but it was clearly still in development.

Zendaya posted a tribute to Spector on her Instagram account after the news of Spector’s death broke. She thanked Spector for sharing her life with her and called Spector a “magical force of greatness,” detailing that she hoped to make Spector proud.

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Since then, however, there has not seemed to be any movement on the movie. Zendaya has remained booked and busy with a string of high-profile roles since she was originally attached to the biopic. The Spider-Man franchise, Euphoria, Dune, and Challengers have all kept her very busy. She still likely has more Euphoria and Spider-Man on the way, as well as potentially another Dune movie and Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey.

It might be a while before Zendaya is in the position to film the biopic.

5

Beautiful (A Carole King Biopic)

Release Date: TBD

In 2014, Beautiful debuted on Broadway. The stage musical uses the music of Carole King to tell her life story. A movie adaptation has been in the works for a few years now. Shows like Dreamgirls, Chicago, and Wicked have all made the successful leap from the stage to the screen, so there’s no reason Beautiful could not do the same.

In 2022 Daisy Edgar-Jones was announced to play King. She got to meet the musician over a Zoom call and she began to learn to play piano. After a year of the movie being in development, however, Edgar-Jones exited the project, having never officially signed on to play the part. When she spoke with Variety in 2024, she confirmed her exit:

That’s no longer happening. I love Carole and I love that story, but it was a year ago that they decided [to no longer pursue it]. I did learn a lot of piano. I think it’s a gorgeous story, and the script probably needs a little more time in the oven.

It’s a shame because Edgar-Jones would have made a great fit for the role. It remains to be seen if the movie gets off the ground now, but Sony is still actively developing it.

4

A Nat King Cole Biopic (Colman Domingo As Nat King Cole)

Release Date: TBD

Colman Domingo is known for having a particular gravitas in the roles he plays. Recently, he appeared in the movie adaptation of The Color Purple and was a mainstay in the TV series Fear The Walking ᴅᴇᴀᴅ. Some fans, however, might not know that he is also a playwright. One of the plays he wrote is Lights Out: Nat King Cole. Domingo’s interest in Cole has not wavered. and he has also co-written a script for a biopic about the entertainer.

Domingo is also slated to star in the movie and direct. While he has directed episodes of television, this would be his feature directorial debut. While Domingo has not talked much about the movie, he did reveal to Variety that he has been “quietly working on it for a few years.”

It’s not yet clear if the movie will be a full biopic or if it will focus on a specific period in the musician’s life. His play did the latter, depicting Cole’s behind-the-scenes work on his 1957 TV Christmas special, which was the first network program to be hosted by an African American. It’s possible Domingo’s script for the movie could adapt a similar idea, which would certainly be an exciting way for the project to go.

3

A James Baldwin Biopic (Billy Porter As James Baldwin)

Release Date: TBD

James Baldwin was a gay writer and civil rights activist born in 1924 in Harlem. He lived during a particularly difficult time and penned multiple outstanding works, including Notes of a Native Son and If Beale Street Could Talk. His biopic is set to be adapted from the 1994 biography by David Leeming. Lemming was actually Baldwin’s ᴀssistant and close friend for more than two decades, so his knowledge and details in his book are as much from first-hand knowledge as they are research.

Billy Porter has long been a fan of Baldwin’s work. When the biopic, which he is both co-writing and starring in, was announced, he released a statement detailing how much he identified with Baldwin and wanted to bring Baldwin’s legacy to new generations:

As a Black queer man on this planet with relative consciousness I find myself, like James Baldwin said, ‘in a rage all the time.’ I am because James was. I stand on James Baldwin’s shoulders, and I intend to expand his legacy for generations to come.

2

Who’s That Girl (Julia Garner As Madonna)

Release Date: TBD

Seeing her transform into Madonna after such a grueling process – and with Madonna’s approval – will be a treat for fans of both entertainers.

Who’s That Girl might not end up being the movie’s final тιтle, but it is rumored to be the тιтle after Madonna herself used the phrase in Instagram posts concerning the movie’s development. The biopic has been in development for years after Madonna became frustrated with other people attempting to tell her story. She is co-writing and directing the upcoming movie, whose development was put on hold when Madonna previously went on tour.

There were a lot of rumored names up for the role including Alexa Demie and Florence Pugh before Julia Garner was announced as being attached to the project. The audition process for the Madonna biopic reportedly included hours of choreography work before the actor would be required to sing and do line readings with Madonna herself. The kind of commitment to get the role has to be intense.

Garner is known for being able to completely disappear into her roles on screen. From The Americans to Ozark to Inventing Anna, she is nearly unrecognizable as she changes her voice and the way she carries herself in every part. Seeing her transform into Madonna after such a grueling process – and with Madonna’s approval – will be a treat for fans of both entertainers.

1

Sam Mendes’ Interconnected Beatles Films

Release Dates: 2027-2028

Biopics rarely take the serial approach, and they never connect to other biopics. That is one reason the Sam Mendes’ take on a Beatles biopic will be so interesting. There will be four different movies made, one from the point of view of each of the four members of the iconic band. They’re all expected to begin shooting in 2025 before the movies start releasing in 2027.

While casting for the movies is mostly rumors at this point, the most reported names to play the Beatles are Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Barry Keoghan as Ringo Star, and Charlie Rowe as George Harrison. In late 2024, however, reports started surfacing that Joseph Quinn was actually the frontrunner to play George Harrison.

While the rumored casting sounds exciting (whether Quinn, Rowe, or someone else ends up as Harrison), it’s the way the story is structured that is more exciting. By crafting four movies, it means that even if all of the movies center on a specific time period of the time the band was together, they will tell the story from a different point of view. It allows for a more complete story, even if any of the narrators are unreliable or see events completely differently.

Other Upcoming Biopics Still In Development

Though these numerous biopics offer some of the most exciting celebrity stories to be brought to the screen in upcoming years, there are still numerous biopics in development with different directors attached and at different studios.

Martin Scorcese has been trying to get a Frank Sinatra biopic off the ground for years. At one point, Leonardo DiCaprio was attached to star, but the movie has never gone forward. The Sinatra family, like many of the families ᴀssociated with famous singers, have been protective of his story and music.

Scorcese was also announced as being attached to another biopic in 2021 that has not yet moved forward – for the Grateful ᴅᴇᴀᴅ. While Scorcese has directed many biopics and documentaries, he has never directed one of a musician before, so it would certainly be interesting to see how he would handle one, if he would include musical sequences in the movies if they move forward.

A biopic about Billy Joel has also been in development for a few years. Under the тιтle of The Piano Man, the movie is reportedly seet to be about Joel’s early life (via Variety). Unfortunately, permission has not been granted for Joel’s music to be used in the biopic, which might make it a little bit harder to pull off.

The Daily Mail also broke the news in 2024 that a new Boy George biopic was in development. It was rumored that Barry Keoghan was the frontrunner for the тιтular musician and Bridgerton’s Jonathan Bailey was the first choice to play Jon Moss, a bandmate and part of a “doomed love affair” with the performer. No casting information, however, has been officially announced.

If any of these biopics get creative teams ᴀssembled before the ones that already have their casts in place, any of them could make it to the screen in the next few years.