Meryl Streep to Play Joni Mitchell: Why This Biopic Will Be ‘One Long Adventure’
For four years, Joni Mitchell and Cameron Crowe have been digging deep—now, the biopic is real!
Joni Mitchell’s extraordinary career and life deserve a worthy portrayal, and after months of rumors over who would play the legendary singer, music mogul Clive Davis confirmed at a pre-Grammy party that Meryl Streep will take on the role.
With decades of award-winning performances under her belt, many consider Streep to be the best person to take on this role. The actress is known for her own legendary career, including roles in Sophie’s Choice (1982), Out of Africa (1985), The Devil Wears Prada (2006) and Mamma Mia! (2008).
There was previously a rumor that Anya Taylor-Joy would play Mitchell, and with the announcement of Streep, many are wondering whether Taylor-Joy might be portraying a younger version of Mitchell. However, Cameron Crowe has been tight-lipped, only previously commenting that he “Can’t confirm that. I wish I could.”
Mitchell shows no signs of slowing down, as the 11-time Grammy winner earned her most recent award just last night at the 68th annual broadcast for her record, Joni Mitchell Archives – Volume 4: The Asylum Years (1976-1980). This win was Mitchell’s second for the Best Historical Album category—she previously snagged the award in 2022.
How the film came about
Cameron Crowe and Joni Mitchell go way back—all the way back to 1979 when the filmmaker and journalist had the opportunity to profile the musician for the first time. She was his dream subject, but he had to work hard to snag the opportunity, as the singer often turned down interviews or kept them brief if she participated.
Crowe finally got his chance when he was about 22 and working at Rolling Stone. Although many campaigned against the young writer getting the interview, it was exactly what intrigued Mitchell. Crowe now calls the singer, “the best interview I had at the magazine,” and over the years, they have formed a bond. And now, Mitchell is trusting Crowe once more to knock down all of the walls as they work on a biopic about her life.
Crowe and Mitchell have been working together for the past four years, having deep conversations where Mitchell shares it all. In a conversation with The New York Times, the filmmaker explained that, while he can’t share too much about the project just yet, the idea for the film’s structure came to him in a dream. After gauging Mitchell’s interest in the project, she shared her thoughts.
“Joni said, ‘Let’s spend every Monday night. You come over here, and we’ll talk. You ask me anything you want,’” Crowe recalled. “So that’s what I’ve been doing all this time. It’s been incredibly inspiring—the most I’ve interviewed anybody, the deepest-tissue kind of conversations I’ve had with any artist, and I’ve found it invigorating and I can’t wait to make the movie.”
What will the biopic be about?
Crowe is keeping most of the biopic’s details under wraps for now but the film will tell the life story of Mitchell. However, the details of how it will play out on the big screen is a mystery. Crowe shared minor details in a recent interview.
“Her life from her point of view…” Crowe said on The New York Times podcast, The Interview. “A Joni Mitchell movie should feel like a Joni Mitchell album. Be good to the people who have been there as fans all along. That’s the best road to telling a biographical story about a musician. That’s the Joni Mitchell dream.”
He also added in another interview, “It’s a movie that will not be from a distance. This is from her perspective, her life, looking out. She’s kept all of her costumes, all of her clothes, all of her instruments. She’s even still the landlady of her famous house in Laurel Canyon. So, this is a really personal, wonderful look at her life and music.”
After four years of conversations between the filmmaker and the singer, it’s almost time for them to take the next step in the filmmaking process, and after filming delays due to the California wildfires, filming is set to begin in 2026, with Crowe slated as director.
“I think the Joni Mitchell movie is exactly the right story to be telling right now,” Crowe said. “So it’s one long adventure that I’m very proud of.”
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