Zendaya to Star as Ronnie Spector in Barry Jenkins–Directed Biopic for A24

Be My Baby, based on the Ronettes singer’s memoir, will focus on her life with Phil Spector
Zendaya Ronnie Spector
Zendaya, Ronnie Spector (Getty Images)

A long-rumored Ronnie Spector biopic from A24, starring Zendaya in the lead role, is moving ahead with Moonlight director Barry Jenkins at the helm, Deadline reports and A24 confirms to Pitchfork. Based on Spector’s 1990 memoir, Be My Baby, the biopic will focus on the Ronettes singer’s life with Phil Spector—the star producer who was later convicted of murdering the actor Lana Clarkson, in a court case that exposed a history of threats towards women. A timeline for the movie’s production has not been announced.

Before her death, in 2022, Ronnie Spector had selected Zendaya to play her in the biopic. It will be penned by Dave Kajganich, the screenwriter behind Luca Guadagnino’s A Bigger Splash, Suspiria, and Bones and All.