Music icon and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Linda Ronstadt is finally getting the biopic treatment and there's already major star power behind the film. Pop superstar, actress and business mogul Selena Gomez is set to portray the legendary singer in an upcoming film, which is currently in pre-production. Rolling Stone reports that Ronstadt's manager, John Boylan, and James Keach are co-producing the project.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Ronstadt and Gomez, who are both of Mexican descent, previously met at Ronstadt's home to discuss the project.
Ahead of the announcement, Gomez teased the project by sharing a photo of Ronstadt's 2013 memoir "Simple Dreams" in her Instagram stories.
Ronstadt, one of the most influential vocalists of all time, became known as the "Queen of Rock" due to her reign of chart-topping albums such as Heart Like a Wheel, featuring "You're No Good," "Faithless Love," "When Will I Be Loved" and more.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Ronstadt is also an icon in the country music scene. Her album Hand Sown...Home Grown is a staple of the country-rock genre and she would go on to collaborate with Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris for the Trio albums. She was also influential in bringing together the Eagles.
The legendary artist, who, in addition to country and rock, performed opera, Latin music, jazz, pop standards and more throughout her illustrious career, retired from singing after she was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2013. She was later diagnosed with a Parkinson's-like disorder called progressive supranuclear palsy, which took away her ability to sing.
"I can sing in my brain," the "Blue Bayou" singer told "Today" in 2022. "It's not quite the same...Sometimes, I choose the song, and sometimes my brain chooses the song."
The 2019 documentary "Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice" chronicled her incredible career.
Gomez is a celebrated singer and actor currently starring in "Only Murders in the Building."
