As the fan-favorite stars hustle to finish their filming and pop those party confetti cannons, Hollywood’s captains are steering the cinematic ship toward an exciting new lineup on the coastline. For all the cinephiles out there, the end of the season means a fresh slate of must-watch flicks. In today’s episode of ‘What Has Fans on the Edge of Their Seats,’ we are diving into the biopics that have everyone counting down the days.
With Hollywood presently working its magic to bring the stories of the most iconic figures to the big screen, here is a list of 15 upcoming biopics you absolutely cannot miss.
Michael Jackson (2025)
An upcoming American biographical musical drama, Michael
, directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by John Logan, is due for release in the United States on April 18, 2025, by Lionsgate and Universal Pictures globally
. The biopic is based on the glamorous life and career of the American singer, songwriter, and dancer Michael Jackson, known famously as the King of Pop.
Images of “Thriller” being filmed for the upcoming Michael Jackson biopic. #MichaelMovie pic.twitter.com/bg4tWP9zA6
— MJ Access Fan (@AccessMJ) May 30, 2024
With Jackson’s nephew Jaafar Jackson at the forefront in this cinematic debut, the biopic also stars Colman Domingo, Nia Long, Miles Teller, Laura Harrier, Kat Graham, Larenz Tate, and Derek Luke.
The Beatles (2027)
Which upcoming biopic are you most excited to see brought to life on the big screen?
Sam Mendes will work on his ‘THE BEATLES’ biopics until mid-2028, set to be interconnected stories told from each band member’s point of view.
Paul Mescal, Harris Dickinson, Charlie Rowe and Barry Keoghan are rumored to play the Fab Four. pic.twitter.com/dgvoj6u3AE
— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) October 2, 2024
The InSneider reported in May that Paul Mescal will play Paul McCartney, Harris Dickson will portray John Lennon, and Barry Keoghan will depict Ringo Starr. While Charlie Rowe was rumored to play George Harrison, his reps clarified to Metro UK that it was untrue.
Britney Spears
After a rat race of bidding wars last November for rights to adapt Britney Spears’ tell-all memoir, The Woman in Me, Universal Pictures secured the project with Jon M. Chu ready to board the director’s chair. Though Spears’ memoir covers her life and career from her childhood in Louisiana to the challenges of conservatorship, it is up in the air what period of her life and career the biopic will focus on.
Billboard says they would cast Sydney Sweeney to play Britney Spears in her upcoming biopic. pic.twitter.com/OAiIdPxvRq
— Pop Base (@PopBase) August 9, 2024
While names from Sydney Sweeney
have made the rounds of the project, it remains to be seen which starlet lands the lead in the project and when it hits the screens.
Madonna
Nearly a year and a half since news broke that Madonna’s biopic was not moving forward, the singer shared a carousel on an Instagram post in July of her working on a typewriter. In one of the shots, a potential title, Who’s That Girl, which is also a nod to her 1987 track, was spotted on the first page of what appeared to be a script.
Madonna teases that she is back to working on her biopic, which appears to be titled ‘Who’s That Girl.’ pic.twitter.com/XfkL3s6xRd
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) July 17, 2024
Before things fell apart, Madonna was set to direct, with Julia Garner starring and Universal Pictures on board. Now, though the biopic seems back on track, there is still a lot of mystery—like whether those original details still stand. And of course, the release date is a secret too.
Bob Dylan (2024)
Based on Elijah Wald’s 2015 book, Dylan Goes Electric!, James Mangold is bringing to the screens A Complete Unknown
, an upcoming biographical drama on Bob Dylan. Slated to be released in the United States this Christmas, the film has Timothée Chalamet in the lead alongside Edward Norton, Elle Fanning, and Monica Barbaro
.
It focuses on the controversy surrounding his transition to electrically amplified instrumentation.
Christy Martin
A biopic starring Sydney Sweeney is currently in the works, centered on Christy Martin, the only professional female boxer to ever grace the cover of Sports Illustrated
. Directed by David Michod, the film will explore her 1990s rise to fame and the shocking attempt on her life by her husband.
Ben Foster, Merritt Wever, Katy O’Brian, Ethan Embry, Jess Gabor, and Chad L. Coleman have joined hands to make the cast for the project
. While principal photography kicked off in September in North Carolina, the release date remains under wraps.
Bruce Springsteen
A biographical feature film on Bruce Springsteen by 20th Century Studios and Disney, Deliver Me from Nowhere
, explores the making of his classic record, ‘Nebraska.’
Based on the book Deliver Me from Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska by Warren Zanes, the film has Emmy winner Jeremy Allen White in the lead, according to Deadline’s recent report.
