The Big Picture
- Selena Gomez will play Linda Ronstadt in a new biopic, showcasing the legendary singer’s life and career.
- Gomez’s previous acting experience and parallel career as a pop star make her a suitable choice for the role.
- Linda Ronstadt is a renowned musician who achieved tremendous success in the 1970s and had a lasting impact on various genres of music.
The life of legendary singer Linda Ronstadt is coming to the big screen. Selena Gomez is set to play Ronstadt in a new biopic. Variety reports that Gomez teased the announcement of the biopic on her Instagram account with a picture of Ronstadt’s 2013 memoir, Simple Dreams. With parallel careers as both an actor and a pop star, Gomez is well-positioned to play Ronstadt, whose legendary voice made her one of the biggest stars of the 1970s.
Gomez hasn’t had a prominent film role since appearing in The Dead Don’t Die and A Rainy Day in New York in 2019, but she has been winning rave reviews for her performance alongside comedy legends Steve Martin and Martin Short in Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building. She can next be seen in the musical crime comedy Emilia Perez, and on the upcoming fourth season of Only Murders in the Building. Her biopic of Ronstadt is now in pre-production.
Who Is Linda Ronstadt?
Born in Tucson, Arizona in 1945, Linda Ronstadt was a musical prodigy, forming a folk trio with her siblings at age 14. Moving to LA at 18, she joined the folk band the Stone Poneys, who had a hit with a recording of Mike Nesmith‘s “Different Drum”. Going solo shortly afterward, Ronstadt found her greatest success, with her powerful voice reshaping songs in a variety of genres, including the blues, rock and roll, and country. She was the top-selling female artist of the 1970s; her tours consistently sold out, and she has sold over 100 million records worldwide, while her renditions of songs like “You’re No Good” and “Blue Bayou” became chart-topping hits.
Over the course of her career, she won eleven Grammys and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014. She also made occasional acting appearances, starring in 1983’s The Pirates of Penzance with Kevin Kline, and making a memorable appearance on The Simpsons‘ “Mr. Plow” episode in 1992. Ronstadt has never married but had a number of high-profile relationships, including with then-California governor Jerry Brown, Jim Carrey, and George Lucas. Ronstadt retired in 2009, as she was no longer able to perform due to the effects of the neurodegenerative disorder progressive supranuclear palsy.
Ronstadt’s memoir was adapted into the 2019 documentary Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice. It was well-received, earning an 89% “Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and won Best Music Film at the Grammys. James Keach, who produced that documentary, will also produce the upcoming biopic, as will Ronstadt’s manager John Boylan.
Selena Gomez’ Linda Ronstadt biopic is in pre-production and has yet to set a release date. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates, and watch the trailer for Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice below.
