The idea of Zendaya portraying Ronnie Spector in a biopic has been rumored for nearly half a decade. Today, Deadline reports that the movie is moving forward with Barry Jenkins, director of Moonlight and If Beale Street Could Talk, at the helm. Based on the Ronettes singer’s 1990 memoir Be My Baby: How I Survived Mascara, Miniskirts, and Madness, or My Life as a Fabulous Ronette, the film will focus on her relationship with producer, ex-husband, and eventual convicted murderer Phil Spector, rather than her full life story.
The movie’s screenplay will be written by Dave Kajganich, whose credits include Luca Guadagnino’s A Bigger Splash, Suspiria, and Bones and All. Zendaya will also serve as the film’s producer alongside Marc Platt, Adam Siegel, Mark Itkin, and Tom Shelly. A timeline for the production has yet to be announced.
