Shailene Woodley will play the role of rock singer Janis Joplin in an upcoming biopic, which is receiving Woodley will also produce the film, which has received a $2.5 million tax credit from the California Film Commission.
Joplin died at the age of 27 in 1970 but no biopic has yet been made about her. In the half century since her passing, a number of actresses have been approached about playing her role, including Amy Adams, Zooey Deschanel, Melissa Etheridge, and Pink, among others.
In announcing her plans, Woodley stated that “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 added: “I have a feeling Janis would be smiling ear to ear, zipping down the PCH in her psychedelic Porsche knowing her story is bringing opportunities and funding to the city and people that held so much significance to her. …Thank you to the California Film Commission’s Film & Television Tax Credit Program — myself and the other producers on this project believe California is the only place to film a slice of Janis’s life with authenticity and truth — and we are so grateful to have received the green light to do so!”
The prolific Woodley played the roles of Hazel Grace Lancaster in The Fault in Our Stars and Beatrice “Tris” Prior in The Divergent series. Other of her film credits include appearances in The Descendants, White Bird in a Blizzard, Snowden, Adrift, The Mauritanian, The Fallout, The Last Letter from Your Lover, To Catch a Killer, Robots, Ferrari, and Dumb Money. Woodley’s television credits include the roles of Jane Chapman in Big Little Lies and Gia Lombardi in Three Women, among others.
Janis Joplin was an iconic rock star whose many hits earned her a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Some of her popular titles include “Ball and Chain,” “Cry Baby,” “Down on Me,” “Get It While You Can,” “Kozmic Blues,” “Me and Bobby McGee,” “Move Over,” “Piece of My Heart,” “Summertime,” and “Try (Just a Little Bit Harder).”
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