Janis Joplin biopic will detail singer’s “last days” before her death at 27

26 September 2024, 17:47 | Updated: 26 September 2024, 18:04

Janis Joplin in 1969. Picture: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

The film is set to give a "raw and honest" look at the rock singer's final days before her tragic heroin overdose.

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A Janis Joplin biopic, which will detail the last days of the singer-songwriter's life, is in the works.

The American musician - best known for songs such as Piece Of My Heart and Me and My Bobby McGee -tragically died due to a heroin overdose in 1970 aged 27, thus joining a list of iconic stars to lose their lives at the same age.

Now, it has been revealed that the the film - which will see Shailene Woodley (Divergent, Big Little Lies, The Fault In Our Stars) in the role of the iconic singer - will give a "raw and honest" look at the final days leading up to Joplin's fatal overdose.

Linda Perry - who has been working on the project with Woodley - told Entertainment Weekly: "I've been waiting decades for this movie to be made. There are no words to convey how honored I am to be included in what I believe to be a raw and honest look into Janis Joplin's last days".

The songwriter, producer and 4 Non Blondes singer continued: "Shailene Woodley’s emotional commitment and dedication to Janis is inspiring. I believe her! Shailene lives for the art and I can’t think of a better person to portray such a powerful, emotional, and complex artist."

Linda Perry and Shailene Woodley have worked on the upcoming Janis Joplin biopic. Picture: Jaime Nogales/Medios y Media/Getty Images, Swan Gallet/WWD via Getty Images

Woodley, who first announced this month that she would produce and star in the as-yet-untitled biopic - said on Live with Kelly and Mark, that she only really discovered she could sing "outside of the shower" during her preparation for the film.

The film has been six plus years in the making and Woodley said why she felt it was important that the project wasn't rushed.

The 32 year old star explained: "It's been over six years of kind of putting it together and you know, to me it's important to do these sorts of things with a lot of integrity and a lot of care and Janis is someone that I've always deeply respected and admired. You know, the spirit in her and the soul she was on this planet and kind of the light that she was on this planet.

"So it's been a really fun journey getting to know her better through the process of finding all the creative elements..."

Asked if she was a singer, she replied: "I mean, yeah. I am. I'm not like a trained singer, but I feel and I can sing in my shower and It turns out I can also sing outside of the shower, which I didn't really know until I started working on the Janis project and working with Linda Perry, who's an amazing music producer and musician herself."

She went on: "She's really encouraged me and helped me find my centre and my own voice, which is incredible."