Xuenou > Music > Move Over “Elvis” — It’s Time These Iconic Women Get Their Own Biopics
Move Over “Elvis” — It’s Time These Iconic Women Get Their Own Biopics
Ladies leave your man at home (oh, yeah).

Move Over “Elvis” — It’s Time These Iconic Women Get Their Own Biopics

Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis premieres this week, and the people are TALKIN’! Both about Austin Butler’s stellar performance as Elvis and about the late singer’s explosive career.

Warner Bros. Pictures / Via giphy.com

Come on, hips!

Over the years, we’ve seen a lot of biopics about musicians, like Johnny Cash in Walk the Line, Ray Charles in Ray, and Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody.

Rob Verhorst / Redferns

Oooo, baby! There is so much here! We’d need to spend a lot of time in her Destiny’s Child days, with members coming and going, and Kelly always by her side (honestly theirs would be the film’s central relationship). Maybe some fashion montages of Mama Tina making the girls’ clothes and they’re trying them all on with Solange in the background like, “LOL, what about me, guys?” From TRL, to THE elevator, to Lemonade, who is more influential? Who is more powerful? Don’t you want to see her in the studio both laying the vocals for “Love on Top” and the performance of Nala in The Lion King? There is a STORY to tell here. Somebody call Chloe Bailey because filming starts tomorrow!

2. Dolly Parton

David Redfern / Redferns

THIS WOMAN HAS DONE IT ALL! There were a couple of TV movies about her as a little girl, and she’s talked about wanting to do a Broadway show based on her life, but it’s time to bring her story to the silver screen! From meeting the bank teller who inspired the song “Jolene,” to the founding of Dollywood and her days on the set of 9 to 5, all the way up to becoming Miley’s godmother and singing  holiday songs in tattered rags for Christmas on the Square. This woman has spent DECADES in the entertainment industry, and I’m sure there are more than a few stories we don’t know that I’d love for her to tell! But who to utter the famous words “It takes a lot of money to look this cheap?” Maybe Dove Cameron? Probably!

3. The Spice Girls

Avalon / Getty Images

No, but I need this. Like, you don’t understand. Don’t you want to see them when the group forms and they all move into a three-bedroom house together to write music? How about fighting with their label for creative control? World tours? Music videos? SPICE WORLD? Meeting Nelson Mandela and him saying, “These are my heroes.” (YES, REALLY!) All leading up to Ginger leaving the group and their inevitable breakup. They shined so bright for such a short time, and the world LOVED THEM. And during their reunion performance at the 2012 Olympics, we’d get great “where are they nows” like, “Emma and Mel B went on to be contestants on The Circle,” and, “Victoria posted a picture of her husband’s butt on Instagram, and everyone was very happy.” 

4. Stevie Nicks

Richard Mccaffrey / Getty Images

Oh, you wanna take a journey? WELL HERE WE GO! The story of Stevie and Fleetwood Mac is RIPE for the screen! We’re talking glory days, we’re talking affairs, we’re talking going solo, battling addiction, and dodging constant accusations of being a witch! Unfortunately Nicks has stated somewhat recently that she thinks a biopic is unlikely. Why, you might ask? BECAUSE SHE THINKS THERE IS TOO MUCH STORY TO TELL!! Sounds perfect to me. Honestly? Give us four movies! Give us eight! Give us the most gripping saga the world of music has ever known! Someone tell Kristen Stewart to start taking vocal lessons YESTERDAY!

5. RuPaul

Evan Agostini / Getty Images

Ru has been blurring the lines of gender since before you were born, and she absolutely belongs on this list, so I don’t want to hear another thing about it, OK?? From humble beginnings in Georgia, to coming up through the club scene and finding the art of drag, this movie would be so inspiring and so fun! Seeing baby Ru and baby Michelle Visage meet? My heart! Ru’s talk show days! Need to see it! Taking MTV by storm with a surprise hit song! Cinematic! Becoming Supermodel of the World wasn’t easy, and we deserve to see Ru given the credit she deserves, blazing trails and raising multiple generations of new queens! Plus, I think that we can all agree that Symone would be the perfect person to take on this role, no? 