Although Variety reported Jeremy Strong is in the talks to portray Springsteen’s manager, Jon Landau, a premiere date is yet to be revealed.
Steve Harvey
According to Deadline in August, Objectively Good Media is cooking up a Steve Harvey biopic titled Seventy-Two
!
This flick zooms in on a crucial 72-hour period before his game-changing 1993 performance at the Apollo Theatre, diving into the wild ride of his career.
A Steve Harvey biopic is in the works.
(Source: Deadline) pic.twitter.com/wwjAeWkzzh
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) August 28, 2024
The details like the cast, production, and release date are still under wraps.
Dionne Warwick
Moving back to the world of music royalty, a biopic is also in the works on the life of Dionne Warwick. And for the lead, Warwick personally chose Teyana Taylor to portray her in the upcoming project
. In 2023, Taylor already revealed that the project was being developed after Warwick first teased the project in 2021.
Read More: Dionne Warwick Clears Air From Her Comment on Sabrina Carpenter’s Lyrics, Sends Another Message
Like many of the other biopics, more details are still up in the air, including a release window.
Martin Luther King Jr.
It was revealed in 2023 that Chris Rock and Steven Spielberg are collaborating on a movie about the life of the civil rights icon, Martin Luther King Jr.
Rock was reportedly in the final phase of negotiations to direct and produce the biopic with Spielberg on board as executive producer and Universal Pictures backing the drama on Jonathan Eig’s biography, King: A Life.
A Martin Luther King Jr biopic is in the works with Chris Rock set to direct, @DEADLINE reports. pic.twitter.com/CmighyAbGi
— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) October 5, 2023
The project has lacked subsequent follow-up details ever since.
Bruce Lee
Ang Lee has been reportedly developing a new film about Bruce Lee since 2022 and it was reported that the director’s son, Mason Lee, will play the lead
. Lee shared an update on the film in April that he has been spending a long time perfecting the script.
Un biopic de Bruce Lee est en préparation avec Ang Lee a la réalisation et c’est son fils Mason Lee qui jouera le rôle principal. pic.twitter.com/BnqB3RpXX3
— 🔰Lesmeilleurescenes®️ 🎥 (@meilleurescenes) November 30, 2022
With that, he hoped to make the movie “soon,” but a production window or release date is still not dated.
Maria Callas (2024)
A 2024 biographical, psychological drama film about opera singer Maria Callas, Maria
, directed by Pablo Larrain, and written by Steven Knight, is all set to release in select theaters in the US on November 27 before hitting Netflix for streaming on December 11
.
Starring Academy Award winner Angelina Jolie, Maria is a creative imagining and a psychological portrait of Maria Callas. The film takes place in the ’70s near the end of Callas’ life. A story about a woman that lived from the ’20s to ’70s, a woman who burned her voice, her life,… pic.twitter.com/zRr0fht7eB
— Netflix (@netflix) August 28, 2024
The film stars Angelina Jolie, serving as the third and final film in Larrain’s trilogy of 20th century “Iconic Women” which will also be theatrically released next year in Italy and Germany. It follows Callas’ final years in the 70s while she was living in Paris.
Linda Ronstadt
A musical biopic on Linda Ronstadt is presently in pre-production with producers, including Ronstadt’s manager, John Boylan, and James Keach. The rock n’ roll Latin music legend will be portrayed by a fellow Latina, Selena Gomez, who is already doing the early rounds of Oscar buzz.
Linda Ronstadt personally approved of Selena Gomez playing her in her upcoming biopic as she feels Selena is the “perfect fit”, TMZ reports. pic.twitter.com/EHnMhu9WJK
— Pop Base (@PopBase) January 10, 2024
It will be based on the singer’s 2013 memoir, Simple Dreams, with David O’Russel in direction. The project currently has no release date announced.
Queen Latifah
A Queen Latifah biopic is already in the works, marking the first of several hip-hop biopics from Flavor Unit Entertainment, Westbrook Studios, and Jesse Collins Entertainment. Though the director and writers are still a mystery, Will Smith himself is on board as a producer.
A Queen Latifah biopic is currently in the works.
Producers include Will & Jada Smith, as well as the producers of The Bobby Brown Story and New Edition Story pic.twitter.com/b1y8YF1Xku
— Female Rap Room (@FemaleRapRoom) September 19, 2024
As for the release date? It looks like fans will have to wait out this one too.
Janis Joplin
Despite several attempts to make a Janis Joplin biopic over the years, an upcoming one is actually in the works starring Shailene Woodley
. Woodley will also produce the film and the filming will take place in Carolina for over 30 days. However, except for a fund of $2.5 million provided by the California Film Commission, the film lacks casting details and a release date.
Are you excited about the upcoming biopics? Let us know in the comments below!