We didn't really expect anything less, but the first photos from Lifetime's unauthorized Britney Spears biopic are here, and they're something.
Ever since news of the movie, tentatively titled Britney, dropped back in August, it's received pretty negative attention for obvious reasons. Lifetime has seemingly found a niche exploiting tragic celebrity stories, from Brittany Murphy to Whitney Houston, and beloved TV shows, like Full House and Saved by the Bell, to make movies often so bad, they can't even be considered guilty pleasures.
The Britney Spears biopic seems especially cruel, given that Spears is alive and well, and likely wouldn't appreciate seeing some of her most vulnerable moments played out on TV by relatively unknown young actors.
The movie, slated to air on Lifetime in February, has faced strong criticism from fans who feel it's exploitative and unnecessarily mean. Spears' spokesperson confirmed back in August that the pop star would not be involved in the movie, adding that Spears "will not be contributing in any way, shape, or form to the Lifetime biopic. Nor does it have her blessing."
Still, Lifetime is carrying on, and just released the first photos from the flick.
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As the movie plans to chronicle much of Britney's life, it will feature her highly publicized relationship with Justin Timberlake, as well as her wedding to backup dancer Kevin Federline in 2005, and her subsequent struggles in the spotlight in the years following.
Natasha Bassett, an Australian actress, seems excited to play the pop princess. She told Entertainment Tonight this week that she "immersed [herself] into Britneyland" in order to prepare for her role. Bassett added that she's "never danced in [her] life" — which should work out well, given that Britney is known for her iconic dancing and performances.
Though it seems unlikely that Britney will actually tune into this trainwreck on TV, Bassett hopes that she will. She said, "I really hope she watches the movie, because I think she’d really enjoy it. It’s really a love letter to her and to her story, so I really hope she watches it and I just wish her all the happiness in the world."
So much nope.