Britney Spears Almost Starred in a Musical Adaptation of ‘Alice in Wonderland’
Britney Spears is famous for starring in a road trip film in 2002 called Crossroads. But it turns out that wasn’t the only option on the table. A 1999 article indicated that Britney was in talks to star in a musical adaptation of an animated Disney classic. And Justin Timberlake was reportedly going to be involved, too.
Britney Spears’ ‘Crossroads’ showcased her acting talents in a lead role
While Spears was an experienced performer in the early 2000s, she hadn’t yet starred in a movie. Crossroads changed all that. Alongside Taryn Manning, Zoe Saldana, and Anson Mount (with appearances by Dan Aykroyd and Justin Long), Spears catapulted to movie-star status.
Spears starred as Lucy Wagner, a teen with a desire to do something more with her life. She climbs into a car with a few of her pals for a very educational road trip. Moreover, they face some adult problems along the way.
But besides a small role in 2001’s Longshot and a plethora of flashy music videos, Spears didn’t actually appear in anything similar. Crossroads became the one movie that defined her effort to break into movies as Madonna had done. However, while it was a moderate success financially, it didn’t launch her any further into the movies, and her starring roles in film ended there.
MTV Films planned a different movie for Britney Spears
In a 2016 Broadly article, MTV Films executive David Gale said before Crossroads was a launch, the company tossed around the idea of a musical adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s classic Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland.
The TV movie would be a musical reboot. Moreover, NSYNC and others would also appear in the movie. A 1999 Entertainment Weekly brief corroborates Gale’s claims, billing Spears as an ‘Alice For the Millennium.”
Screenwriter Sarah Thorpe told EW that the live action movie would have a singer hit by a Volkswagen rabbit, rather than chasing a live rabbit.
”After that, it’s chaos,” Thorpe said. ”She’s in the midst of a rock & roll, hip-hop musical that’s far from anything Lewis Carroll imagined.”
The draft included a Mad Hatter talent scout, a “Queen of Pop” for the Queen of Hearts, and a rap concert in place of a demented tea party. Additionally, the famed Caterpillar would be a stoner.
“It has room for incredible cameos,” Thorpe continued. ”Ricky Martin could be the Mad Hatter. Britney Spears could certainly play Alice.”
In the 1999 EW brief, Spears’ agent said “She is considering the script but hasn’t committed to it yet.”
Meanwhile, the concept for Crossroads swooped in. And the rest is history.
The singer expected to do more films
Britney Spears never planned to abandon starring in films. In fact, she told reporters in 2002 that she was planning to spend a lot more time on the pursuit. “I think I’m going to try the acting thing for awhile,” Spears said, per Hollywood.com. “It’ll probably be awhile before I make another album.”
Spears subsequently continued in her music career. She auditioned for The Notebook as the lead role opposite Ryan Gosling. However, the part went to Rachel McAdams of Mean Girls.
Crossroads remains Britney’s most significant effort to break into movies. But now that she’s free of her controversial conservatorship, maybe she’ll try her hand at it again.
