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A couple days after the Golden Globes, Selena Gomez posted a pic on Instagram of her reading Linda Ronstadt’s memoir, Simple Dreams. Shortly after that the news became official: Selena will play Linda in an upcoming biopic. Was the timing of the announcement a way to shift the conversation from what Selena may or may not have been gossiping about at the Globes? I don’t know, I doubt it, and ultimately I don’t care because I friggin’ love this casting! The project is in pre-production and doesn’t even have a confirmed title yet, but Variety still assembled some details for us:
Selena Gomez will play Linda Ronstadt in an upcoming biopic, Variety has confirmed.
The pop singer and “Only Murders in the Building” star teased the role Tuesday night by posting a picture of Ronstadt’s 2013 memoir “Simple Dreams” on her Instagram story.
The music biopic is currently in pre-production, with producers including Ronstadt’s manager, John Boylan, and James Keach, who produced the 2019 documentary “Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice.”
No other casting has been announced.
Ronstadt is a country, rock ‘n’ roll and Latin music legend, with her 1970s albums “Heart Like a Wheel” and “Simple Dreams” reaching critical and commercial success and showcasing her versatility across genres. Throughout her career she has won 11 Grammys, and she was honored by both the Recording Academy and the Latin Recording Academy with Lifetime Achievement Awards.
Ronstadt and Gomez are both of Mexican descent. The latter has been nominated twice for a Golden Globe for her performance on Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building,” which she executive produces and stars in alongside Steve Martin and Martin Short. Gomez broke out as an actor on Disney’s “Wizards of Waverly Place” and achieved success as a music artist with hits like “Lose You to Love Me” and “Love You Like a Love Song.”
Ronstadt’s 2019 doc was directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman and chronicled the artist’s nearly five-decade career and domination of the country-rock genre. In 2011, Ronstadt announced her retirement, later revealing she is no longer able to sing due to her progressive supranuclear palsy, which was originally mistaken for Parkinson’s.
Yeah, I’m a fan of this casting, as aforementioned. Selena’s got the stature, the frame, and facial features that align with Linda’s, so fingers crossed for no prosthetics. And I imagine Selena will do her own singing? What always stunned me with Linda Ronstadt was how that massive voice emerged from such a petite person. She really shaped her performances, too, with very intentionally quiet moments set against big releases of emotion. A particular favorite Linda song of mine is the ballad “Long Long Time,” which I hope we get to see Selena recreate. And I bet she’s gonna look groovy in the 70s and 80s costumes. Very excited for this one! So, who will be cast as former boyfriend CA Governor Jerry Brown? Not Timothée Chalamet, LOL.
Selena Gomez shares photo reading Linda Ronstadt's memoir amid rumors that she’ll play her in a biopic. pic.twitter.com/6wnxh6mm1g
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) January 10, 2024
Photos credit: Paul Canty/Avalon, Julie Edwards/Avalon, Jonathan Rebboah/Panoramic/Avalon, Getty and via Instagram
