Earlier this month (February 5), the New York Times premiered its documentary about Britney Spears, titled Framing Britney Spears, which explored her rise to pop stardom and touched on her ongoing conservatorship battle. The film sparked outrage on social media, with many joining the #FreeBritney movement, calling for the singer to regain her independence. Now, Netflix wants us to do it all over again, as the streaming service is working on its own Britney documentary.
The film was already in production by the time Framing Britney Spears was released via Hulu, and is being directed by Erin Lee Carr, who specialises in true crime documentaries. Its focus hasn’t been revealed yet, though it’s likely to also centre on Britney’s journey to fame, struggles with mental health, and the conservatorship that she’s been trapped in for over a decade.
Britney’s father, Jamie Spears, has controlled his daughter’s career and finances since 2008, after she was admitted to psychiatric hospital for five days. It was meant to end in 2009, but is still ongoing today. In recent years, Britney has attempted to escape her conservatorship, recently refusing to perform again if her father is in charge of her career.
Following the premiere of Framing Britney Spears, the singer reminded people that “no matter what we think we know about a person’s life, it is nothing compared to the actual person living behind the lens”. Writing on Twitter, she continued: “Each person has their story and their take on other people’s stories!!!! We all have so many different bright, beautiful lives!!!”
There’s no further news on the Netflix documentary yet. In the meantime, look back at Dazed’s op-ed about how the media has wronged Britney Spears, and watch the trailer for Framing Britney Spears below.
