David O. Russell directing upcoming Linda Ronstadt biopic featuring Selena Gomez
David O. Russell will take on the upcoming Linda Ronstadt biopic as the movie’s director after it was revealed that pop star and actor Selena Gomez will play the titular role.
The filmmaker began his career in the 1990s with Spanking the Monkey, although he is best known for projects such as 2012’s Silver Linings Playbook and 2013’s American Hustle.
Earlier this week, Gomez, who rose to prominence as a Disney Channel star, teased the project by posting an image of Ronstandt’s memoir, Simple Dreams.
Ronstadt began making music in the 1960s, working in the popular American folk scene. However, over the course of 24 studio albums, she has explored genres including Latin and rock.
She has since retired from singing, although Ronstadt was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame a few years later.
Gomez’s casting was recently confirmed by Variety, with Rondstandt’s official Facebook page also sharing the news. So far, little is known about the film, although the musician’s manager, John Boylan, will be producing alongside James Keach.
Keach also produced the documentary Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice in 2019. The film depicted the singer’s illustrious career, aided by interviews with some of her contemporaries, such as Stevie Nicks.
The pop star is currently starring opposite comedy giants Steve Martin and Martin Short in the series Only Murders in the Building, which earned her a Golden Globe nomination for ‘Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy’ at this year’s ceremony. Gomez lost out to Ayo Edebiri for The Bear.
As of yet, there is no timeline on when shooting is set to begin on the biopic, or who else will be joining Gomez in the cast.
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