Who should play Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, and more in “The Woman in Me” biopic? EW weighs in

Christina Aguilera, Jamie Lynn Spears, Colin Farrell, and Madonna will also likely appear as characters in the Spears biopic.

Who's Britney, bitch?

With the news that Universal Pictures and Jon M. Chu (In the Heights, Wicked) are adapting Britney Spears' memoir The Woman in Me into a theatrical biopic, the internet is ablaze with fan-casting ideas for major and minor parts. Spears' book features prominent moments with other high-profile stars, including Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, Colin Farrell, Madonna, and Elton John. Which young actors could fill these figures' sizable shoes? And most importantly, which actresses might have the musicality and magnetism to play Spears herself?

Read on for Entertainment Weekly's staff picks for the upcoming Britney biopic.

Sydney Sweeney as Britney Spears

Sydney Sweeney is the moment, and Britney is forever. Since her rise out of Euphoria to international mega-fame, Sweeney has exuded the same kind of fragile sincerity that won Spears so many devotees and defenders. Can she sing? Can she dance? Not that we've seen on screen thus far, but she certainly would capture the feeling. —Ryan Coleman

Related: Britney Spears biopic movie based on Woman in Me memoir in the works with Wicked director

Addison Rae as Britney Spears

Addison Rae has drawn comparisons to Spears at every turn in her career. Her bubblegum-pop EP AR is reminiscent of Brit's early hits, her dance moves ooze the same energy and sensuality, she's harshly judged by the public for her seemingly detached personality, and the cherry on top? She also grew up in Louisiana. —Calie Schepp

Dove Cameron as Britney Spears

Dove Cameron is a triple threat in need of a breakout starring role. She came within arm's reach of landing Glinda in Wicked, which means she's put in the time with director Jon M. Chu. He might've gone in a different direction for our favorite pink girlie, but we have to imagine that Cameron is on his radar for Britney. She resembles Spears, but more importantly, she has the range to deliver on Spears' baby-girl voice, killer dance moves, iconic pop vocals, and emotional turmoil. (If you need proof, just watch Schmigadoon). —Maureen Lee Lenker

Millie Bobby Brown as Britney Spears

Millie Bobby Brown is somewhere in Atlanta calling her agent right now. The Stranger Things star has previously expressed her dream of playing Spears in a biopic. "Just growing up in the public eye, watching her videos, watching interviews of how when she was younger… I don't know her, but when I look at pictures of her, I feel like I could tell her story in the right way, and hers only," she told Drew Barrymore in 2022. —Emlyn Travis

Related: Millie Bobby Brown wants to play Britney Spears in a future biopic: 'Her story resonates with me'

Elle Graham as young Britney Spears

Spears' whirlwind late-teens and early 20s will probably be the most fun chapter of her life to see depicted on screen, but a significant chunk of The Woman in Me covers her life before superstardom, so Chu will likely need a younger performer to portray Spears in her adolescence. Elle Graham made waves in the immensely underrated Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, and she looks quite similar to Spears in her younger years. —Wesley Stenzel

Harry Styles as Justin Timberlake

No, Harry Styles and Justin Timberlake don't share the strongest physical or vocal resemblance, but there's a potentially poetic parallel between the two breakout stars of their respective generations' biggest boy bands. Both achieved inescapable cultural hegemony through multiple massive solo albums and maintained dominant heartthrob status even as their pivots to screen acting yielded mixed results — and Styles crucially demonstrated a willingness to play unlikable boyfriends with Don't Worry Darling. —W.S.

Joshua Bassett as Justin Timberlake

Just give him some highlights and Joshua Bassett makes the perfect J.T. The actor-singer who began his career on Disney (remind you of anyone?) knows what it takes to play a heartthrob after embracing Zac Efron's Troy Bolton as the lead in the very meta High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. Off screen, Bassett has firsthand experience as a pop star's perceived evil ex-boyfriend after becoming the internet's target in a social-media-conspired feud between his exes Olivia Rodrigo and Sabrina Carpenter. —Briana Edwards

Deacon Phillippe as Justin Timberlake

Deacon Phillippe's got the looks, thanks to parents Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe; the charm, which was on full display in his guest-star turn on Never Have I Ever; and the musical talent, as he releases self-produced songs under a mononymous pop persona. Now just throw on a blond ramen-noodle wig and a Canadian tux and he's set! —C.S.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Justin Timberlake

Granted, Aaron Taylor-Johnson is a tad too old to play 1999-era Timberlake, but hear us out. He's already got the curls ready to rock, and he's amply proved, particularly in this summer's The Fall Guy, that he's good at playing smarmy, smug guys who try to hide behind their charm and fame. Plus, his breakout role was playing John Lennon, so we trust he can deliver on J.T.'s musical skills. —M.L.L.

Sabrina Carpenter as Christina Aguilera

Britney's archrival needs two qualities: powerhouse vocals and intimidatingly short stature. Sabrina Carpenter has both — and her recent success on the pop charts has overshadowed her decade-long career as a screen actress. She was even on a Disney show! —W.S.

