"Great casting": Fans react as Selena Gomez gets cast as Linda Ronstadt for the singer's biopic

Selena Gomez, the American singer and actress, is all set to play the role of 11-time Grammy Award-winning Linda Ronstadt in an upcoming biopic. The pop star teased the role Tuesday night, January 9, 2024, by posting a picture of Ronstadt’s 2013 memoir, Simple Dreams, on her Instagram story.

Selena Gomez is a third-generation American-Mexican, while Linda leaned into her Mexican heritage and released Spanish-language music later in her career. She was previously known for singing rock ‘n’ roll and country songs, as per The Los Angeles Times.

Netizens picked up on the similarities between the two popular artists and were pleased with Selena picking up the iconic singer's role. No other cast members for the biopic have been announced yet.

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Selena Gomez to play Linda Ronstadt in new biopic

Selena Gomez is going to portray the role of Linda Maria Ronstadt in an upcoming biopic. The Latino singer is famously referred to as the "First Lady of Rock" and the "Queen of Rock." She was voted the Top Female Pop Singer of the 1970s.

Ronstadt was born on July 15, 1946, in Tucson, Arizona. In November 2022, she released her book, Feels Like Home: A Song for the Sonoran Borderlands, to talk about her Mexican heritage. The singer expressed how she wanted to sing in Spanish earlier in her career and not feel like "the quintessential American girl, as per NPR. Some of her Spanish numbers include Por Un Amor, Los Laureles, Hay Unos Ojos, and more.

Both Selena Gomez and Ronstadt are of Mexican descent. The pop singer broke out as an actor on Disney’s Wizards of Waverly Place and achieved success as a music artist with hits like Lose You to Love Me and Love You Like a Love Song, as per USA Today.

As per Billboard, Ronstadt confirmed the news of Gomez playing her in a biopic on her social media profiles on Tuesday. She shared a post of Variety's article announcing the casting and wrote on her Instagram story:

"It all started with a simple dream."

The music legend is well known for her 1970s albums, Heart Like a Wheel and Simple Dreams, as per Billboard. Netizens believe she was referring to her album with the caption.

She also shared Rolling Stone's announcement about the casting.

Netizens have given their opinions about the biopic, with many praising the casting decision to bring in Selena Gomez to play Linda Ronstadt.

Although a director and additional cast members have not been announced for the project, producer James Keach and Ronstadt’s manager, John Boylan, are attached to it, as per Hollywood Reporter. A distributor does not appear to be on board at the moment.

In 2019, Keach also produced Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice, a documentary about her life. The website of music publisher Boylan, named Great Eastern Music, first announced the news of the latest project. They mentioned Selena Gomez on the website, saying:

"The long-rumored Linda Ronstadt biopic is now up and running. Selena Gomez is attached to play Linda. The two recently spent a few hours at Linda’s home discussing the project and getting to know each other."

Along with the 11 Grammy Awards, Linda was honored by both the Recording Academy and the Latin Recording Academy with Lifetime Achievement Awards. Her accolades also include three American Music Awards, two Academy of Country Music awards, an Emmy Award, and an ALMA Award, as per USA Today.