Joni Mitchell and Graham Nash (Photo © Henry Diltz; used with permission)
Joni Mitchell will be the subject of a biopic from Cameron Crowe, the acclaimed director and screenwriter of such feature films as Almost Famous and Jerry Maguire. A report indicates that a pair of stars will portray the singer-songwriter at different stages of her legendary career: Anya Taylor-Joy (The Menu and TV mini-series The Queen’s Gambit) and three-time Academy Award-winner Meryl Streep.
Mitchell’s website initially posted the news of the film on July 17, 2025, based on reporting by entertainment news writer Jeff Sneider. Since then, the World of Reel website, shared an update on August 18 from Sneider indicating that the two actresses were attached to the film. Streep turned 76 on June 22. Mitchell is 81; Taylor-Joy is 29 years-old. The splitting of the role is akin to what was done for Brian Wilson’s well-received 2014 biopic, Love & Mercy, with Paul Dano portraying the younger Beach Boy and John Cusack as his older self.
Mitchell’s songbook includes such tracks as “Both Sides, Now,” “Free Man in Paris,” “Chelsea Morning,” “Woodstock,” and “Big Yellow Taxi” and such albums as Clouds, Ladies of the Canyon and Court and Spark. Of her many accolades, she has earned 11 Grammy Awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award, in 2002. She suffered a brain aneurysm in 2015 and, following years of physical therapy, she has gradually returned to the stage.
The most recent release from her vast Archives series is Joni’s Jazz, coming September 5.
Crowe, who interviewed Mitchell for Rolling Stone in 1979, has remained close to her throughout her career. Sneider reports that the pair are collaborating on the script with filming expected to start in 2026. It’s a noteworthy return for Crowe. Born on July 13, 1957 to parents who strictly banned rock and roll from their house, he dove headfirst into the world of music. By the time he graduated high school at fifteen, he was contributing to Rolling Stone as he interviewed legends like Led Zeppelin, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bob Dylan, Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young and Fleetwood Mac while accompanying them on tour. His book and screenplay delivered 1982’s Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and it was followed by a string of hits with him as director. His last feature film was 2015’s Aloha, which was a commercial disappointment.
His memoir, The Uncool, arrives October 28, 2025, via Simon & Schuster’s Avid Reader Press imprint. It’s available for pre-order in the U.S. here, in Canada here and in the U.K. here.
Streep is the most Oscar-nominated actor in history with 21. Her next feature film will be 2026’s The Devil Wears Prada 2.
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