Shailene Woodley to Play Janis Joplin in New Biopic

Shailene Woodley has been tapped to play Janis Joplin in an upcoming movie about the rock musician’s life, making her the latest of many actresses who have been attached to play Joplin in various projects over the past 25 years— but none have come to fruition.

The long-awaited biopic will receive a $2.5 million taxpayer-funded credit, one of several films the commission announced will receive funding through California’s Film and Television Tax Credit Program.

Woodley is acting and producing the film, which will shoot over 30 days and spend about $10 million in “qualified expenditures.”

“California meant so much to Janis Joplin — from the stoops of San Francisco to the wooden walls of Sunset Sound, the state became the stage upon which she explored not just the world of music, but the world of her vibrant humanity,” Woodley said in a statement on Tuesday.

Joplin died in 1970 at age 27 and many have since tried to develop a biopic about the legendary singer. 

Numerous attempts have been made over the years to capture the rock star’s life on film, with Amy Adams, Zooey Deschanel, Pink, and Melissa Etheridge, to name some, having all previously been attached to play Joplin.