Ronnie Spector Biopic “Be My Baby” Kicks Off Production – Starring Zendaya and Directed by Barry Jenkins
It’s no secret that the music-biopic genre is currently taking the film industry by storm, and it seems like all the greatest music stars are having their lives (literally) turned into movies. The latest entry into the genre is “Be My Baby,” set to tell the story of Ronnie Spector and her experiences of the peaks and valleys of rock star fame, adapted directly from her memoir. The film will also see Barry Jenkins and Zendaya in the first ever collaboration, alongside A24.
Ronnie Spector, lead singer of the family music-group the Ronettes and sometimes referred to as the ‘original bad girl of rock and roll,’ had a lifetime of success in the music industry – though one equally marked with turmoil and strife, specifically in regards to her relationship with music producer and now convicted murderer, Phil Spector. According to a report by Deadline, the film is expected to adapt her 1990 memoir “Be My Baby: How I Survived Mascara, Miniskirts, and Madness, or, My Life as a Fabulous Ronette.” The biopic will hone in on Spector’s life and early career, with a focus on her nearly decade-long relationship to the unstable producer.
In her memoir, Spector describes the ways in which Phil psychologically tormented her, which continued throughout their marriage until 1972, when she fled from Phil’s mansion barefoot and with nothing but the clothes on her back. Even after their divorce, Phil had financial control over many aspects of Spector’s career and took legal action to deny her royalties and prevent her from singing some of her most popular songs – which sabotaged her progress in the industry. She managed to gradually rebuild her music career, choosing to keep the surname Spector because, as she put it: “I needed any way I could to get back in, I’d been kept away for so long.” The Ronettes ended up suing Phil Spector in 1988 for $10 million in damages, and after a prolonged and draining legal battle (it took 10 years for the case to even make it to trial) the verdict was not quite what they had hoped for, but the courts ultimately ruled in favor of the Ronettes, forcing Phil to pay them their earned royalties.
“Be My Baby” will mark the third collaboration between Zendaya and A24, and the upcoming biopic will also be the first partnership between Zendaya and Jenkins, whose directorial achievements include “Moonlight,” “If Beale Street Could Talk” and the recent photo-realistically animated Disney prequel, “Mufasa: The Lion King.”
“Be My Baby” is still in the early phases of development, so it’ll likely be a couple months before there’s any more info on release date and wider casting. Luckily, Zendaya has several other projects in the works slated for release next year, including the recently announced newest “Shrek” movie, “Dune: Messiah,” the third season of “Euphoria,” and “The Odyssey,” the upcoming movie from director Christopher Nolan.
