Meryl Streep to take on the role of Joni Mitchell in upcoming biopic
Another exciting biopic has been announced, and this one’s all about the life and times of legendary singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell. Here’s everything we know so far about the upcoming film.
It feels like we’ve got biopics coming out of our ears at the moment. Excitement is already building for Sam Mendes’s ‘four-film cinematic event’ about each member of The Beatles (even though the films won’t be released until 2028), while films about the lives and times of Michael Jackson (out this April), Madonna (which Julia Garner expects will “still happen”), Snoop Dogg, the Bee Gees, Anthony Bourdain and Fred Astaire are all currently in the works, too.
And now, there’s one more to add to the list as production has begun on a Joni Mitchell biopic. Not much has been shared about the project yet – it doesn’t even have an official title, but the production has recently been made ‘official’, and one announcement has us even more excited for the film’s eventual arrival: Meryl Streep is set to play the Big Yellow Taxi singer.
Here’s everything we know so far about the film…
Who will star in the Joni Mitchell biopic?
The only confirmed cast member we know of so far is Meryl Streep, who will play the now-82-year-old singer-songwriter. The announcement was made by record producer Clive Davis during a recent pre-Grammys party, where Joni Mitchell herself was in attendance. Cameron Crowe, the film’s director, later confirmed the news in a statement to Rolling Stone. No stranger to taking on the roles of real-life figures, Streep has already portrayed the likes of Margaret Thatcher, Julia Child and Emmeline Pankhurst in the past, and her interest in playing Mitchell has been rumoured for some time.
Anya-Taylor Joy has reportedly been in talks to play Mitchell in her earlier years; however, that particular piece of casting is yet to be confirmed.
What will happen in the Joni Mitchell biopic?
While we know the film will cover Mitchell’s life, it’s unclear what the focus will be. However, what we do know is that Crowe is a long-time friend of the musician and the pair have spent the last four years discussing what shape the film could take.
“We’ve been working on it for about four years,” Crowe said on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert in October 2025. “We have regular meetings where I can ask her anything, and she speaks with her heart about all kinds of stuff. It’s a movie that will be not from a distance… This is from her perspective, her life, looking out.”
It would appear that Mitchell is taking a hands-on approach to her involvement in the making of the film, meaning the project will no doubt have her full blessing. “This is a really personal, wonderful look at her life and music,” Crowe said.
He also revealed that Mitchell has kept all of her clothes, costumes and instruments from over the years, which, if used, will ensure the film has a truly authentic look.
When can we watch the Joni Mitchell biopic?
It would appear the film is still in pre-production at the moment, with minimal details formally announced. This means the film is unlikely to grace cinema screens until at the very least 2028, but it could be even later than that.
In the meantime, we’ll take all the tidbits and nuggets of information we can about the exciting project.
Images: Getty
