Shailene Woodley Set to Star in and Produce a Janis Joplin Biopic

Shailene Woodley Set to Play Janis Joplin

After several failed attempts to make a Janis Joplin biopic, Shailene Woodley has been cast in the role of Joplin in a film that Woodley will also produce.

Shailene Woodley caught the public’s attention in acclaimed dramas like The Spectacular Now and The Fault in Our Stars. She was the star of the Divergent action films as well. Now, she’s taking on the role of Janis Joplin in a biopic about the music star. Joplin was known as the “Queen of Rock.” She passed away in her late 20’s due to a drug overdose. This is the type of material that would make for a very intriguing biopic and Woodley will also be producing. Woodley said that the state of California meant “so much to Joplin” and suggested that it is pivotal to shoot the picture in California.

There have been other projects that have tried to bring a biopic on Joplin to life but they all fell apart. Pink and Zooey Deschanel were said to be attached to the role of Joplin in the mid 2000’s but those projects never took off, for whatever reason. It is only fitting that Woodley be the one to actually bring the musical sensation to the silver screen. Woodley possesses tremendous range as an actress that was demonstrated in both The Spectacular Now and The Fault in Our Stars but has yet to be utilized to her full advantage thus far. Playing Joplin would give her a chance to strut her acting chops in new and exciting ways.

These days, Woodley’s been picking less than stellar projects. She played a relatively brief role in last year’s GameStop stock drama, Dumb Money. She also appeared in merely OK work in both Ferrari and To Catch a Killer recently. She’s picked challenging roles, though, in movie people didn’t see like The Mauritanian, Adrift and Snowden. The smart money is on Woodley to be a comeback “Queen” playing the role of the “Queen of Rock.” Woodley has range as an actress that will be geared towards a hit movie and this Joplin project could lead her to awards possibilities.

Joplin fans would love to see this movie come into fruition and Woodley seems determined to make it happen. Though the recent Amy Winehouse biopic, Back to Black, under-performed at the box-office, there’s no reason to think Woodley can’t make this yet untitled Joplin project a true winner through and through. There is no director set yet and no other cast members have been selected but choosing the director and stars of the film will be pivotal to its success. Look for more news on this project as it arises.

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