Maddie Ziegler as Christina Aguilera

Maddie Ziegler may not be able to sing like Aguilera, but she can certainly dance. And she shares an unpredictable edge with Aguilera that makes her a perfect foil for Spears. —R.C.

Tate McRae as Christina Aguilera

Tate McRae glitters with the same pop panache that early Xtina did, executing complicated choreography with a commanding stage presence. And she can kick her leg up at a 90-degree angle, in case the role might require that, who knows? —C.S.

Reneé Rapp as Christina Aguilera

Mean Girls proved Reneé Rapp's status as one of her generation's foremost double threats; it's genuinely difficult to ascertain whether her magnetic screen presence or her powerful musical ability is the stronger of her talents. Of this list, she's the best suited to match Xtina's belting capabilities, and she could undoubtedly provide the hostile antagonism required here. —W.S.

Jojo Siwa as Jamie Lynn Spears

Blonde, hyper-positive, and divisive among audiences? That describes both JoJo Siwa and Jamie Lynn Spears. Siwa's Nebraska roots suggest that she could pull off Spears' Southern twang with a little coaching. Plus, she knows what it's like to grow up in the public eye and face intense scrutiny as a teenager. —M.L.L.

Willow Shields as Jamie Lynn Spears

Is there anyone in Hollywood whose screen persona is more tied to Little Sister Energy than Willow Shields? Her four consecutive appearances as Katniss Everdeen's younger sibling, Prim, in the Hunger Games movies suggest she'd be a natural fit for the unique mix of naivety, envy, and vulnerability required to play a star living in the shadow of a supernova. —W.S.

Barry Keoghan as Colin Farrell

Handsome, rough around the edges, with a penchant for playing weirdos — that's both Barry Keoghan and Colin Farrell. In some ways, as one of Ireland's rising stars (and Farrell's costar in The Banshees of Inisherin), Keoghan feels like an heir apparent to Farrell. And it doesn't hurt that he has personal experience dating a pop star. —M.L.L.

Related: Britney Spears reveals she pursued Colin Farrell on his SWAT movie set: 'Talk about balls'

Nicholas Hoult as Colin Farrell

Nicholas Hoult is 34, so nearly a decade older than Farrell was during his short-lived 2003 romance with Spears, but he doesn't look it. The Mad Max: Fury Road alum could easily pull off that cool-slightly-older-guy vibe that Farrell had back then. (He was 26, and Spears 22.) There's also something similar in their eyebrows. Audiences could easily see the Nosferatu star as someone Spears was attracted to while getting over Timberlake. —Raechal Shewfelt

Lady Gaga as Madonna

Madonna likely won't have much (if any) screen time in a Britney biopic, but Spears' worship of the Queen of Pop is persistent, as she repeatedly refers to her as a crucial mentor and hero whose example loomed large in the "Toxic" singer's psyche for most of her career. With that in mind, Chu would be wise to cast someone with a massive star persona like Lady Gaga — another pop idol heavily inspired by the "Like a Prayer" singer — to fill Madonna's shoes for one or two key scenes. Who better to recreate the VMAs kiss? —W.S.

Related: Britney Spears celebrates wedding by recreating VMA kiss with Madonna and singing 'Vogue' with celebrity pals

Julia Garner as Madonna

Now that Madonna's own biopic is back in the works, it'd be hilarious to bring that film's star — Ozark actress Julia Garner — into the Britney movie for a few scenes, though she'd presumably have to be aged up via makeup. The fact that both the Madonna movie and the Britney biopic are being distributed by Universal also makes this a bit more plausible as a flash of corporate synergy. —W.S.

Sebastian Stan as Kevin Federline

Outside of his unceasing commitment to playing a grown man named Bucky in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Sebastian Stan seems addicted to portraying scummy boyfriends of massive celebrities in projects like Pam and Tommy and I, Tonya and endlessly despicable side characters in movies like Dumb Money and Logan Lucky. This willingness to play douchey combined with the solid physical resemblance between him and Kevin Federline (they're even the same height!) makes Stan an excellent fit for Spears' notorious husband of two years. —W.S.

Chet Hanks as Kevin Federline

Be honest: It's not hard to imagine K-Fed celebrating White Boy Summer. —W.S.

Taron Egerton as Elton John

If the Britney biopic wants to continue build out a Pop Star Biopic Cinematic Universe, Taron Egerton — who memorably embodied Elton John in the 2019 musical Rocketman — would be a fun inclusion in the film's epilogue, as Spears emphasizes how meaningful it was to collab with the "Your Song" singer on their 2022 track "Hold Me Closer" at the end of her book. —W.S.

Michelle Williams as the Narrator

How often does an actor get to reprise a role from a book? Michelle Williams may have the opportunity here, as she lent her voice to the audiobook recording of The Woman in Me. If Chu opts to include a narrator, and one not voiced by the real Spears, it's Williams' gig to lose. —W.S.

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.