Zendaya to Play Ronnie Spector in A24 Biopic "Be My Baby" for Barry Jenkins
Yara Sameh
Oscar winner Barry Jenkins has been tapped to direct A24's 'Be My Baby,' a biographical drama about Ronnie Spector.
Zendaya, who has been attached to the project since 2020, will portray the '60s music icon.
Before the singer died in 2022, Spector was an executive producer on the film and hand-picked Zendaya to play her on screen.
'Be My Baby' will be adapted from the 1990 memoir 'Be My Baby: How I Survived Mascara, Miniskirts, and Madness, or, My Life as a Fabulous Ronette' that Spector wrote with Vince Waldron.
However, the film is expected to focus on the singer's life with the troubled producer Phil Spector, according to Deadline, who first reported the news of Jenkins' involvement.
Dave Kajganich ('Bones and All,' 'Suspiria') has been tapped to write the original screenplay.
Spector, born Veronica Bennett, rose to fame in the 1960s as the leader of the girl group the Ronettes, known for hits such as 'Be My Baby,' 'Baby I Love You' and 'Walking in the Rain.'
As the subtitle of her memoir suggests, she often rocked a beehive hairdo, cat-eyed mascara and tight-fitting outfits.
She wed music producer Phil Spector in 1968 (and took his name professionally) but detailed in her autobiography that he essentially kept her as a virtual prisoner in their home during their tumultuous marriage.
During that time, she recalled descending into alcoholism, which impacted her professional life. Phil Spector was sentenced in 2009 to 19 years in prison for murdering the actress Lana Clarkson. He died at age 81 in 2021.
Ronnie Spector, who was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2007, died after 'a brief battle with cancer' at age 78.
A24, Marc Platt, Adam Siegel, Mark Itkin, Tom Shelly and Zendaya will produce 'Be My Baby' with Jonathan Greenfield serving as executive producer. Adele Romanski and Mark Ceryak, Jenkins' partners at Pastel, will also be joining as producers.
Timing on 'Be My Baby' is not clear since Jenkins recently signed on to direct 'The Natural Order,' a sci-fi thriller starring Glen Powell. Zendaya has Christopher Nolan's epic 'The Odyssey,' Universal's 'Shrek 5' and Marvel's 'Spider Man 4' on the horizon.
'Be My Baby' marks another collaboration for Jenkins and A24 after 'Moonlight' and this year's Sundance darling 'Sorry, Baby' (which Jenkins served as a producer).
The movie also reunites Zendaya with A24, a producer on 'Euphoria' and the upcoming romantic comedy 'The Drama' with Robert Pattinson.
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