Linda Ronstadt’s memoir, Simple Dreams, is headed to the big screen, Deadline reports.
Ronstadt’s book, published in 2013 by Simon & Schuster, chronicles her career as a country-rock star who first gained worldwide fame in the 1970s. A critic for Kirkus called the book a “personable and engagingly written memoir, though reticent and short on personal revelation,” adding, “what’s here is consistently interesting.”
Ronstadt was one of the most popular singers of the 1970s, known for hit singles including “You’re No Good,” “When Will I Be Loved,” “Blue Bayou,” and “It’s So Easy.” She retired from music in 2011, saying she could no longer sing as the result of the brain disease progressive supranuclear palsy.
Selena Gomez, the pop singer and actor known for her roles in the series Wizards of Waverly Place and Only Murders in the Building, has signed on to play Ronstadt in the film adaptation. David O. Russell, whose films include Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle, and Amsterdam is attached to direct.
The website for Great Eastern Music, a music publisher founded by John Boylan, Ronstadt’s manager, confirms news of the film, in a note that reads, “The long-rumored Linda Ronstadt biopic is now up-and-running. Selena Gomez is attached to play Linda; the two recently spent a few hours at Linda’s home discussing the project and getting to know each other.”
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
