It’s Time: An Official Mariah Carey Biopic Seems to Be On the Way

It’s Time: An Official Mariah Carey Biopic Seems to Be On the Way


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Mariah Carey has long been in a lane of her own when it comes to pop stardom. The singer and criminally underrated songwriter—who has sold over 200 million records throughout her decades-long career—maintains one of the most recognizable voices in music and to this day holds the record for the individual artist with the most number-one hits as a soloist on the Billboard Hot 100 in history. Now, thanks to director Lee Daniels (Precious, The Butler), it’s time (no pun intended) for Mimi’s legions of loyal fans to see her story take place on the silver screen.

This week, Daniels shared a quick clip of him and the songstress on Instagram, where he said the pair was “getting ready to go on another journey” together. (Back in 2009, Mariah played a small but acclaimed role as Ms. Weiss, a guidance school counselor, in his feature film Precious, alongside Gabourey Sidibe and Mo’Nique.) Daniels hinted at the duo’s big collaboration in his caption for the video, writing, “The Meaning of Mariah 🦋💙🦋….A long time coming … I love this woman!”—a move that led fans to believe he will be directing an official film adaption of the singer’s best-selling 2020 memoir.

The news comes as a number of additional pop star biopics loom on the horizon, including the Jon M. Chu–helmed Britney Spears movie and Madonna’s long-awaited self-directed feature.

The Meaning of Mariah Carey, co-written with author Michaela Angela Davis, was a moving and vulnerable recollection of the celeb’s life and career, including her toxic marriage to industry executive Tommy Mottola, her complicated relationship with her late mother Patricia, and her thriving against all odds in an industry that aimed to toss her aside on more than one occasion.

While Mariah has yet to officially confirm the biopic rumors, she *has* recently hinted that she’s been working on larger projects aside from music. When asked in a recent BuzzFeed video interview whether a 2025 world tour was on the horizon, she said that she had to prioritize a different project first.

“I know that I’m working on a project that needs to be finished, so I don’t think I can go on a world tour,” she explained. “I would if I were able to finish the project while on tour, but I can’t. I am working on new music, and I’m very excited about it, but I need the time to just do it.”

In 2020, the musician also didn’t rule out the idea of adapting her book for the big screen, telling The Hollywood Reporter, “People have also been reaching out to me about it…people I haven’t heard from in years saying this has to be a series or a movie or whatever it’s going to be.” She added, “These things take a long time, so it’s going to be what it is, but I believe in it. I’m really looking forward to it even just as a viewer, seeing these stories come to life.”

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