Oscar award-winning filmmaker Barry Jenkins is set to direct Be My Baby, the highly anticipated Ronnie Spector biopic starring Zendaya. The A24 produced project will bring the legendary lead singer of The Ronettes to life on screen, capturing both her musical triumphs and personal struggles. Read more about what we know about the biopic inside.
Zendaya, who has been attached to the role since 2020, was hand-picked by Spector herself before the singer’s passing in 2022. The film is based on Spector’s 1990 memoir, Be My Baby: How I Survived Mascara, Miniskirts, and Madness, or, My Life as a Fabulous Ronette, co-written with Vince Waldron. While the book spans her full life and career, the film is expected to focus on her complicated and abusive marriage to infamous music producer Phil Spector, per Deadline.
A Music Icon’s Story
Born Veronica Bennett, Ronnie Spector skyrocketed to fame in the 1960s as the lead singer of The Ronettes. With her signature beehive hair, winged eyeliner, and sultry voice, she became a defining figure of the girl-group era. Her band’s hits, like Be My Baby, Baby I Love You, and Walking in the Rain, helped cement Phil Spector’s “Wall of Sound” production style.
Though behind the scenes, Ronnie endured a harrowing marriage with the producer. She later revealed in her memoir that she was essentially held captive in their home, her career controlled and stifled by her husband. Struggling with alcoholism, she eventually escaped the relationship, later reclaiming her independence and continuing her music career.
Phil Spector was later convicted of murdering actress Lana Clarkson in 2009 and died in prison in 2021. Ronnie, who was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2007, passed away in 2022 after a battle with cancer at age 78.
An All-Star Creative Team
Be My Baby boasts an impressive lineup of producers, including Zendaya, A24, Marc Platt, Adam Siegel, and Mark Itkin, with Jonathan Greenfield serving as executive producer. Jenkins’ Pastel partners, Adele Romanski and Mark Ceryak, will also produce. The screenplay is being written by Dave Kajganich (Bones and All, Suspiria).
This marks another major collaboration between Jenkins and A24, following Moonlight and the 2024 Sundance hit Sorry, Baby. Zendaya also maintains a strong relationship with the studio, known for producing “Euphoria” and her upcoming film The Drama with Robert Pattinson.
With Jenkins at the helm and Zendaya as the leading lady, Be My Baby is shaping up to be a must-watch exploration of music history, resilience, and one woman’s fight to reclaim her voice.