6. The Chicks

Bob Riha Jr / Getty Images

This little homegrown band took the world of country by storm! Working their way up from the bottom, they built a following and found great success and plenty of controversy. Famously the Chicks were blacklisted after speaking out against President Bush in 2003, and there were apologies, back-tracking on apologies, and eventual songs and albums that were birthed in this space where people were trying to silence them. The gals also found themselves in a nasty battle with their label, which led to lawsuits on lawsuits, but eventually ended with them running their own imprint label! Their story is one of grit, determination, and resilience, and it would be endlessly compelling to watch unfold onscreen! And imagine an orchestral version of “Wide Open Spaces” playing over some of the really dramatic parts. I ALREADY HAVE CHILLS!

7. Jessica and Ashlee Simpson

Lawrence Lucier / FilmMagic

WITHHOLD YOUR JUDGMENT. Give these women some RESPECT! You know what I want to see? The tale of two sisters, two hometown gals, two pastor’s kids who moved around a lot and BOTH found their way into the spotlight! There are bankrupt record labels, very public relationships and porces, intense media scrutiny, lip sync kerfuffles, reality shows, shoe empires, Broadway debuts, and tell-all books! Are you somehow not convinced yet that this is exactly the movie we not only want, but NEED? It’s time for these sisters to get to tell their side of the story! Ring-a-ding-ding, Aly and AJ? I’ve got a pitch for you!

8. 3LW

Jim Spellman / WireImage

Oh, you don’t think the 3LW story is worthy of a big-screen audience? Well in the wise words of this iconic group, “Haters, they gonna hate.” Adrienne Bailon, Kiely Williams, and Naturi Naughton made a huge splash on the scene in ’99 with “No More (Baby I’ma Do Right),” and just as their stars were on the rise, Naturi left the group after a series of conflicts crescendoed in an altercation involving a KFC two-piece meal getting tossed about. Yes, we’ve got chicken drama here! After she left, she was replaced, only for Adrienne and Kiely to almost immediately bounce for the Cheetah Girls, which became one of Disney’s most successful musical franchises EVER. And even THAT came with its own set of drama! These girls are as talented as they are fascinating. What started as just movie characters became their reality. Don’t you want to watch as they can no longer tell the difference between the two?! Bizarre! GREEN LIGHT IT!

9. Jennifer Lopez

Paul Natkin / Getty Images

J.Lo got her big break starring in the Selena biopic, so it’s only right that this absolute queen gets one of her own! She’s earned it! It’s time the world sees this block she’s so fond of. It’s time for the world to watch her rise from struggling singer-dancer to being named Forbes’ Most Powerful Celebrity. Imagine her in a montage trying on dresses for the 42nd Annual Grammys before finally settling on THE dress! We’ve got world tours, movie premieres, Vegas residencies, Super Bowl Halftime shows, and belting, “Let’s Get Loud!” on Inauguration Day! The list goes on! And how fun would it be to watch the story of Bennifer unfold onscreen, from Gigli to their second engagement in 2022. Give the people what they want!

10. And finally, Britney Spears

Bill Greenblatt / Getty Images

OK, they tried to do this one as a TV movie for Lifetime in 2017 and…woof. They couldn’t get the rights to the songs, the script was a mess, and Britney and her team were not involved and did NOT give their blessing. Like, maybe don’t then?! But we’d LOVE to see one where Brit is at the helm, where she approves literally every choice being made! One where she can really tell her story, from “…Baby One More Time,” to Justin, to 2007, to the conservatorship. And all ending in Britney’s freedom, finally getting her life and voice back after being controlled by the pop machine since she was a teen. A roller coaster of emotions and some of the most iconic pop music of the last few decades. The film and titular role would be guaranteed Oscars! 

What music biopic do you want to see? Who would you cast? Let us know in the comments!