Academy Award winning actress Renée Zellweger is portraying Judy Garland in the new biopic about the later years of the entertainer's life, simply titled Judy. The biopic is directed by Rupert Goold with a script written by Tom Edge. Judy takes place 30 years after The Wizard of Oz as Garland performs sold-out shows at London's The Talk of the Town nightclub in the winter of 1968. The movie is set a year before Garland's death and will feature some of the struggles that she had later in her life.

The first picture of Renee Zellweger as Judy Garland is pretty amazing in that she looks a lot like the late entertainer. If the photo was done in black and white, it would be hard to distinguish between the two. The Judy biopic has seen some controversy by fans who believe that Garland's story was already properly told in the Me and My Shadows biographical miniseries in 2001, when Judy Davis played the role. The four-hour long series was notable for its meticulous recreations of some of Judy Garland's most well-known performances.

Production just started today on the Judy biopic and while it already has some competition in the eyes of fans, this upcoming movie will only cover a much smaller time period, to focus on the demons that Judy Garland still had with her from childhood. Part of the synopsis says Garland, "battles with management, charms musicians and reminisces with friends and adoring fans," while preparing for the London run of shows that are featured in the movie. Additionally, the synopsis also adds that the biopic will feature some of Judy Garland's best-known songs.

The Judy biopic will focus on a darker time in Judy Garland's life that sees the Wizard of Oz star exhausted after 40 years of show business taking its toll. We'll see Garland gripping with the loss of her childhood and wanting to be back home with her own children, while also falling in love with her 5th husband Mickey Deans. Garland died at the age of 47 from an accidental barbiturate overdose a few months after the London concert series. The biopic sounds like it will be a darker affair than what we've seen before.

While some fans are on the fence with the casting, the filmmaking team should go a long way in knowing that they absolutely nailed the look. Renee Zellweger looks just like Judy Garland in the new image from Judy. However, it isn't clear if Zellweger will be doing the extra heavy lifting of performing the songs as well. Acting like Judy Garland is one thing, singing like her is an entirely different ballgame, so we'll have to wait and see who ends up doing the singing. You can check out the new picture of Renee Zellweger as Judy Garland from the Judy biopic below, thanks to the Judy Twitter account.